Dear So & So... take 3

YAY! I LOVE 'Dear So & So' day!!!!

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Dear Kat,

Happy Birthday! Thanks for writing a fun, audience-participation-welcome blog!

Your Biggest Fan on This Blog,
me

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

Dear Lily Ruth,

I am so sorry that you cried through the entire 4 hours that I left you at Parent's Day Out today. Unfortunately (for you), I will be dropping you off again next week as well. I promise that this is a very good thing for both of us. Sobbing in your sleep while you nap is not going to change my mind.

I love you dearly,
Mama

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Dear Dogger-Doo,

I would like to apologize to your digestive tract for changing wet food on you without warning. That being said, I DO feel that your tummy owes ME an apology for the NOXIOUS cloud of dog-gas that has wafted through our home like clockwork every hour for the past few days.

Truce?
Food Lady

☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁

Dear Frank,

Please get well soon. I really hate it when you guys get sick - it makes me feel like a bad Mommy... even when I didn't do anything wrong. Just tell the vet that you are ready to come home.

I miss you already!
meow

☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹☹

Dear Girl Scout Cookies,

You know what you did. Enough said.

Stay out of my freezer,
Rachel

HAPPY FRIDAY, YA'LL!!!

*sigh*

Yesterday was Lily Ruth's first (1/2) day at Parent's Day Out. They said she did really well... 'for a first day'... that means she cried a lot, but not the whole time :-/ She also ate her whole snack and blew through her super-cute outfit. Go big or go home - that's my baby!

Today is a 'take a step back' kind of day. I am going to attribute this to teething until I have another solution. We woke up like we like to - slowly with grins and stretching - but it was downhill from there. Ya'll, there was LITERALLY wailing and gnashing of teeth over here! Lily was alternately screaming and grinding her teeth - it was biblical. Well, I got her calmed down, then got us all ready to walk. After we got out the door, it went like this:

- We're half a block away from the house, a door opens, and a 40 Lb Boxer puppy comes tearing out. The owner is halfheartedly yelling for it to come back. The puppy (of course) makes a bee-line for us. I yell 'I REALLY need for you to come get your dog'. The owner (who I can't see yet) replies 'Oh, it's o.k., she's fine' to which I reply 'but we're NOT - seriously, I need you to get your dog NOW'. I get a 'oh, you have a dog' in return. 'Yes, and a baby, and the dog does not do well with puppies'. She WALKS over and pretends to attempt to restrain her dog, but is really just following it at a very slow pace. Not helpful. I am forced to fend off her puppy while trying to keep my 80 Lb dog calm enough that I can control her. Eventually, the puppy heads off running, and we turn around and change our route. Not a big deal, but irritating. Keely will not randomly attack, but if she feels threatened (by, say, maybe a jumping puppy), she will protect herself. This never works out well for the other dog, yet most dog owners assume that 'dogs will be dogs', and as long as THEIR dog 'is sweet', they can let them roam the block. I, on the other hand, have my dog properly leashed, and yet I am the one dealing with a potential dog fight while WEARING MY INFANT.

- The Dog Whisperer says not to let dogs walk in front of you. Up until Lily was born, I let the Princess Dog walk however she chose. After I had a baby, I realized how important it was that Keely recognize me as alpha dog. I have been working on this with her for eight months now. Keely chose today for a power struggle. I almost gave in, but I held firm... and my arm is paying the price. My right arm feels like it may fall off, and at this point, I kind of wish that it would.

- We walked a looong way. After a good loop, we had come around so that we were only about 20 minutes from the house. I was sooooo tired. That's when I realized that I HAD DROPPED MY KEYS. I had to turn around and backtrack until I found them. Luckily, they had fallen close to the curb, and had not been run over. We were only 30 minutes from home, so let's call it 'extra exercise' and speak of it never again.

- My incredible, amazing daughter has (since we got home) alternated between 'laughing, smiling angel girl who crawls and play with toys' and 'demon baby who can only shriek and beat herself against mom's collarbone whilst smearing mom with drool, snot and tears'.



I took that one for those who have mentioned that they believe Lily Ruth to be happy and perfect all of the time...

After the last round of Mama bashing, she passed out.



Check out her hair!

I think I'm in shock. I'm definitely traumatized. Would you please come over and mix up a very dirty martini for me? Extra icy. NO vermouth. Three, no, make that FOUR giant olives. Thanks.



p.s. In looking for a dirty martini picture, I discovered a (large) burlesque performer (who I believe to be a male) who goes by the moniker Dirty Martini. Um, ew.

