tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63017789837214997712024-02-07T23:40:24.189-08:00NerdmamaTBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-65186801699355542742012-03-23T10:19:00.002-07:002012-03-23T10:31:13.092-07:00Sun MadnessThe weather has been unseasonably nice here in Cleveland. Warm, sunny, a nice breeze. Heaven. Unfortunately, heaven also comes with sun madness, a disease that makes you want to buy a crappy convertible and play hooky for 4/5ths of the work week.<br /><br />(BTW, I've got a personal blog that will probably update more often than Nerdmama, and you can view it here: <a href="http://www.toribeth.com">http://www.toribeth.com</a>. A lot of it currently deals with sun madness.)<br /><br />Pax and I have been out and about a lot because of the sun madness. We visited the zoo last Wednesday, and we've been out for daily walks--sometimes, twice a day! We had a big family walk last night with my husband and the dog... after a short walk in the afternoon and a walk to visit grandpa in the morning. I'm going to have killer thighs by the time the clouds roll back in.<br /><br />Last Saturday, we got some sandwiches and took Pax on his first visit to the lake. In retrospect, it might have been a bit soon, because he got sand everywhere, but it was so nice out and I think Pax really enjoyed himself. He regarded the still-frigid lake as a giant bath and splashed around without much care for the cold. I can't wait until he's a bit bigger and can toddle around in the sand and not try to eat the rocks.<br /><br />I also finally took the leap of buying the big carseat. My tiny VW Rabbit now sports a rear-facing Britax Marathon Classic in the backseat. It's, um... it's interesting. More on that later, maybe. The good news is, at least it fits. Kind of.<br /><br />School and things are still trucking along, I am still running myself ragged, etc. etc. I have an interview next Thursday for an internship at the art museum--I am VERY excited for the opportunity and will probably be antsy until the interview. This weekend, my husband and I are joining my German class to go see a movie at the international film festival (and maybe we'll have dinner, too). That will be fun, I'm sure. And then the rest of this weekend... homework. Soooo much homework.<br /><br />I need to clear off my camera's memory card, then I want to post some photos of baby at the zoo, baby at the beach, etc. One moment, please...TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-4875530104937519832012-02-26T18:47:00.004-08:002012-02-26T19:09:50.044-08:00Sigh.<div style="text-align: left;">Here's what has happened to me this February:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. I got food poisoning. I always thought that food poisoning was when you ate something and a couple hours later your stomach hurt--you just took some Tums and got over it. I learned that that is not exactly the case after throwing up for five straight hours and being taken the ER. There is nothing quite like vomiting into a plastic bag while a handsome male nurse is pushing drugs through your IV line--and then becoming completely overemotional and crying about how grateful you are for modern medicine. There is also nothing quite like being bedridden for nearly a week while your stomach continues to attempt to empty itself of everything you ingest. Thank you, salmonella.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>2. Attempting to get my academic life back on track after missing a week--disastrous. Well, I <i>say</i> disastrous, but in reality that's just the neuroticism acting up. I still feel like I'm behind, but I guess I'm really not.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>3. Pax's nine-month doctor's appointment happened. He is HUGE--over 20 pounds and 30" tall. He also eats like a pig, although we're still working on "real" finger food (i.e., not puffs/wheels). The main problem is that Pax loves to shove as much food as possible into his mouth and attempt to swallow without chewing, so everything is a choking hazard. Actually, we spent a lot of time rescuing things from Pax's mouth, food or not... he is really very fond of picking up animal hair and scraps of paper from the floor. He's also starting to look less like a baby and more like a toddler, as evidenced by this photo of my darling son in a bear hoodie:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPc_Uzdf8P50BMOBOQrzCALo2vN2hZ4V5_IaEWEah9SBuegkr2W4wVPQ_3DeHePvdzqkPqWdgvShgNxUQTf98hoPhNqnQKZGxNpgrm-qSkkKgG11JE9BBOj_mIq1Juhd9_65E-zcVKg/s320/bearhoodie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713644047437710642" /></div><div><br /></div><div>4. Someone please tell me all of the things ever about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Bester">Willie Bester</a>. I'm doing my seminar project on him and my research is going too slowly. I have books requested through ILLiad that have somehow vanished from the face of the Earth, and I <i>need</i> those books for the project to be any sort of success. HALP. </div><div><br /></div><div>5. Doing the student bit with the mother bit is continuing to wear me down to my last bit of sanity. Paxton doesn't think that long-winded scholarly articles on geometry in classical Islamic art are nearly as interesting as I think they are, so I almost never get to actually read what I'm attempting to read on a daily basis. Coupled with an online class that I swear is going to give me an aneurysm by the end of the semester and four summer internship applications that are 50% finished and due by Thursday, I'll be lucky if I'm still alive by spring break... in two weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, there you have it. That's been my entire month! Hopefully, March will be a bit easier to handle... </div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-22374889168473670952012-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:002012-02-03T08:06:12.181-08:00Eleven things.NEO-blogger Alicia from <a href="http://www.poiseinparma.com">Poise in Parma</a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.poiseinparma.com"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></a> </span>tagged "whoever wants to" in her <a href="http://www.poiseinparma.com/2012/02/03/eleven-things/">Eleven Things</a> blog post today, so I'm picking up the baton.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">11 Random Things<br /><br /></span></span></span>1. Low-carb ice cream frustrates me. The only "real" low-carb option seems to be Breyer's Carb Smart, which I can only find in vanilla. It tastes slightly of cardboard and sadness.<br /><br />2. I'm kind of sick of people (mostly my family) telling me that I don't eat enough or that having some more food isn't going to hurt me. Um, yes, it will! Excuse me, I am trying not to get diabetes over here, thanks. I'm 25, I don't want diabetes until... well, preferably never. They're probably just jealous that I'm getting thin again.<br /><br />3. Paxton is also frustrating me, a great deal more than low-carb ice cream is. He's currently having a growth spurt <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>teething molars <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>he's obsessed with trying to walk. This all adds up to his sleep schedule being thrown out the window and a lot of angry/frustrated tantrums. I had to get up at 5:20 this morning to calm him down before the alarm went off at 6:00. There is not enough coffee in the world.<br /><br />4. This semester is actually a lot more difficult than last semester. I thought commuting 3 days a week instead of 5 was going to be helpful, but instead it has completely thrown off my schedule. Since Pax is growing up and starting to eschew naps in favor of activity (and he's easily bored), I get nothing of adult value done two days a week--I'm too busy re-reading board books, fetching puffs and rearranging baby gates. Cramming a 5-day week into 3 days on campus is proving more difficult than I'd first imagined.<br /><br />5. I've recently discovered the wonders of TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Nordstrom Rack. I could waste hours shopping for clothes, but for now it's mostly window-shopping. <br /><br />6. I've got to get costuming again--this coming May we're doing a Regency ball somewhere in NEO (details forthcoming) with the <a href="http://www.60thrifles.com/">Rifles</a>, which has me hoarding photos of gorgeous Regency ballgowns on Pinterest. A week later, we'll be packing up for <a href="http://worldsteamexpo.com/">World Steam Expo</a> in Dearborn, MI. I need ideas for a steampunk baby costume!<br /><br />7. Speaking of Pinterest, I am completely obsessed. Follow me <a href="http://pinterest.com/tbbaughman/">here</a>. There's a Nerdmama board!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>8. Coming up with eleven things is really, really difficult. Damn.<br /><br />9. Life with the iPad is sweet. It keeps proving itself surprisingly useful, to the point where I am beginning to resent having to use my cell phone or a computer. It even comes with me to the store--I feel a little pretentious using it for my grocery lists, but it's easier to keep track of then a piece of paper and a pen!<br /><br />10. I bought new makeup last Avon campaign. My makeup was beginning to get crummy and the stuff I ordered is really nice (and cheaper than the drugstore brands I was using, if you can believe that). I am currently in a love-love relationship with <a href="http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?src_page=product_list.aspx&level1_id=300&level2_id=301&pdept_id=311&dept_id=0&pf_id=43813">Shine Attract Lipstick</a>, which is a brand-new product... lip color wrapped in a clear medium that goes on like lipstick but shines like gloss. I have the "wrapped raisin" color. Loooooooooove. Go buy it, it's on sale for $4.99 and I can pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed. I usually don't wear lipstick at all but getting to sample this stuff completely changed my mind.<br /><br />11. My husband got a raise at work. We might be able to have iPhones again. This is kind of a big deal, because the prepaid phones we've been using have got to be the crappiest phones in the history of mankind. They freeze constantly, crash constantly, have next to no dedicated memory, and sometimes they turn themselves off for an hour or two at a time. No, the battery doesn't die--they just turn off and stay that way. Real winners, these phones.TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-27843597494392790602012-01-15T18:44:00.001-08:002012-01-15T20:03:01.680-08:00The First Snow<div>It finally got around to snowing in Cleveland a couple days ago. Up until last week, we'd been having unseasonably warm weather... I mean, really, ridiculously unseasonably warm weather. When it is 62 degrees and sunny in northeast Ohio in December, something has got to be wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>Inspired by another mom from WTE who lives in the NEO (how's <i>that</i> for acronyms, BTW?), I wanted photos of Paxton outside in the snow. There was one problem with this: the child doesn't have mittens.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to Babies 'R' Us, loathsome, soul-sucking store that it is (obviously my feelings about the store have not changed since before my pregnancy) to seek out baby mittens last night. When we finally found the one, teensy rack of winter gear for infants, they only thing they had that was not pink and covered in pom-poms was a powder-blue hat/mitten set, sized 3T/4T. We did not buy it. Babies do not need mittens <i>that</i> badly, I decided.</div><div><br /></div><div>So this morning, I bundled Pax up and brought him outside. I made my husband take pictures of us in the cold. Less than five minutes later, we were inside, enjoying a warm bath.</div><div><br /></div><div>Worth it? Oh, <i>yes</i>. Look at his cute little confused face:</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz9RN7FawC5beVjrQQj6MGMnnJNy5U4y0qRA428_stXKMsIr31Km-5CT6e2l36leIPLOJ-7m3FGiC9iiQfWN6cqgI9pna_dmvC69f6mfkvTtWXKml_uFQNkza4_Z6iw0lvKsOBJTj6Q/s1600/snow1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz9RN7FawC5beVjrQQj6MGMnnJNy5U4y0qRA428_stXKMsIr31Km-5CT6e2l36leIPLOJ-7m3FGiC9iiQfWN6cqgI9pna_dmvC69f6mfkvTtWXKml_uFQNkza4_Z6iw0lvKsOBJTj6Q/s400/snow1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698055452454083538" /></a><br /><div>For the record, Pax was wearing his footed Superman PJ's underneath a pair of fleece footed pants, insulated jeans, a hoodie, hat and coat. This is proof that babies look cute in pretty much anything, whereas their mothers don't fare so well in winter gear, which only makes them look chunky. Therefore, silly moms like me go outside for photos in what they deem to be cute "wintery" outfits (made up of yoga gear, Wellington boots, skinny jeans and matching accessories), sit in the snow and freeze their butts off: </div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWbuQsXR3kKNPjpjbkQTiVBlGcW7XSss3yG42DP6kT5LZSqwDPqWnzw26btmGgxQEmoS6x1HOP8ELO8v0xR6OyfPHMd-aYMnlD1roIQtQzDRtO1RFoSHtVlUuVrphTiYNWZNtP65PHQ/s400/snow3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698055445083495762" /><br /></div><div>Now that the novelty has worn off and the photos are taken... is it spring yet? Three days and I'm already sick of the cold and snow... </div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-70471680786270596492012-01-11T05:46:00.000-08:002012-01-12T08:35:56.517-08:00Marathoning.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Somewhere between finals, the death of Salvador, the baptism party, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Christmas dinner, visiting family in southern Ohio, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, my dad's birthday and now I seemed to have developed some sort of mental impairment toward anything that could possibly be construed as "work". Mid-December to the second week of January always seems like some sort of impossible rush that I somehow muddle through each year without really remembering it, but this time around it was especially difficult.<div><br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Then I get about a week of actual vacation and school starts again.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I am actually pretty psyched about this semester. Art history seminar students are getting semester loans on iPads, which is really cool, especially since my other art history class this semester is online. I'm hoping the iPad will let me get out of hauling my ancient PowerBook back and forth to campus everyday, as that computer is probably the reason I snapped the straps on three bags last semester.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I am literally staring at my keyboard right now, trying to think of something interesting to say. I'm coming up with nothing. To be honest, I'm in what I like to call "a mood". It's a funny feeling where you feel a bit snippy and completely fed up/exhausted for no reason at all. Maybe I've had too much/not enough vacation.</div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-3249534936735059012012-01-11T05:28:00.000-08:002012-01-11T05:45:32.205-08:00Christmas (photos)<div>I'm not going to say much about Christmas, because things got a bit crazy, but we did have a pretty good time. :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8Y94FtL9AIAqAkQMWvRf49Soik1cHFgHeXk2-8Cx_hqGIkPm89pnVIlcsUNl4hI-tgRl59O1hLZG43ZSOrcMj7lXPZwOrcbPctF49N9ZaAfGusY027R5lQAaa9GTWJlJmFd7ypXsEg/s1600/christmas5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8Y94FtL9AIAqAkQMWvRf49Soik1cHFgHeXk2-8Cx_hqGIkPm89pnVIlcsUNl4hI-tgRl59O1hLZG43ZSOrcMj7lXPZwOrcbPctF49N9ZaAfGusY027R5lQAaa9GTWJlJmFd7ypXsEg/s320/christmas5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696369643738296546" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgVTuf_DRtbvVhUupcR_xWG5lRrWZgeWrLNwj4F1wEPa9gyVcvIUqpvPqL53GWO2Dw3s6VBEfc-SwwxZSClXuTo2UODb8g8iF8EJQK5BtbpcA-thBN224Qp0kU9rjAaUpT3dcMRnk1A/s1600/christmas4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgVTuf_DRtbvVhUupcR_xWG5lRrWZgeWrLNwj4F1wEPa9gyVcvIUqpvPqL53GWO2Dw3s6VBEfc-SwwxZSClXuTo2UODb8g8iF8EJQK5BtbpcA-thBN224Qp0kU9rjAaUpT3dcMRnk1A/s320/christmas4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696369636900302178" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyglj8WKBIHXf3XrS5tIpciVx331lRtWTZWmPV6S_9Fvf7cqU_qcWVcOYxir-YZjFn5o6n7WObdyHfrQtKosLEXIzZ4NCu1kUvfrFWBjACCnU9xKO7SFSXRo4CvcCiRowtZGhtq8VoWw/s1600/christmas3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyglj8WKBIHXf3XrS5tIpciVx331lRtWTZWmPV6S_9Fvf7cqU_qcWVcOYxir-YZjFn5o6n7WObdyHfrQtKosLEXIzZ4NCu1kUvfrFWBjACCnU9xKO7SFSXRo4CvcCiRowtZGhtq8VoWw/s320/christmas3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696369632405968514" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG94_8UW0Ecqi7GuC9XUMx3is11UFsZ7eMr4SokkgF2VUV5NHj6czVNra6JvEKKCeZ8IuftehpUC-fePmU3HJRbwnvMRnqb_oH9h6Z2PpaAlpu1773vv-gd97RD29cl6WPu1sJHGU5w/s1600/christmas2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG94_8UW0Ecqi7GuC9XUMx3is11UFsZ7eMr4SokkgF2VUV5NHj6czVNra6JvEKKCeZ8IuftehpUC-fePmU3HJRbwnvMRnqb_oH9h6Z2PpaAlpu1773vv-gd97RD29cl6WPu1sJHGU5w/s320/christmas2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696369620504699906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FkvlxPoqnktUhP4aVstRt1z8hP4JNh_1HioQjxZGLJzpRiWNvpwIzQQWgYMbyGFzEINQgioYE142dulOchy21laaJmHOPwHs09pgeVATmr2pjcR8MT3fKgpdbMvxJI5aj9VTl3Sh0Q/s1600/christmast1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FkvlxPoqnktUhP4aVstRt1z8hP4JNh_1HioQjxZGLJzpRiWNvpwIzQQWgYMbyGFzEINQgioYE142dulOchy21laaJmHOPwHs09pgeVATmr2pjcR8MT3fKgpdbMvxJI5aj9VTl3Sh0Q/s320/christmast1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696369617894537666" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-11232558443854095082011-12-13T07:08:00.000-08:002011-12-13T07:26:29.684-08:00(Not) The Most Wonderful Time of the YearI've been in college for the past seven years. It is hard for me to get too excited about Christmas until about a week before the holiday, because I have to deal with these things called "final exams". Since I'm an art history major, I also have to deal with these other things called "final papers", which are due <i>maybe</i> a week before I have to take the final exam. Am I the only one who thinks revising a 10+ page paper a week before I have to memorize 75+ slides for an exam is a little unfair? Maybe we could do the paper thing mid-way through the semester? Maybe the paper could be the exam? Something?<div><br /></div><div>On top of that, Paxton is (finally) getting baptized this Sunday and stupid me decided that it would be <i>no problem</i> to throw a party afterward.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBQt3cpf67JCkdE5hEH9teX30HtoR-N4GkIqA2-IyQ6QDkjv0sJ83XMe50YZBKojDvvifN6jjTN9Vr1Ncaa3IOmDO3OV8eMcOXjMdkbO8ed9TLImj7LwEESfBgvCeNQ4J21VU9dgkBQ/s320/salvador.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685633362090383138" /></div><div>And on top of that... my guinea pig died last night. The guinea pig that I'd had since early 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div>Said pig was elderly and had been sick for awhile (almost a year) with things that would, normally, kill a younger guinea pig with a certain amount of speed. We were beginning to think he was immortal. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case. He had a seizure last night, and I took him into the bathroom and held him until it was over. It was one of the saddest things I have ever experienced, honestly.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now I have a dead guinea pig in an amazon.com box, chilling out in my house because I really have no idea what to do with him. The box won't fit in my freezer--I'm considering putting it in the garage since it is fairly cold outside. Sometime today I will have to call the vet and see about getting him cremated (he was not the sort of animal who would go for being in a box in the ground).</div><div><br /></div><div>...excuse me, I have to go cry uncontrollably and flunk my math final now. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Salvador Dali</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">b. 2004 S. Portland, ME</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">d. 2011 Cleveland area, OH</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-76296852514586116802011-11-29T05:58:00.000-08:002011-11-30T17:46:43.492-08:00PUPPP-date<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Examination of the viewing stats for this blog over the past few months has led me to a realization: the internet somehow thinks I am an expert on PUPPP. The Nerdmama blog appears on the first page of Google search results! Whoever thought a skin condition would make me popular? I seem to recall my skin being the reason I was mercilessly teased in junior high... you know, besides being an insufferable, geeky know-it-all. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>For anyone who is wondering how my life has been post-PUPPP, here's the scoop: the medical community says that PUPPP usually doesn't scar. Well, remember how my OB said I was just lucky because I got GD and PUPPP? I was lucky enough to get PUPPP scars, too! Woohoo!