Frozen Day Randomness

Since we are 'stuck inside' - what with the likelihood of crazy drivers who assume that the possibility of ice = kamikaze behavior and all - and Lily Ruth's plans do not really include me so much as they include her toys and my slippers... I have to show you something, and then (in order to apologize for my shameless child photo posting) I'll tell you a story...



It's only about 4" tall, and I can't stop gazing adoringly at it... and, um, Lily Ruth thinks it's nose is a nipple... :-/ Have you ever seen anything so cute? Well, except (of course) for this:





And now, for the story! This is one of my favorite stories of my time in San Diego, and thinking about it made me smile, so YAY!

Kittyn & I were working in managerial & supervisory positions at a restaurant on Harbor Island in San Diego. To clarify, I was the opening manager 5 f-ing days each week in addition to my 2 other full-time positions for that joint... A nice enough place, but both of us were SEVERELY overworked, ridiculously under-appreciated, and under-compensated for said workload. The only thing that kept us going was our growing bond of friendship, flavored coffees, and the need for income in a very expensive town.

Bright and early one morning, I happened to mention to my new BFF that the owners of the restaurant had recently acquired several top-shelf vodkas for a new promotion. This was news to her, and seeing as how she would be working with me for the next few mornings, she would be unable to participate in the training / tasting sessions that would take place for the evening shifts. Then it occurs to us that we need to be able to describe said vodkas to the morning staff should they become interested in selling them to the lunch crowd... I may have also mentioned that we used to have pre-shift wine tastings at the Time Machine, and this was very helpful to me as a waitstaff member... I probably failed to mention that the Machine was a dinner-only restaurant, so pre-shift was 4pm...

Well, before you can say 'Bob's your uncle', we're at the bar shaking up 4 or 5 chilled shots of high-end vodka for each of us. I am unclear on who had what job, but Kittyn maintains that I was the shaker, and she was the 'lookout'. Well, regardless, whichever one of us was supposed to be watching for the restaurant owners (a.k.a. 'CatDog'), became so enthralled by these icy glasses of magic, that she FORGOT to be the lookout. And so it came to pass that the owners wander in to find their a.m. managerial staff pouring up a goodly amount of pricey, icy vodka into shot glasses at 7 in the morning. We start talking circles around our predicament, and managed to irritate them into retreating into their office to 'do paperwork' - whatever.

The vodka was consumed, but the magic was gone. We were left with the dirty feeling of a sneaky early morning drink without a Vegas soundtrack to justify it. At least we got to keep our jobs... ahhhhhhhh, good times!

You know, the CatDog was at lot better tempered than we gave it credit for... they even let us keep our jobs after the incident where we were sitting at their desks wearing their glasses & doing impressions of them... where do we get these damn ideas?

a couple of things... take 2

While nothing worthy of it's own post has happened, a few small things could be lumped together to give you this...

1 - My Mama took me up to Boerne this past weekend to spend my birthday money! I stepped out of town, away from the chain stores (I'm looking at YOU, Old Navy), and just far enough out of my comfort zone to make it completely worthwhile. No more boring t-shirts here! If you make it to Boerne, stop by Ella Blue :-)



2 - I don't think I've introduced you to Frank. He's my middle child - I mean pet. He's my renegade, my rouge, and my snuggle bunny. Frank joined our family when my first cat died, and Bing was left lonely. He's a shelter kitty. Don picked him out. In the way of all great cats, he's an unpredictable goofball. Last night, I went into the bedroom to change into pajama pants. I opened my CLOSED sliding closet doors to drop my jeans into my hamper, and found this:



He's hysterical :-) I'm just glad that he's moved inside for the winter and rejoined the family. He moved into the yard last spring while I was pregnant, and acted like we were just food dispensers. My assumption is that he was displaced for a baby at some point in his life before us, and this time he wanted to pre-empt our impending rejection of him by leaving first. It hurt my feelings, but he would not be dissuaded. Well, now that it's cold, he has agreed that our love (and central heat) is better than sleeping in the bushes and battling creepy ginger cats all night.

3 -Lily Ruth is obsessed with the dog's dishes. I know that she is not unique in this, but that knowledge does not make it any less annoying and hilarious in turns...



4 - Lily Ruth ALMOST has enough hair for clips! It currently takes me approximately 90 years to get a clip into her bangs, and it stays in place for less than 5 minutes, but DANG is it cute while it's there!