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I have a ton of tiny scars from where the blisters broke open all over my legs. My arms aren't too bad, but there is a lot of noticeable discoloration on my forearms from where the worst of it was. My stomach, amazingly, escaped mostly unscathed, although I am going to need some serious resurfacing before I am ever seen in a bikini again.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I saw my dermatologist about the scars a couple months ago and there's not really a lot I can do about them. He suggested bleaching them, which I did for about two months before losing interest. I really should get back on that, though, because it had started to work--and the bleaching cream was doing wonders on the stretch marks, too. For the record, it's this stuff:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC90OMU00rl8_vGx-uK3DZDGgwo5lec4inD8bHOvBu6olqRKvSoeyNxNLrGu3RCSc_bFywKvQ-pe0hBwqi8Zb7Kv5rDj0zsH43qyMyVx80TDDVxDsbSs5_yEHHUHM6U8PLv-09IzeCQQ/s320/ambi.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680420296332717954" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Available at </span><a href="http://www.drugstore.com/ambi-skin-discoloration-fade-cream-for-normal-skin/qxp14981?catid=182916&fromsrch=ambi+fade"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">drugstore.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> for under $6!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It's cheap and it's effective. If you're looking to get rid of PUPPP scars, I recommend it. My dermatologist actually told me to get this brand, too--he said that it is just as effective as prescription creams, and you get more cream for less money. Nice. I am all about more for less. If you're not into buying online, I've also found this stuff at Walgreens (but not at CVS or Target).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I'll let you guys know if I ever get rid of the scars. I also just updated the navigation header with a new page, entitled <a href="http://nerdmama.blogspot.com/p/puppp-help.html">PUPPP Help</a>, which includes a series of links to websites with information on PUPPP and information about possible treatment options. I hope it helps anyone who gets the rash, because let's face it: late pregnancy is already pretty miserable, there's no reason to be in more pain than you have to be!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-22933081072293373612011-11-25T15:50:00.000-08:002011-11-25T16:29:46.231-08:00Thanksgiving<div>The House of Nerd enjoyed a good Thanksgiving last night. Grandma and Grandpa came over and joined the Nerdparents, Pax and the pets for turkey, stuffing, veggies and pie...</div><div><br /></div><div>...after a series of small disasters, of course. After all, it wouldn't be my life without some minor crises! First, the turkey did fit into either my mom's roasting pan (brought over by my dad at 9 AM) or my roasting pan. I wanted to use my mom's because it is slightly larger (by virtue of being an oval instead of a rectangle) and it has a lid. The turkey was having none of it:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHUkPxNhGi9XldLQInGDbS9_JPHA8I0lgs2YgxnXLxg4IBHvuFtYdNOEMJjYroNPGy0idfEDqorv8ncF_gEo3cb4ZVb9fFjB8p0tohu6a9oC34QbXPEztPMiTozcRMLRmbs7U0cZLvg/s400/thanksgiving1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089960576322338" /></div><div>After wrestling the bird between the two pans, it ended up in mine. I then had to call my parents again and my dad brought me a roll of aluminum foil at 10 AM, since I'd run out. I got the foil tented over the turkey and went to put the 21-pound fowl into the oven... when the pan got stuck in the oven rack somehow and I spilled the turkey. I had broth in the bottom of the pan and it went EVERYWHERE. My husband helped clean up and the turkey made into the oven without incident on the second attempt. It was worth the effort, as it came out fantastic: </div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELX-WMMd5hZ9NiHZ3Ogkkk2BDxc5jUYXP9VpP6gxLVYNgRg9kzsXbwdmEECGJNWNzzE9Ps9sj3E7lzGJyehHqNbwjKTHM1jJlRPthUcmNi6uAfM7U8CVG6N1XrfnMt1ZhxhGk4g7aaA/s400/thanksgiving5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089785330849154" /><br /><div>Of course I had a couple of helpers for dinner:<br /><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohIWRr02VbHN_UAHqYfDlRnblLBzrClWfOzrGzvXVtYYMnZ60hI_3efdQsm1KnRMrPGF6vi-bMRnbqQzaKyWHgxAVYFl8SEvFdrcW9dWvj61-vkWkJccHp46SPQ2r5YmRJ4azmR578Q/s400/thanksgiving4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089961139927666" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rWm5EnX8xYa6wiCLi0cN5opChp_5g-rRxNkeDERN8DetiSbpLmJ0Ixz66QyDCrweGHEGh6VgPukIlWaltEOEV3gSLNuUMfC4jHc2PAxv3JgzSSJJCsOLdDo78EwI_ku8TKW7zQYxEw/s1600/thanksgiving3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rWm5EnX8xYa6wiCLi0cN5opChp_5g-rRxNkeDERN8DetiSbpLmJ0Ixz66QyDCrweGHEGh6VgPukIlWaltEOEV3gSLNuUMfC4jHc2PAxv3JgzSSJJCsOLdDo78EwI_ku8TKW7zQYxEw/s400/thanksgiving3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089961772984578" /></a><br /></div><div>Here's my "tablescape". Doesn't that sound fancy, "tablescape"? It's a fancy word for being motivated enough to actually set the table properly for once in my life. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaPZZU4Ev7FvCzGD4-QJkwpbWAMZb5AG2hIAJakG_-W94KOmTNXHpdAsaZdVd09VVJhs8ORU8Tcz2GgpIuWhiKKJqEPOZOhCKR5QCR4LZoZzBLPLX1yu5DhevW1-X0RaED-ubV2pB_Q/s1600/thanksgiving2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaPZZU4Ev7FvCzGD4-QJkwpbWAMZb5AG2hIAJakG_-W94KOmTNXHpdAsaZdVd09VVJhs8ORU8Tcz2GgpIuWhiKKJqEPOZOhCKR5QCR4LZoZzBLPLX1yu5DhevW1-X0RaED-ubV2pB_Q/s400/thanksgiving2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089956995916162" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This stuff makes my holiday: jellied cranberry sauce from a can. It's so wrong, but oh so right, and I always, always make sure that it comes out in the shape of the can. It wouldn't come in a can if Ocean Spray didn't mean for it to be served that way.</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SDY8GiGPCpo6Itard8Re9vT83ORtkWnq0-WOdhNT_BFAc5lY4FtmVQoaKQjF09CBHrf66wbdt_uZcuZ4bwLAtDjYem0BI4mAZ2fCokRPoVaOXSIvKcqhePGDO9W6KcMPNwqq4DTVUg/s400/thanksgiving6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089792730605618" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what our meal looked like, pre-gravy and sans-cranberry. Oh, and sans-Swede. Have you guys heard about Swedish turnip/Rutabaga? It's a vegetable, a nasty, nasty vegetable. My father likes it and no one else in the family will touch it (including, now, Paxton). </div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUfer6yKt_Z3kvk2bITUbV7dyQNgVDaIEO7ABjPUQTunYYY0qb3f4HPsTZcpmHLuZr-rMQvxvVtJiRabxnoFtqlmMDVNqx495FK2mzdicVgGS0PBNjaIU8AscjmWqmUYt6ty0j9xevw/s1600/thanksgiving9.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUfer6yKt_Z3kvk2bITUbV7dyQNgVDaIEO7ABjPUQTunYYY0qb3f4HPsTZcpmHLuZr-rMQvxvVtJiRabxnoFtqlmMDVNqx495FK2mzdicVgGS0PBNjaIU8AscjmWqmUYt6ty0j9xevw/s400/thanksgiving9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089801937780898" /></a><br /></div><div>Oh, and this <i>is</i> still a parenting blog, so you'd better have some baby:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9Uc4INmnSv6JWb8z-_OZXvHuTk6Y4QOZZ_vSqj5hrgZ-ctM3Wxk-OOrNUBOjzYFbiGbwlECKPI6AFsbNdeULY-TpQb6aVbBRzS-pROGWelPGDFiCeubWWBchrkcniFO3OfMB6cl0og/s1600/thanksgiving8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9Uc4INmnSv6JWb8z-_OZXvHuTk6Y4QOZZ_vSqj5hrgZ-ctM3Wxk-OOrNUBOjzYFbiGbwlECKPI6AFsbNdeULY-TpQb6aVbBRzS-pROGWelPGDFiCeubWWBchrkcniFO3OfMB6cl0og/s400/thanksgiving8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089793735280258" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mjqWdWxdMjPyXbFW54fa8jJaTAVUnNHduUK799WdhA2c5aesTp2ZXvS3LGxs0M40ZQN3P0x4ZFUzQeJt0SRRtiM6z6FypJpZr9QniflxVoXI0wtBAHIfjrQ2gD12ndoaCFYwG3048g/s400/thanksgiving7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679089791908994786" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I hope everyone else (in the US, at least) had an excellent Thanksgiving! I got up insanely early today to do some traditional Black Friday shopping with my BFF/Pax's nonbiological aunt and we got some pretty good deals. :) </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-24426539551588100552011-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:002011-11-12T09:14:46.098-08:00I decided to let Pax try writing an entry.f b s k;e n n vcc zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz l / d <div> gnj ' hg <br /> - b b j j 9=0 107 8 c, , DD </div><div>]ZX </div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-62396165726391159822011-11-04T17:25:00.000-07:002011-11-04T17:48:36.002-07:00Liebster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9etiU5123bGbKlcwjLL3KllqajJOZxIFQDJSSBsSauUgGvP_cqlSOC8LsrRJgg0nfbM0YSI8bQP1sn9O_h0Ssm7-goN_fVEv99_ZkMI0gX6CfAxgsvtFLm5vsz5Vb9Q9rnyoAEblUA/s1600/liebster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 62px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9etiU5123bGbKlcwjLL3KllqajJOZxIFQDJSSBsSauUgGvP_cqlSOC8LsrRJgg0nfbM0YSI8bQP1sn9O_h0Ssm7-goN_fVEv99_ZkMI0gX6CfAxgsvtFLm5vsz5Vb9Q9rnyoAEblUA/s400/liebster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671301394582599202" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://moms-edge.blogspot.com/">Mom on the Edge</a> awesomely awarded me with the Liebster Blog "award"--it's an award passed around through other bloggers to celebrate up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers. Thanks for thinking of Nerdmama!<div><br /></div><div>Here's how the Liebster works:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Copy the award to your blog.</div><div>2. Thank the giver and link back to their blog.</div><div>3. Reveal your top five up-and-coming blogs, and let the bloggers know.</div><div>4. Spread the love!