5 - This will not make any friends for me among those forced to drive on the freeway today, but I thought our tiny sleet was BEAUTIFUL. Miniscule, perfectly round, individual drops of ice. Since this so very rarely happens here, I was able to be full of joy and wonder instead of angst and stress. It was fun. Lily Ruth and I watched it go from sprinkling rain to larger drops mixed with tiny 'splats' of slush to giant drops of slush to teeny-tiny ice balls



to more rain to dry, fluffy fat, huge flakes - before you start to worry, I took that picture at a stop light, NOT while I was in motion! Now it's cold and gray, but precipitation-free. Such a strange weather pattern. Oh well, it's South Texas - the one thing I can count on is that tomorrow will almost certainly be completely different... and I ain't just talkin' about the weather :-)

Sunday Silliness

Darling Daughter and I had a LOT of 'quality time' this week - Daddy was out of town from Thursday afternoon until late last night. Here's why that's such a big deal - Lily Ruth currently will only nap and sleep ON one of us. This is a situation we are working on remedying, but since she is (as her daddy put it) 'half me and half you', there is quite a bit of stubborn determination in that tiny body. She is also experiencing a slight case of (very age-appropriate) separation anxiety (so she's clingy even when not sleepy) AND she's teething. This has translated into a 24-hour-a-day demand for 'ONLY Mama Or Daddy Will Do Time'. Since Daddy was gone, the only option was 'Mama Time'. Mama is now dead tired, sore (from excessive baby holding), and brain fried.

Daddy is no dummy, so he suggested that Mama leave the house for a few hours today. Done and done. I called up Kyla to make sure that she was not dead from the stomach flu. She was not, and she was feeling better, so I headed over to her house. We decided a field trip was in order, and motored over to the Legacy Shopping Center (I'm not sure all of those capital letters are needed, but I feel certain that the Legacy people think that they are...). Coffee was procured, and Gabby B's was raided. I came up empty (but those damn shoes haunt me like a siren's song). Kyla found a top and a dress. Neither was 'needed', both were obtained :-)

... I just realized that a lot of my posts have been shopping-oriented lately. Please understand that this is not the norm. I am shopping and fashion impaired, but since I am also currently clothing impaired, shopping has been a necessity... a necessity that I am surprised to realize that I have (temporarily) enjoyed! I am looking forward to feeling less dowdy, less frumpy, less blah. The shopping updates should cease very soon - I'm out of birthday money, and Lily Ruth's college fund wasn't that big :-O

BACK TO THE STORY! We decided that pedicures were necessary, and wandered into Ann's Nails. We requested full pedicures and just polish for fingers. In the way that this usually happens, I was finished WAY before Ky, and was banished to the drying station for my sins. An eternity (several stories, a harrowing phone call/story from Kittyn - oh, and then Ky called me Minnie Driver!?) later, Kyla was done and was sent over to join me.

Now, for those not 'in the know', when you finish a pedicure, they put your flip flops back on for you, and pull your pant legs down from knee level (where they resided during your treatment) to their intended position. It just so happened that Kyla was wearing a pair of 'skinny' khakis. Also, these particular pants have a cute, large cuff and are worn rolled slightly above the ankle - adorable. This translated into hilarity when her nail technician attempted to pull them back down over her calf. Apparently, they were stuck. A tussle ensued. Kyla protests 'just leave them - I'll be fine'. But the technician is adamant. Reinforcements are called in. Kyla is asked to stand - no, sit - no, stand - no, sit. Two ladies are laboring to return these pants to the ankle. It went a little bit like this:



then it went a bit like this:



and then it went on FOREVER! Kyla and I were (once again) laughing, snorting and sputtering (I wish I could have gotten a closer picture of her face. Ky's always pretty, but when she laughs, she's GORGEOUS, and we were laughing a LOT) in the middle of a public place. She kept insisting that she was capable of fixing her own pant legs, but she did have wet fingernails, and these ladies now considered it their sworn duty to see this through. Seriously, ya'll It took all day, but the pant legs were subdued. In the end, their stylish cuff was unrolled, and their fabric was a bit more wrinkled than usual, but there they were - NOT at Kyla's knee. Maybe the nail techs will tell the story of 'the crazy white girls with their stupid trendy pants who laughed like hyenas' over dinner tonight. Maybe their version will crack them up as much as our version did us! Also, this story is funnier with the physical re-enactment, so get one of us to tell it to you in person ;-)

Good times. Oh, and then, when I got home, this was waiting for me:



tooooooooooooooo cute, Ya'll! Hope your weekend had some silliness!