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's my Top Five mommybloggers: </div><div><br /></div><div>1. <a href="http://www.iasoupmama.com/">Soup</a>: Midwestern Mama Cooking up Life in the Heartland</div><div>2. It's <a href="http://itsmombojumbo.blogspot.com/">MOMbojumbo</a></div><div>3. <a href="http://toesintheair.blogspot.com/">Toes in the Air</a></div><div>4. <a href="http://www.planethausfrau.com/">Planet Hausfrau</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, a brand-new blog that was just started by my friend Joanna, one that you should all go read and follow right now because she is just that amazing:</div><div><br /></div><div>5. <a href="http://becomingpastormom.blogspot.com/">Becoming Pastor Mom</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm realizing that I am pretty biased towards NEO mommybloggers (MOMbojumbo, Toes in the Air, Planet Hausfrau...). Even Joanna is a NEO transplant. The only one not from the area is Soup--but that doesn't make her any less awesome, she's still one of us gorgeous midwestern ladies. :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-72692280284696990592011-11-01T07:08:00.001-07:002011-11-01T07:15:59.289-07:00The Halloween Costume<div>My husband and I had a wonderful costume planned for Pax. Really, we did. See, the geekling has terrific crazy hair. David Tennant hair. So it made sense to dress little Pax up like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Doctor">the Tenth Doctor</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, fabric and patterns were acquired, but midterms got in the way. Basically, Pax's costume ended up being a pair of black Chuck Taylor socks and a onesie with a blue tie. </div><div><br /></div><div>We'd say that we dressed him up like a nerd, but that'd be too obvious.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvrX5eq7abNs6mi9Au3HUSI9JaPwp7cu4VhaA4OHy0lUAsqUsNhEFcnQduM5QWcFvlDsfcw5agcNElfxuiybQQ4gTdtW_SXrm-Fg3zu8oxTRgQeeerWzmdgkup-GXlbrWUZ-cSL3Mmg/s1600/halloween_4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvrX5eq7abNs6mi9Au3HUSI9JaPwp7cu4VhaA4OHy0lUAsqUsNhEFcnQduM5QWcFvlDsfcw5agcNElfxuiybQQ4gTdtW_SXrm-Fg3zu8oxTRgQeeerWzmdgkup-GXlbrWUZ-cSL3Mmg/s400/halloween_4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670029390907680386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbz6DWr4oZSrVUry8EkN_Dip9pUEuGkLSOpm8x4OOl-Nl85-JWyUVxaQCWlHwp6KSze6nEkDmANj1gL1-x7vnnm4MWlWgrpyCJCbeBZDq6mU7m1t-_YlSsmGDWtglIFikCA08FAtIGEQ/s1600/halloween_3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbz6DWr4oZSrVUry8EkN_Dip9pUEuGkLSOpm8x4OOl-Nl85-JWyUVxaQCWlHwp6KSze6nEkDmANj1gL1-x7vnnm4MWlWgrpyCJCbeBZDq6mU7m1t-_YlSsmGDWtglIFikCA08FAtIGEQ/s400/halloween_3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670029376514774674" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TPrPNBnk8vid2Yo_Cm8b6BfexLJr4PcusoYzY-ETj1KZR8lj11z0UODN3uFGajuW3xwEcTJXg5TeFL61tgqz12ajq_Scs9aFdiYaZWxJM315AF_-Z2tAvBrTYvWXBt3DamzN84DJAw/s1600/halloween_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TPrPNBnk8vid2Yo_Cm8b6BfexLJr4PcusoYzY-ETj1KZR8lj11z0UODN3uFGajuW3xwEcTJXg5TeFL61tgqz12ajq_Scs9aFdiYaZWxJM315AF_-Z2tAvBrTYvWXBt3DamzN84DJAw/s400/halloween_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670029370720758642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjYjkN-YyqJIcpiYDqeubPty6HwCzUYimksYq8w3A4dHmX5JCt7TXzdFRYzuKzJTm5dDlVgqekZtzeHir57T_3btBCfzTraDahviolWEcmyADXOCOj8mxCVJFVnHQat4DmjFQSg1WqQ/s1600/halloween_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjYjkN-YyqJIcpiYDqeubPty6HwCzUYimksYq8w3A4dHmX5JCt7TXzdFRYzuKzJTm5dDlVgqekZtzeHir57T_3btBCfzTraDahviolWEcmyADXOCOj8mxCVJFVnHQat4DmjFQSg1WqQ/s400/halloween_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670029361870065410" /></a>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-45039193288142062552011-10-24T12:07:00.001-07:002011-10-27T06:43:46.175-07:00Baby Pockets.<div style="text-align: left;">A friend of mine on FaceBook posted a status this past week:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><i>Dear Carters clothing company - Just what does a 5 month old put in the pockets you sew in</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><i>to your</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><i>clothes?</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div>It's a good question. I'd like to know, too. Paxton has several different pairs of pants from several different manufacturers, including Carters, and mos</div><div>t of them have pockets. Not fake pockets, either, but actual pockets sewn into the front of tiny baby jeans. </div><div><br /></div><div>The only objects I can think of that would fit into these pockets are items that are not age-appropriate for a five-month-old. Here's my list:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TDf5uzvdTQvj81Md4fsbfEUmAVYGsFH9lOuoWpmzwto7hQ52NmQnbfEnIYkpY4IdVRhBrHBRlyaoSAxVGL-UFmK-Ae_G-iI_u7JdAI4VaRp2oHZBiQhjjD-FFH_JJ8VZGs1Bvsya-Q/s320/babypockets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668167014903248866" /></div><div><div><ul><li>A couple quarters, for when baby has to seek out a pay phone and call mommy to pick them and their friends up from the mall.</li><li>A Volkswagen key fob, for those occasions where baby is the designated driver.</li><li>An iPod shuffle, because you can't expect baby to function without tunes.</li><li>A USB flash drive, so that baby can take his important files anywhere.</li><li>A bottle of nail polish, for the baby who likes to accessorize. </li><li>A prescription medication bottle, because babies like to have their medication close at hand.</li><li>Business cards, because networking isn't just for grown-ups.</li><li>A square of Russell Stover chocolate, for the baby with a sweet tooth.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>What about your baby--what's in their pockets?</div></div></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-3595508865727213902011-10-11T14:18:00.000-07:002011-11-30T17:53:27.875-08:00Teeth: They're for Eating.After two months of constant drool, Pax has teeth. Two of them, actually.<div><br /></div><div>At his four-month appointment, I asked our doctor to feel for teeth because of all the drool. I'd been feeling around while rubbing Pax's gums down with Baby Orajel and hadn't felt anything, but I thought her expert fingers might find something I'd missed. Alas, she didn't feel any teeth, either.</div><div><br /></div><div>My husband found the tooth one night while I was in class. He was <i>very</i> excited and attempted to make me stick my hand in Pax's mouth in the parking lot of the Rapid station (teeth couldn't wait until we got home). </div><div><br /></div><div>The day after, Tristan found another tooth. Two days, two tiny bottom teeth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our doctor had told us that we could start solids at four months, and despite Pax's interest, his tongue wouldn't have anything to do with cereal. We tried again a couple weeks ago and, once again, the cereal was spat out.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few days ago, while my husband was napping off a headache, I sat down with a bowl of ramen noodles for myself and a bowl of homemade carrot puree for Pax. We'd gotten through half the bowl before I realized that Paxton was actually<i> eating food</i> and that Tristan would probably want to see it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanksgiving is next month here in the U.S., and I just realized that it involves the perfect food opportunities for an almost-seven-month-old. Mashed potatoes, Swedish turnip (rutabaga, for those who don't speak Brit), sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, corn... I love when babies eat things (seriously, I think babies eating things is downright adorable) and I'm very much looking forward to seeing all those vegetables smeared all over Pax. :) </div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-60641447876691002632011-09-10T12:31:00.001-07:002011-09-10T13:07:10.258-07:00School Daze.Reports of my death are, as always, entirely false. <div><br /></div><div>School started again two weeks ago. I have this problem where I keep not graduating from college for one reason or another (and I swear that 75% of the time it is not my fault, either), so I am on year seven of a nine-year Bachelor's degree. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is how my day plays out:</div><div><br /></div><div>6:30 AM - Fall out of bed, stagger directly to the kitchen. Stare at coffee maker until I remember how to make it work. </div><div><br /></div><div>6:40 AM - Having completed vital task #1, turn attention to vital task #2: pee.</div><div><br /></div><div>6:45 AM - 7:15 AM Make myself lunch--usually pepperoni and cheese on some sort of bread item, a side of celery or carrots, crackers and a piece of soft cheese. Drink coffee. Check the weather, get myself dressed, make sure everything I need for the day is in my bag. Let the dog outside, let the dog inside, feed the dog. </div><div><br /></div><div>7:15 AM - My husband is now done with his shower and out of the bathroom, so I can do something with my hair and put on some makeup to make it look like I got a full night of sleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>7:25 AM - One of us gets Paxton, changes his diaper and puts him in the carseat. Then we leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>7:27 AM - Paxton gets dropped off at grandma's house to be smothered with Chanel-scented, Spanish-speaking, diabetic Methodist* love for the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>7:45 AM - I get dropped off at the Brookpark Rapid Transit station.</div><div><br /></div><div>8:10 AM - I board the eastbound train to downtown Cleveland and attempt to attract as little attention as possible in order to avoid ATCs (Awkward Train Conversations) with CTP (Creepy Train People). </div><div><br /></div><div>8:35 AM - I get off the train and walk through Tower City to get to Public Square, where I wait for the eastbound HealthLine bus.</div><div><br /></div><div>I get to Cleveland State University sometime around 8:45. Riding the bus is an adventure. It is usually full of... interesting people. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever I get to CSU - 9:30 AM - I sit in the library, making sure that everything is okay on the internet and sometimes talking to my friend <a href="http://aspiredlevant.blogspot.com/">Bieler</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>9:45 AM - I book it out of the library and across Chester Avenue to the art building, where I sit in a very cold room learning about art since 1968.</div><div><br /></div><div>10:50 AM - I run from the art building, across Chester, up the stairs and through the main classroom building into the student center and sprint through the campus innerlink to the other side of campus/the business college, where I fall down the stairs and drag my battered body into classroom 127 for German 101.