Dear So & So...

ahhhh.... it's 'Dear So and So...' day over at Three Bedroom Bungalow again! I had so much fun last time! Let's join in again - shall we?

Dear Jeans:

What's with the muffin top? Seriously. I thought we were in love... I guess you had other plans... Maybe a 'heads up' next time?

Confusedly Yours,
Bitter in Bootcut

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Dear LUSH,

I love you. Please marry me. I'll cook, and you can keep me looking and smelling my (softest) best. I know we're different, but we can make it work.

Yours in Bath Time Joy,
Lily Ruth's Mama



❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

Dear Baby Daughter,

Your new teeth are cracking me up. I also find the majority of your antics to be hilarious. Keep up the good work.

Adoringly yours,
Mama



♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Dear Central Market Organic Truffles,

Knock it off. You are waaaaaaay too delicious. This is ridiculously unfair to my jeans.

harumpfh,
Rachel

Look What I Found!!!

Thanks to Kittyn U K, and the fabulous post she made for my birthday, I went looking for, and subsequently found THIS!!!!



YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY for Vegas fun!!!

Clearing the Cobwebs

Lily Ruth, Keely Dog & I took a really great walk today. We needed it. Well, Keely & I needed it, and Lily Ruth didn't have a choice.

Today's walk was not just for exercise or to get out of the house. It was a much needed brain-clearing excursion. Do you ever feel like your head is going to come off of your neck and spin off into space because it is so full of crap? No? Just me? Fine. Well, that's how I felt this morning. I was cranky, and had a serious case of the funk - not the good kind, either. I seem to get into this same sort of loop every year around my birthday (maybe that's why my Mama calls more often, and sounds so concerned...). It's as though I've taken stock, and am flabbergasted by what I found. Ridiculous, but there is is - I'm surprised by my own life. And here I was - thinking that I was paying attention...

At any rate, we walked from Starbuck's to the Episcopal Diocese. Now, this is a reader alert - I am going to talk about spirituality. Just mine though, not yours. If you don't care for that sort of thing, then get your own blog and write about whatever you want. There are places in this world where the divine feels more present to me than others. My God dwells all around me, but feels tangible to me in some places - this is one of them. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg question though - was the Diocese built on a holy-feeling site, or does the site feel holy in part because of the Diocese? Either way, this is a place that quiets the soul, and I was in dire need of some quiet. Plus, my Mama called yesterday with some great news:



The springs are running! Though my crappy cell phone photo cannot do it justice, these springs are the headwaters of the San Antonio river. When the rain comes, the water table rises, and this area becomes boggy with springs. It's amazing.

Since the property is fenced, I will occasionally let Keely-Kee play off-leash - after a look around for loose dogs and rogue squirrels. Here she is drinking from the springs and getting her toes damp:



Here I am letting the breeze clean out my skull:



And here is Lily Ruth chewing on what USED to be my wallet, but is NOW her favorite teething toy. I had to get a new 'wallet' (if we're splitting hairs, it's technically a coin purse, isn't it...) It is now washed daily, and contains Daddy's old driver's license so he can go everywhere with us :-P It kept her not just occupied, but happy for quite a while today:



All in all, it was a very successful outing. I gained a little much-needed clarity. Keely got her exercise - and the treat of being briefly off-leash (but it TOTALLY went to her head, and we had a small power struggle all the way back to the car). Lily Ruth got her first look at the springs in action, and spent some quality time with her wallet.

Oh, I also went to 'At the Barre' class again today. It was just as hard as last week, but I loathed the tiny instructor a bit less. So maybe it was easier? Either way, I went and let it kick my (hopefully shrinking and lifting) ass. Maybe I'll keep the damn gym membership...

Also, because I type so slowly, it's now a new day... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

note to self:

When your 7 1/2 month old is having a tough night (what with the teething and all) so you let her lie on your chest and play with your face/hair while she falls asleep, DO NOT allow her tiny fingers anywhere near your nose! In a flash, one of those adorable digits can (and will) snake it's way up your nostril then scratch it's way down (in that same instant). It will happen so fast. You will screech and cry real tears. There will be bleeding and residual soreness. She will not be sorry.

Giving you the finger will take on a whooooole new meaning



... I was hoping for a chance to add this picture, but this is a terrible price to pay :-P

In Which I Borrow...

liberally from other blogs :-P... title style borrowed from The Badass Geek, and 'letters' format borrowed from 3 Bedroom Bungalow...

Dear Darling Daughter,

Remember when you used to nap and sleep in your own crib? That was awesome. Oh, and you used to sleep for 4-6 hours at a time - I loved that.

Kisses!
Mama

---------------------

Dear Mama,

Um, YOU'RE the one who put me in your bed. Why in the world would I go back to sleeping by myself in baby jail when I currently snooze comfortably and warmly between/on my parents?

*raspberries*
Lily Ruth

****************************

Hola, Doggie!

If you don't stop barking at every imagined noise, I may sell you on e-bay.

LOVE YOU!
Pack Leader Rachel

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dear 'Pack Leader',

If I respected your authori-tie, I might consider listening to you.

Signed,
Princess Keely-Kee a.k.a. the Monkey Dog

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Dear Cowboy Mouth,

PLEASE come back to San Antonio. I miss you. I just want to spend more time with you - is that so wrong? We used to be so close. Remember that? It's just that... I thought we had an understanding... you tour endlessly & come to San Antonio and/or Austin 2 or 3 times a year, and I show up and dance my ass off. That really worked for me.

*sigh*
:-/



######################

Dear New Converse All-Stars,

I love you. I love everything about you - especially your hot pink lining. Thank you for being so awesome.

Your Biggest Fan,
Me



=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

whew. It feels good to get that out... oh, damn. there's one more...

Dear New Blogger,

I read your blog, and it irritated me. I thought it was shallow and self-centered and awful. I gleefully joined the blog-war.

Then I thought about it. And I thought about you. From your few posts you seem really young. You're a new mother. You just moved to a new state, and are far from your support crew. So, maybe you are as materialistic and vain as you come across. But maybe, just maybe, you're sad and alone in a new place and want to try to perk yourself up by writing a fun and weightless blog. But it's none of my business either way.

What I want to say is, I hope that you continue to blog and to enjoy it. This is YOUR space to say whatever you want just as much as it is mine.

Rachel

Feel the Burn

Have I ever mentioned that I have gym membership? Well it's true. I do. I used to use it religiously. In fact, before my last Kaua'i trip, I even hired a personal trainer and did something he called 'two-a-days'. Before you get all goofy and embarrassed, that's when you go to the damn gym TWO TIMES A DAY. The man was a sadist, but I looked great. The reason that you may not have known about my gym membership is that the last time I used it was in my first trimester of pregnancy. For those who ran out of fingers to count on (or just hate math), that was over a year ago. I bring this up because I went to the gym today... like a sucker.

Let me explain. I have a new friend. So far, I like her, and I think she likes me, but adult friendships are tricky things, and who knows if she actually likes me or if she's just being nice because she doesn't know anybody else yet :-P The part of this that pertains to the gym is (ta-da) that she is also a Spectrum member - albeit one who attends regularly (and it shows). We were discussing cool gym amenities the other day, and I mentioned that I used to love the 'At the Barre' ballet-based class. She allowed as how she was interested in that class, but didn't want to go alone, so I volunteered to end my gym dry spell, and go with her.

We decided that this week was as good as any to start, and Don was able to come home in time to watch Lily Ruth, so it was all systems go. Of course, the only exercise I've had lately are 16 Lb over-head lifts (making a 'wheeeee' noise all the while), and walking to Starbucks, so I started to get a bit apprehensive about struttin' my stuff in front of others today. This class is usually small, so everybody can get a good look at my perfect ballet form (HA!), and my squishy, post-baby tummy and butt. To be truthful, that bit looks better now than it did when I got pregnant, but this was my first go at organized fitness in quite some time, and by 4:00 today, I was wishing that the class was 'At the Bar' instead. I really wanted a martini.

Instead of succumbing to my dread, I sucked it up and headed on in. I made it there just after class started, but before my buddy. I squoze myself into a place at the barre, and began to plié. Instead of the usual instructor (a shaved-head ex-marine with tribal tattoos), there was a darling girl... a mere slip of a gal... a child really... she couldn't have been a day over 12... I kid, but seriously, she was tiny and VERY young. She actually smiled apologetically at me when I squeezed in late - Richard would have barked at me.