</div><div><br /></div><div>11:00-12:05 I learn elementary German from a woman with a French name and kick all sorts of ass with the six other female students in the male-dominated subject. </div><div><br /></div><div>12:15 I make it back to the library, where I either start studying (if I want to stay later) or gather my things and run to catch the HealthLine back to Tower City (if I want my husband to pick me up on his lunch break). </div><div><br /></div><div>The good news about going home before 4 PM is that the CPT tend not to be there if it isn't rush hour. The bad news is that I have just given you my schedule for three days out of the week. For the other two, this morning routine does not happen, but this afternoon routine does... </div><div><br /></div><div>1:00 PM - I sit in the back of a lecture hall and pretend to give two shits about math. Actually, I do give at least one shit, because I need to pass the class and math is <i>hard</i>, even if this is the math class for idiots.</div><div><br /></div><div>2:50 PM - Bieler and I have lunch and try to keep away from other people as much as possible. We are vaguely hermit-like and live in the library. </div><div><br /></div><div>4:00 PM - I go to the art building, climb the stairs and settle in for two hours of discussion on the Virgin Mary and her place in medieval art and culture. This is more interesting than it sounds, although the sheer amount of reading and writing required for this class is enough to make me cry and want to kill myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>6:00 PM - Bieler and I gather our things from the library and take the HealthLine to Tower City. She goes east, I go west. </div><div><br /></div><div>6:45 PM - My husband picks me up from the Rapid station and we go to my parents' house for dinner. My mom offered to cook for us twice a week since my getting home at 7 PM is not really conducive to making healthy food. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">********************************************</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So... that is my routine lately. It's tiring... and it explains why I haven't been blogging so much. Rest assured, Paxton and I are doing just fine! He just turned four months, and he gets his shots on Tuesday--wish us luck! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">*These four things pretty much sum up everything you need to know about my mom.</span></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-680338637731621602011-08-22T05:40:00.000-07:002011-08-22T06:11:50.137-07:00Frazzle-Dazzle.To say that I am becoming a bit unraveled would be an understatement.<div>
<br /></div><div>Tuesday morning, at mom group, I left a note on another mom's car with my phone number. Her son, William, is only a few days younger than Paxton, and when I realized I had to leave suddenly, she was in the restroom, so I did the creepy thing and left a note on her car (I figured the only Saab in the parking lot would have to be the Saab she mentioned at group). She called me maybe... two hours later and left a voicemail.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I haven't called back. I feel horrible about this. You don't leave someone a creepy note asking if they'd like to get together outside of mom group and then not call them back.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The best part is that I did it because I thought school started this week and I wasn't sure I could make it to mom group anymore. Surprise! School starts <i>next</i> week, and I can either call her today and beg forgiveness or I can show up at mom group tomorrow morning looking like a creeper who doesn't call back.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>In my defense, I've spent the past week running around, attempting to get all of my loose ends tied up before school... and, in the process, my nerves have become even more frayed.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I learned that I'll have to complete four more semesters of undergraduate study before I can get my BA--thanks to the German language. I am really expected to be fluent in German in four semesters. Hey... whatever (eventually) gets me into the graduate program, right?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I went clothes shopping and tried to find school clothes to cover my (giant) butt. I weigh less than I did before I got pregnant, but am magically two sizes bigger. As you can imagine, it's doing wonders my self esteem--yay, I am so thin, but so large! What? </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I did a whole bunch of Avon work, including--gasp--getting off my nervous, antisocial duff to ring some doorbells and meet my neighbors. A feat that I will have to repeat in a couple of hours, actually.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I went to therapy (completely neurotic, remember?), cooked dinners, ran errands, had family visit over the weekend, set up my financial aid package (I think... if I did it correctly), cleaned out my car, fought with my mom (I love my mom) and did a whole bunch of other things that were not calling William's mom. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Sadly, I don't think I'm getting much of a break this week, either... but I <i>will</i> make that phone call. </div><div>
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<br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-51776735387232693182011-08-12T09:12:00.000-07:002011-08-12T09:33:01.290-07:00Avon CallingMy husband and I never have money. This is a fact of life. The couple hundred out of his paycheck left after our rent and bills vanishes after groceries, prescriptions and gasoline. <div>
<br /><div>So I started looking for a job.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I had a number of strikes against me:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>1. The economy sucks.</div><div>2. I'm a full-time student.</div><div>3. I have a baby.</div><div>4. My husband and I have one car.</div><div>5. I use public transportation to get to school and back.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Try explaining to a potential employer that you need part-time hours worked around classes in the morning and the evening on different days, then add that you might not be able to work sometimes because of you'll need to make different arrangements for childcare every week and then mention that you might be late anyway because you will either be taking the bus/train or you'll need to go pick up your car first. Oh... and you need to go pick your husband with the car at 5 PM, or maybe 5:30 PM, or maybe 6 PM, but you won't actually know until you get there with the car at 5 PM. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Yeah. Small wonder I can't find employment, right? </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'd been thinking about signing up with one of those work-at-home companies. You know, like Scentsy or Pampered Chef or Tupperware or something. I ended up choosing Avon. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Why Avon? Well, when I was little, my mom had an Avon lady who came the house. I liked her. Also, there's a Mary Kay lady around here with one those stupid pink Cadillacs, and she drives like crap. I don't want to associate with someone who drives like crap (and I like Avon's products better, anyway). </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I met with my area leadership rep yesterday and officially signed up. My mother immediately bought $80 with of product from me, because she is an Avon addict (that might have also played into my decision to go with Avon). (By the way, my first campaign sales goal was $50. See, I am already a success.)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'm actually pretty excited to see how this goes. The prospect of being a WAHM is nice--the ability to have a job but not worry about childcare or transportation, the ability to work around when Paxton needs fed/changed/bathed/entertained, and the ability to be able to manage myself (because let's face it, I am not easily ordered around) is very appealing. I'd be nice to make loads of money with it, but I'd be happy with just an extra hundred bucks. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>If anyone is interested in buying some Avon, my website is here: http://tbbaughman.avonrepresentative.com ! Avon isn't just makeup, it's also skin care products, perfumes, jewelry, accessories, gifts, clothes, shoes... all sorts of things. Check it out! You get free shipping on your order over $30 right now, and orders ship immediately. :) </div><div>
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<br /></div></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-58615551959540121562011-08-01T12:14:00.000-07:002011-08-01T13:18:15.496-07:00Mommy Must-Haves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOv-zOMI3Rj7tqqXFLOAAo3_oGWwsLYWV0E0ujmMVheiGIPv1B31cNj0qhQv-NIXPzQoU1AZsAjMXinIP9ySKiJzSf3BZHfKNUbX6PZledZ812GGPwvFxzzteAPa_pKsyFhn5MZz9xw/s1600/bouncer.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOv-zOMI3Rj7tqqXFLOAAo3_oGWwsLYWV0E0ujmMVheiGIPv1B31cNj0qhQv-NIXPzQoU1AZsAjMXinIP9ySKiJzSf3BZHfKNUbX6PZledZ812GGPwvFxzzteAPa_pKsyFhn5MZz9xw/s320/bouncer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635970242602065938" /></a>There are a few things that everyone knows you need to get when you're expecting. A car seat, for example, because hospitals will not let you take your baby home without one (and even if you get around that rule by delivering at home, let's face it--you're probably going to get in a car sometime within the next two years). Diapers--disposable orcloth, it doesn't matter, you will need diapers. I suppose youcould get by without a stroller or bottles if you were really<i>, really </i>dedicated to babywearing and breastfeeding.<div><br /></div><div>I'd like to share a few things that I'd be helpless without, but are not really considered "necessities". In my opinion, every expecting parents should run out and buy these things, because they are just <i>that</i> useful.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first item I'd like to share is the <b>Bright Starts Comfort & Harmony Cradling Bouncer</b>, pictured above in the "biscotti" color. It's like a little baby-size papasan chair that vibrates and plays music. (Although to be honest, the music is kind of annoying at first.) We originally weren't going to register for a bouncer (the nice ones, like this one, are a bit pricey at $50-60) but I'm glad we did... we actually did get ours as a gift from my husband's older sister. I picked this one because it is a little more plush than the cheaper ones out there, and it comes with a toy bar and a special insert for little babies that supports the head, neck and back. It takes two "C" batteries and the battery life is pretty good--in three months, we've only had to change them once, and the bouncer has gotten near-constant use.