She seemed so innocuous. This is why I was so surprised to find that after a scant 5 minutes or so, I began to 'take against' her. Perhaps it was the grande pliés. Or maybe it was the degages. It might have been the releves. Whatever it was, I began to loathe the sound of her voice. Like a metronome it was... one TWO three FOUR fahve (she had a darling little accent) SIX seven EIGHT. I didn't even care if she prefaced it with 'last set', I still hated it. And yet I persevered. Ya'll would be so proud of me! I sucked it up (or rather, in), and stuck it out (um, under), and did the whole darn class! Not bad for a self-confessed slacker with no abdominal control!

Way to go, Rachel! Way to go post-baby abs! Now, where is my ice pack, and did somebody say something about a martini? I like mine icy with NO vermouth... and 3 olives.

By the way, I was looking for a picture of a relaxed-looking ballet class to go with this post. Such a photo may not exist. In truth, I felt more like this anyway:



- my apologies to the mama who's blog I'm borrowing this from (via Google images) - I mean no disrespect, your daughter is ADORABLE - it's meant as a metaphor... or is it?

Oh MAN do I miss ballet class now! Kittyn, I long for the days of Stage 7 and Kathryn murmuring 'suggestions' at us while we wore thick fuzzy socks under dimmed lights. That woman knew how to teach some dance. I could hear her in my head today - 'shoot your weight DOWN through your heels' 'lift from the TOP of your head'. She made me feel like a swan.

SHOES, Glorious UPDATE

Kyla called with an update, and a brand name (Calvin Klein), so here are the shoes...



you know... the farting ones...

Well, adjustments have been made, and... THEY STILL FART. People, this is getting serious. The next step is professional help. Perhaps something can be medically removed... or added... in order to eliminate the sound. If not, The BEAUTIFUL Kyla, will develop a (unwarranted) reputation for gastric disturbance and/or a (well deserved) penchant for spray adhesive. Drastic times call for drastic measures folks, and we are just the girls to take said measures in defense of these shoes!

Or maybe she should just splurge on a pair of THESE - surely they won't fart...



or maybe I'M the one who wants those, and Kyla will have to find her own way to salvage her dignity AND her new shoes, as I am out of ideas. :-P

... at least we continue to be cute... or is it just that we think that we're cute... either way, we froze our butts off to get this picture...



All this talk of farting shos has plumb worn me out. Plus, Lily Ruth is asleep on my arm, so typing is a big ol' chore right now. Surely something noteworthy will occur this weekend. Until then, you're on your own.

Nighty night!

???

Wow. I am soooo far out of the 'hip' loop. For this, I am truly grateful.

I dipped my toe in the gossip pool today. I think I caught something. Something contagious and rash-inducing. Also, it pissed me off. I should have worn a haz-mat suit. Well, since it's contagious, you're gonna get it too:

Gossip Site Rash

I should just stay off the 'internets' as ignorance and intolerance really chap my hide. I also loathe racism disguised as righteous indignation.

Thank goodness for this:



she keeps me more grounded and sane than I have been in YEARS :-P Just looking at her makes me care even less about 'Young Hollywood'... plus, she's so cute, she makes those poor girls all look the same. Oh, wait, they all looked the same BEFORE that... airbrushing is creepy...

Food ROCKS!

Lily Ruth and I are having so much fun with food!

We go to the Farmer's Market every week and pick out fun stuff



We puree and try new foods every few days - check out BLUEBERRIES!



and now there are finger foods as well! OH THE CHOICES! Our freezer stash grows ever larger...



As her world expands, so does her curiosity. She was in her highchair the other day, and after a few bites, she was more interested in the spoon itself and texture of the contents of the bowl than in eating. I almost let myself get frustrated, and then I realized that she just loves food! How great is that? I love food, and I want her to love food and think that food is big fun - so I handed her the spoon and scooted the bowl closer. This was a big step for me. Label the memory of this as 'Control Freak Hands Over Control'. It was humbling... and fun. She had a BALL. Avocado was everywhere. Hands, arms, torso, face, hair, highchair, floor and huge portion of the table :-) Very very little of it made the full journey into her mouth...



It was so much fun that we did it again yesterday. Butternut squash this time, and we stripped down to a diaper!



This is such an amazing time! A whirlwind, but one I am blessed to be a part of. Can you believe that as recently as two years ago I couldn't dream of doing this. I thought babies were for dumb suckers. Wow, well, when you're wrong, you're wrong. I'm not saying that parenthood or stay at home motherhood is for everyone, but it sure is for me. This is the hardest, most exhausting, most rewarding thing that I have ever done. I can't believe that I wanted to take a pass on it. Makes me think... what else have I missed out on because I thought it sounded hard...