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I mentioned in my previous post, for a little over a month, this bouncer was the only thing that let my husband and I get any sleep at night. For that reason alone, it's worth the money.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKF04_wKCo9nrl6disgCC2JuUQCr9NLC98-poxDkwowTBNRE6K7yjoRBsY1gYioAQ1xn4_r460bRMoZV6KnLvdfUu4LCgcuvBWlRPn_6pvOeDmFlVI4NaVJyDV2hrJTfWuB7jF3zyasw/s320/blanket.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635978978097253042" /></div><div></div><div>Next on the list: <b>Aden + Anais Swaddleplus Wraps</b>. You can buy these in a four-pack for about $35, and they come in several different colors and patterns.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, $35 for four blankets may seem a little extreme. I understand that. But--trust me when I say this--these are the most useful blankets in the entire world. I keep meaning to buy more of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>These 100% lightweight cotton blankets are slightly stretchy and great for</div><div>swaddling (although it will take several attempts before you're any good at it). They are also great for pretty much every other use out there. I use them to wipe drool and formula off of Paxton's chin and I fold them in half to sling over my shoulder when I burp him--since they cover more area than a burp cloth or a receiving blanket, I almost never end up wearing formula. I sling one over the carseat or stroller for shade when we go outside (they are surprisingly large when unfolded) and fold one up to tuck around Pax's legs in his carseat to keep the sun off of him--the blanket is so lightweight that I'm not worried about him overheating. Don't just take my word for it--every mom in my Tuesday-morning mom group has some of these awesome blankets.</div><div><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwUicwz9-z6cMR-iL5-Pb5pmiyLoLHiBWL9QUUEnzF50F-WnXTJM8AGY3UN0ln7TOp7M0JWGahHkMF0GrizrFUxbrYJuUma6xPdtW1isPqVjYUdOCVSSuLlPxVDjZXlK1ty-pLZw4zQ/s320/links.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635976261140539858" /><div> I'd like to talk about two very similar toys next.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first item I'd like to mention is a series of links. Several different companies make these (the ones pictured are by <b>Infantino</b>, but I also know that similar ones are manufactured by<b> Bright Starts </b>and that there are probably even more out there.) They easily attach to the handle of a car seat and can be used by themselves or to attach other toys to a carseat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Paxton doesn't really care for them hanging off of the carseat handle, but he loves to grip them and try to put them in his mouth when they're all linked up and jumbled together. The links are the perfect size for tiny hands to hold. They help build fine motor skills by giving him a lot of different textures to grip--some of the links are smooth, some are squiggly and others have ridges--and they are brightly colored so he has something to look at and examine. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8Gqk5VEmTpqPt9QbxV5C1FM6uU7nBw83oNig_tWrdSyu8tEUOH6SsdHRnt0drrR4zCWsLMSPym6YJkA-Se9gBl8yFRIiWtAycsFFfcWcr9MaJHWaUehbhi0K9Uc5qbTFYVnp8aeeJQ/s320/keys.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635978591871992482" /></div><div>The other toy is one that is a real no-brainer:<b> First Keys by The First Years</b>. I picked these up at the grocery store (of all places) for two bucks and they were worth the money. Pax loves to pick them up, shake them around and put them in his mouth--and it's way better than having him drool all over my (very real, very metal, and--in the case of my VW keyfob--very expensive) keys.</div><div><br /></div><div>These keys come with a little red ring (not pictured) for easy attachment to a carseat handle or the strap of a diaper bag.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can buy all of this lovely stuff at Babies "R" Us (which, for the record, I still loathe). The bouncer retails there for $54.99. I got the Infantino "Ring-a-links" on sale for $2.99, normal retail price at BRU is $3.99. The Aden + Anais blankets are sold at both BRU and Target for $34.99. First Keys by The First Years retail for $1.99.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, go, new moms! Buy this stuff!*</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">*No, I didn't get paid to endorse all this stuff. I really just love it all <i>that</i> much!</span></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-1017513286872349132011-07-30T17:56:00.000-07:002011-07-30T18:39:38.766-07:00New TricksI had to go searching for prompts on Twitter because I couldn't think of anything to write on my own--I am obviously the best blogger ever. It worked, though, because (thanks to my friend Jacqui) I am now sitting down to write a entry. <div><br /></div><div>Pax weighed in at just under 13 pounds at his two-month doctor's appointment, and I'm guessing he probably weighs about 14.5 now. He also measured a smidge over 24 inches long. Those stats put him in the 75th percentile for weight and length, and the 25th percentile for the ratio--it's looking like he's going to end up tall and slender like his mommy*.</div><div><br /></div><div>We all know that I am striving to be Mother of the Year, and in this quest I constantly do things like not give Paxton tummy time for six days of the week. I'd simply forget about it until I'd go to mommy group on Tuesday morning and see another mom flip her baby onto their stomach. I was somewhat afraid that my poor child wasn't going to be able to hold his head up until he was sixteen because his mom was (is) such a winner**.</div><div><br /></div><div>So when Sandy (our doctor, whose name is actually Sandra and I have no idea if she's ever actually given me permission to call her Sandy, but that's what I keep referring to as) said "let's see your head control" and flipped Pax onto his belly, my blood suddenly ran cold. She was going to figure out my dirty little secret once she witnessed Paxton lying there with his head firmly smooshed against the table, his tiny, undeveloped neck muscles unable to lift it up.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's not exactly what happened.</div><div><br /></div><div>What happened was that Pax lifted his head off the table. He then put all of his weight on his legs when she help him in a standing position. Then he kept his head steady, even while turning it to look around, while sitting upright.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to Sandy, my two-month-old had muscle control typical for a baby twice to three times his age. That's pretty good for a kid who almost never got tummy time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since then, Pax has pretty much only been lying down to sleep. He likes being upright. I still don't give him enough tummy time, but I feel much better about it now. He's almost always being held in a way where he needs to hold his head up, anyway, so he is getting the exercise in. My husband likes to make him "fly" through the air now that he can hold his head steady--whether Paxton actually likes it is yet to be determined.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other new tricks include better hand control, eye tracking/focusing and (my personal favorite) actual reactions to stimuli. Newborns tend to just cry and take up space the first couple of months, but now we're getting to the point where Paxton will "talk", follow you with his eyes, smack things with his hands, kick his feet and smile in response to... well, pretty much anything. He spent about a week being in love with the stuffed giraffe on the toy bar of his bouncer--I could plop him in the bouncer to wash dishes or make dinner and he'd happily coo at and swat that giraffe the entire time. The love affair is, sadly, over... for now. Pax is currently in love with blankets... he's discovered that he can ball up part of a blanket and put it in his mouth, which is (apparently) way better than some stupid giraffe. </div><div><br /></div><div>I managed to get a giggle out of him a week ago. Sadly, no one else was around to hear it, and he hasn't done it since.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know if I mentioned this before, either, but Pax has been sleeping in his pack-n-play (with a bassinet attachment). He's been doing it for a little over a month, actually--and he's taking a nap in his crib right now. This is a major accomplishment... for the longest time Paxton would not sleep unless he was being held or he was in his bouncer. We had a ridiculous arrangement going where we would get him to sleep in the bouncer and then pick the entire bouncer up and very carefully transport it to the pack-n-play in our bedroom. I am so very, <i>very</i> happy that he's sleeping in the bassinet/crib now. (Also, the vibrate-y bit on the bouncer broke yesterday and it no longer vibrates. Does anyone know if that's fixable?)</div><div><br /></div><div>So, that's what is new in the world of the geekling. Our next great adventure will probably be starting solids in a couple months--the doctor said we could see about starting cereal at four months, but I think we're going to hold off and do a sort of baby-led-weaning hybrid seat-of-our-pants <i>thing </i>around five or six months. I've still got awhile to think about it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">*Mommy could stand to be a little more slender these days. Dang pregnancy weight--when am I going to fit in pants again??? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">**Other Mother of the Year accomplishments include constantly forgetting to bring formula along when we go out, smacking the top of Paxton's head against the wall (BY ACCIDENT), and leaving my one-week-old baby with my mother so I could go ogle Chris Helmsworth in <i>Thor</i>.</span></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-78759659079395236302011-07-25T18:51:00.001-07:002011-07-25T18:57:26.506-07:00Oops.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxeTgo35hOAV1t9qQ3fTqXerr-sYnBL4LWucDDqgUoAvqWZoAixeHgkkRP_-4sT1ICEz7y6Pb_U3CfDvALRMi1U8yMm2z5tY6LPI01JWf1NRzfJ4z8neMXUc-pkMnnDYiHZBR4KVaPg/s1600/bounder.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxeTgo35hOAV1t9qQ3fTqXerr-sYnBL4LWucDDqgUoAvqWZoAixeHgkkRP_-4sT1ICEz7y6Pb_U3CfDvALRMi1U8yMm2z5tY6LPI01JWf1NRzfJ4z8neMXUc-pkMnnDYiHZBR4KVaPg/s320/bounder.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633473952476128546" /></a>Sometimes I don't post very often.<div><br /></div><div>Oops.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a picture of a baby.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll post soon. I think. I've kept busy. :)</div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-18614987215863079432011-07-13T19:05:00.001-07:002011-07-13T19:15:34.605-07:00Road Trip Success!Sigh. I want it to be NADWCon <i>all</i> of the times. I wish there was a big, unending Discworld convention that I could just, y'know, live at.<div><br /></div><div>We had a great time, and Paxton weathered the trip <i>very</i> well. His only real episode of crankiness was on the Illinois tollway around Chicago, when we ran into Rush Hour Traffic From Hell in the Midst of Terrible Construction. We crept along the tollway for hours on our way into Wisconsin and arrived at our motel in Janesville, WI around eleven o'clock at night (EST--it was only ten o'clock local time--hooray for the extra hour of sleep we got, though!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, everyone at every rest stop we visited commented that Paxton was very, very cute. :) </div><div><br /></div><div>Sir Terry offered to stamp Paxton (his PCA is now advanced enough to make it difficult for him to sign things for an extended period of time, so he was using a specially-made stamp to "sign" convention passports), but my husband didn't let me take him up on the offer. Probably a good thing... </div><div><br /></div><div>Paxton also made an appearance during the costuming competition--my husband and I took him on-stage with us, to much "aww"ing and applause.</div><div><br /></div><div>Basically, Pax was a big hit.</div><div><br /></div><div>The one thing we did wrong was that we brought <i>way</i> too much stuff. My fantastic math skills somehow helped me calculate that we would need three packages of diapers and two cans of formula. At the end of the trip, we had used one package of diapers (total!) and maybe a quarter can of formula. We had clean onesies and blankets left over as well. Oops.</div><div><br /></div><div>The way home was far less troublesome, as we managed to bypass the tollway and make fairly decent time home.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll post about Paxton's doctor appointment (and the dreaded first vaccines!) in a little bit. I want to leave you, dear readers, with two links--other great mommybloggers who have found me on BlogHer that I'd like to recognize. I've started following them, and you should, too! They are Amy, from <a href="http://toesintheair.blogspot.com/">Toes in the Air</a>, and Emily, from <a href="http://itsmombojumbo.blogspot.com/">It's MOMbojumbo</a>. Enjoy! :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-7527008539595071082011-06-16T06:26:00.000-07:002011-06-16T06:48:24.391-07:00My Big, Fat, Nerdy Road TripI cannot be held accountable for my actions from now until July seventh. I might attempt to murder someone, but... y'know... <div><br /></div><div>Due to my blatant abuse of the "I am completely neurotic" tag, my readers know that I am, well, completely neurotic. A big part of that has to deal with my obsessive-compulsive need to organize things. (You would not, however, know this from looking at my house.*) I have two dozen little daily rituals that needs to take place at certain times in a certain order and I must plan for everything by making 3,605 lists. Shopping lists, packing lists, to-do lists, I just love making lists. I almost never actually <i>use</i> the lists for anything, I just feel really good about making them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seriously, TLC needs to make a TV show about me. My particular brand of batshit is only really unnerving once you realize how pervasive it is. I'm all vanilla-y and boring on the outside, but once you get to the good stuff you'll find a delicious nutbar filling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some time ago, in the early days of our marriage, my husband and I flew across the country to Tempe, Arizona to attend the first-ever North American Discworld Convention. Discworld, for the uninitiated, is a book series by the one and only Sir Terry Pratchett. He's British (and therefore awesome), and it took a while for the North American fans to get their act together enough to hop on the Discworld convention bandwagon, so this convention was a big deal. It was also our honeymoon (remember, the blog <i>is</i> called "Nerdmama"). </div><div><br /></div><div>The second convention is taking place three weeks from now in Madison, Wisconsin. I pouted until my husband said we could go (I might be a little obsessed with Pratchett... <i>might</i> be) and then my dad wanted to go... and then my mom said she'd go because my dad was going... and so now my parents, my husband, Paxton and myself are all packing up and going to Wisconsin in three weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have costumes to finish, a car to clean out and service, money to (attempt to) make, doctors to visit and all sorts of things that need to be done before the seventh, when we pack up the Rabbit and make the 8.5 hour drive to Madison. (Wait, we have a newborn--make that a 11 hour drive to Madison... a 14 hour drive to Madison? Crap.)</div><div><br /></div><div>We're starting Paxton on the nerd thing early. How many two-month-olds get to meet Sir Terry Pratchett, literary rock star? I'm betting the answer is "not many". I've already started the readings of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-My-Cow-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0060872675/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308231995&sr=8-1">Where's My Cow?</a>, a book that Pax probably will have memorized by the time he's able to read it himself... </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*Unless we made dinner plans two weeks ago, in which case I will have cleaned the house 47 times by the time you come over to see it.</span></div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-11813979873381409252011-06-08T11:31:00.001-07:002011-06-08T12:22:29.676-07:00Cloth Diapers: The Story So Far<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfWVaCoijlvsgO48OP121tWOtgcwngKrB4k7C7CYDlgH0bkDSGMl4nAbxj8MTQ2syT9Nttp61DObKLJIDKYLmVdX_u1YXPJZHpykd5k2XvomthDu9I7Zl68B7AIimvlI8Gd5a3BbZ8A/s1600/paxton_incloth.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfWVaCoijlvsgO48OP121tWOtgcwngKrB4k7C7CYDlgH0bkDSGMl4nAbxj8MTQ2syT9Nttp61DObKLJIDKYLmVdX_u1YXPJZHpykd5k2XvomthDu9I7Zl68B7AIimvlI8Gd5a3BbZ8A/s320/paxton_incloth.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615920161825997346" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfWVaCoijlvsgO48OP121tWOtgcwngKrB4k7C7CYDlgH0bkDSGMl4nAbxj8MTQ2syT9Nttp61DObKLJIDKYLmVdX_u1YXPJZHpykd5k2XvomthDu9I7Zl68B7AIimvlI8Gd5a3BbZ8A/s1600/paxton_incloth.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">This post is dedicated to my friend Joanna, who recently asked me how my adventures in cloth diapering were going.</span><div><br /></div><div>Honestly? </div><div><br /></div><div>It rocks.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Paxton spends more and more of his time in cloth, we dump less and less money into disposables (and landfills). Sure, we could buy cheap disposables from the wholesale club or from Target, but my crunchy-come-lately self, concerned about the amount of chlorinated hydrocarbons being released into the world's water supply, insists on buying chlorine-free diapers... that are also latex-free and fragrance-free... and cost $12 a package. $12, to me, is worth knowing that a) I'm not encasing Pax's butt in chemicals and b) I'm not letting those chemicals runoff into groundwater. I still feel vaguely guilty about the diapers ending up in a landfill, but hey--I'm doing what I can, yeah?</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF9UJosvPHy0EeNMcoShf52WO_yQ7jhpWQFB-o7GU2A7RnntaOEjEHh7Lmq8KuW4mHu_lJuwfmziMrks3DmV1CeX756uXpjCT4jAihyXeijUx7hLxQqG6o6OSB5lwmTQnz48Xg5CrhA/s320/cloth_stash.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615924128477126658" /></div><div></div><div>Here's a photo of what Paxton spends most of his time in now--prefold diapers. Prefolds are rectangular, multi-layered cotton diapers that are generally four-ply on the sides and six- or eight-play in the center. You can get them bleached or unbleached--mine are unbleached--and they come in several different sizes--mine are infant-size. The green-edged ones in the photo are from Green Earth, the</div><div>ones without the edging are made by Osocozy. In my (so far, limited) experience, I don't think the manufacturer really matters. My Green Earth diapers shrank more than my Osocozys, but they also quilted up more after washing.</div><div><br /></div><div>To use a prefold, you simply fold it up around the baby and find a way to hold it in place. Some people use diaper pins, some people use a contraption called a Snappi, and I just stick the entire thing in a diaper cover and hope it stays in place, because I am way too cheap to buy pins or Snappis. (For the record, my cheapskate method works just fine.)</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeH_EfxX1CLdOiMyFA63XlHAYKX5eSbPYAcSOZ0Y6cWYoZC2Jg3l2uiTCYZhuxBkdhZGNlvfUGHIDlBSyK-HyIXMsJ5RKY_R3xb1UC-OrviKegvf0t0d7_1jOD5LQlJL_B0vQGSEMNA/s320/cover_stash.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615922006713370578" /></div><div>Here is my diaper cover collection, minus one. For some reason, my green Thirsties Duo Wrap never made it into my photos... oops. The two covers to the left are Thirsties Duo Wrap Snaps (the Duo Wrap looks exactly the same, except with a velcro closure and no snaps). The two in the middle are the outer shells that make up part of the gDiaper hybrid diapering system. The cover to the right is a Bummis</div><div>Super Brite wrap. The Thirsties and the Bummi are made out of PUL (polyurethane laminate), a waterproof fabric that keeps moisture from the prefolds from leaking out onto clothes.</div><div><br /></div><div>gDiapers? Not a favorite. They are very, very cute and very trim, but Paxton soaks right through the inserts that make up the absorbent part of the diaper. To use them, we have to double-up the inserts, which makes the diaper bulkier (defeating the purpose of having a cute, trim diaper). I prefer using the prefolds and covers, although I'm still giving myself some time to warm up to the gDiapers. I've also tried using different inserts--I have a couple of Thirsties hemp inserts and I've tried sticking one in the gDiaper along with the normal insert, with some success.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ63BQXhCG-w_RU0dElBvszDQ9nDmKqNFsboSC3pBtPDA8hQtvDgmYrFhhMoi4t2f89B8jtC-h4Wj8OoUH5XbtFGscG8NF79LAaqktBzDK4kF1jDZ1ZedokWLN83HZi51ktH83tpmtw/s320/wetbag_contents.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615923687445564322" /></div><div>When someone finds out I'm using cloth diapers, they always ask what I do with the diapers when they're dirty. It is deceptively simple--you'd think this would be a lot of work, but it's really not. At home, I have a small garbage can with a PUL liner that I toss the soiled diapers into (poopy diapers get dunked in the toilet first and the poop gets flushed). The diapers in the can get washed about every two days, sooner if there's a couple poopy ones since I don't want them to stain. I have two PUL liners, so a fresh one can go into the can while the used one goes into the wash with the diapers.</div><div><br /></div><div>When out and about, I use a wetbag (pictured above). This is like my can liner, except in bag form. It is basically just a zippered bag made of PUL that I can store soiled diapers in until I can get home and dump them in the can. The wetbag occasionally goes into the wash with the diapers and can liner, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>A note--my liners and wetbag are from Mommy's Touch, which I had never heard of before finding on Amazon.com. They are very cheap, and they work--I don't see the point in spending money on a PlanetWise, Kissaluvs or other PUL liner/bag when this inexpensive option works just as well! </div><div><br /></div><div>When it comes time to wash the diapers, the process isn't difficult. I run an empty cycle on my washer--no laundry, just water--to clear out detergent and fabric softener from the machine. I dump in the diapers, covers, wetbag and liners, and run a cold/cold wash with a bit of detergent (and sometimes a squirt of dish soap). I then remove everything made with PUL and run a hot/cold wash with no detergent to sanitize and get all the soap out. PUL gets line-dryed, and the diapers go into the dryer for a little over an hour on low heat (which on my dryer is a lie--I'm afraid to ever set it on high heat because that thing gets HOT, even on low). I've heard that line-drying the diapers outside will help with stains (and it's very eco-friendly, regardless) but tossing the diapers into the dryer means that I have clean diapers sooner, so... </div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, cloth diapering isn't turning out to be the PITA that many people warned me it would be. It's kind of fun, actually, and the diaper covers are, in my opinion, pretty cute. I need to get some bigger shirts for Pax, because I think it's really adorable to put him in just a shirt and the diaper cover. :) </div><div><br /></div><div>I thought I'd include some links on how I got all this stuff. I got all of it off of Amazon.com, except for my gDiapers, which came from Babies 'R' Us (money-sucking devil that it is).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Prefold-Cloth-Diaper-Small/dp/B00081GLNG/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1307560519&sr=1-3">Green Earth Unbleached Chinese Cotton Prefolds, Small</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/OsoCozy-Eco-Friendly-Prefolds-Unbleached-Diapers/dp/B003AJHDQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1307560576&sr=1-1">Osocozy Size 1 Unbleached Prefolds, 6-Pack</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wet-Bag-by-Mommys-Touch/dp/B000IRQ4NM/ref=pd_cp_ba_3">Mommy's Touch Wet Bag</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tangerine-Diaper-Laundry-Mommys-Touch/dp/B0015TH8D2/ref=pd_bxgy_ba_text_b">Mommy's Touch Diaper Pail Liner</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thirsties-Wrap-Snap-Meadow-Size/dp/B003AJXY1U/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1307560667&sr=1-2">Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap Cover, Size 1</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bummis-Super-Brite-Diaper-Pounds/dp/B0012SCANO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1307560692&sr=1-1">Bummis Super Brite Diaper Cover</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gdiapers-Little-Gpant-Grubby-Pounds/dp/B003ZYM2YK/ref=sr_1_9?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1307560718&sr=1-9">gDiapers Little gPant</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thirsties-Hemp-Inserts-Pack-Small/dp/B002FB7FLE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307560757&sr=1-1-catcorr">Thirsties Hemp Insert, Small, 2-Pack</a></div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-67499383504321070202011-05-29T16:49:00.000-07:002011-05-29T17:18:43.251-07:00The Monetary Perspective.The hospital bill arrived this weekend. It totaled $20,584.45 before insurance.<div><br /></div><div>I actually feel as though I got a pretty good deal. I received excellent medical care at a clean, comfortable hospital, in a private room with friendly, competent staff. To me, that's worth over twenty thousand dollars, especially because I know I won't have to actually pay the full twenty thousand. (Hooray, insurance!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I still feel pretty bad about screaming all that profanity during labor. The L&D staff deserves twenty grand.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Here are a few things I noticed about the bill:</u></div><div><ul><li>My birth experience cost more than my car.</li><li>My epidural cost more than my (refurbished) iMac.</li><li>Pharmacy costs are about as much my husband paid for his flatscreen TV.</li><li>I took $13.95 worth of Motrin and Colace after delivery.</li><li>My LDR room cost a little over $33 an hour.</li><li>My room and board after delivery cost almost as much as I was paying for college tuition per semester.</li><li>I could buy another DSLR with the payment for my lab work.</li></ul></div><div>I find myself deeply intrigued by the bill. I like looking at it. The giant numbers should terrify me, but oddly enough--they really don't. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also find it funny that neither my first name nor my second last name fit on the bill. In the eyes of the Cleveland Clinic, I've become "Vi Brenneison Baug". :)</div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301778983721499771.post-54196691497163823712011-05-23T18:23:00.000-07:002011-05-23T19:00:05.670-07:00Nerdmama vs. The Tornado<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zaepLoMv2GlUGxzyFMQ12HQboVMvA5t0TBmfWBPYKjOpftOZx8CZ_asclrCquQQyK07zPNLSu_n2WORQ4yVkAEoHNyCFFvtsi7edRKsz7kR-kjPljUQgSpjJzVMfzn5rdx9yjqsarw/s1600/flooded_street_berea.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zaepLoMv2GlUGxzyFMQ12HQboVMvA5t0TBmfWBPYKjOpftOZx8CZ_asclrCquQQyK07zPNLSu_n2WORQ4yVkAEoHNyCFFvtsi7edRKsz7kR-kjPljUQgSpjJzVMfzn5rdx9yjqsarw/s400/flooded_street_berea.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610092144215281602" /></a>It is good to know that my husband and I work well together in an emergency.<div><br /></div><div>In my last entry, from this morning, I mentioned that it was supposed to storm all day today. What ended up happening was that it was bright and sunny all day, and warm enough to hang my laundry outside, make sun tea, and drive around with my car windows open. Until tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after 7 pm, I got a phone call from my mother, alerting me to the fact that a tornado warning had been issued for our suburb. The storm was expected to arrive at 7:18. I got off the phone and informed my husband just as the sky darkened and the lights started to flicker.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Get the pigs into the hallway," he said matter-of-factly. This is the guy who laughe</div><div>d at me for taking my guinea pigs into the basement of our old house the last time there was a tornado warning for this area (two years ago, and it didn't even rain).</div><div><br /></div><div>I took the guinea pigs into the hallway and stuffed the cats into the linen closet as my husband strapped Paxton into his carseat. I stuffed a handful of diapers into our diaper bag and quickly made up a couple bottles of formula, then grabbed the prescription bottles from the kitchen shelf. My husband had dragged the comforter off the bed into the hallway, the pillows soon followed. I grabbed my camera and car keys and started to close and block off the hall doors as my husband leashed the dog, and we all went to hunker down in the hallway. We accomplished all of this in ten minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeGiyO8jWNCaNuvkvHslcCw6k2WPP9-fdN4D3_Wvw5FmsTNwUT-cOLIVZTtDFU6aPd71GsxihyurPtEeLdA0y_MIu3ayiJTtedug7PmvYcU_-RyhYq-D8Dmio9Cu81-Q-KD62hPpl6g/s400/hail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610093834648615298" /></div><div>It sounded like the world was ending outside. We peeked around the corner of the hallway to see the picture window and you couldn't see for all the rain and hail. When it was over, we found large, quarter-size hail all over the yard, piled up on the windowsills and against the doorways. The outside of the house and my car were plastered with leaves, and our street was completely flooded.</div><div><br /></div><div>The flooding in the street went down almost right away, and neither the house nor my car appears to be damaged. Paxton slept through the entire thing, and my husband has already gone to bed. Adrenaline and the rumbles of distant thunder are keeping me up tonight. We don't have renter's insurance yet--it's one of those things that fell through the cracks these the past couple months--and I can't help thinking that if the storm had managed to damage our house enough to destroy some of our possessions, we'd be completely out of luck. Not being able to claim a loss on our nursery furniture, my iMac, our TV--any number of things--that's a scary thought, one that struck me as we were doing Paxton's bedtime diaper change. I'll have to pay a visit to the insurance company tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, it appears that the actual tornado happened a few miles away from us. Still too close for my comfort, as it took down a wall at our local mall and uprooted trees at the college across town. I really, really, <i>really</i> hate bad weather. :(</div><div><br /></div>TBBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12732493448733697657noreply@blogger.com0