Monday, December 6, 2010

Outtakes

"All I want for Christmas is a picture of your families. And a picture of the three boys together."

Outtake 1

Outtake 4

Outtake 3

Outtake 2

"I'll swallow your soul!"
 
Sorry, Mom. Looks like we're going to have to buy you a newly-hatched baby dodo. They're easier to come by.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Dat's Kismas, Mommy!

Someone's just a teensy bit excited about all the Christmas decorations going up.

Someone's just a little bit excited

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Just let me lie down

This has been one of those months where it's hard to muster the energy to do much beyond work my 40 hours and help take care of the kid. Maybe it's the time change, but after being at work for eight hours, then going through feeding, bathing, and the toddler bedtime routine, all I want to do is go to bed myself.

Todd and I were talking the other day, and we determined that we haven't had a vacation since before Micah was born. That's over two years ago now. You add in increasingly stressful jobs, a toddler, and what all else we've gone through in the last year, and I guess I can stop wondering why we're totally burned out.

At the moment, I'm looking forward to the holidays the same way a floating shipwreck victim looks forward to a life raft. It's not a rescue, but at least it keeps you from drowning.

And in January, I'm planning on finally going part time. Part time. I say those words, and I swear I hear angels singing.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Although it's actually a dragon costume, Micah insisted he was "a DINOSAUR. RAAAAARRRRR!"

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Heather and Anthony threw a Halloween party in our old neighborhood, so we headed over there for most of the afternoon. Micah was already excited about his costume, but I think seeing the other kids in theirs made him realize this Halloween thing is kind of a big deal.

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Much to our surprise, he really got into the whole Trick-or-Treat thing. He trucked from house to house, toting his candy bucket, and refused to ride in the stroller for most of the walk. He was actually upset when we decided to call it a night.

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When we got home, he ate M&Ms for the first time in his life. His world is now changed FOREVER.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

(Except for the allergies)

Although the afternoon temperatures continue to flirt with 80 degrees, Fall is still creeping along in the form of chilly mornings, hayrides, and changing leaves. This is my absolute, hands-down favorite season.

At the beginning of the month, Todd, Micah, and I visited Tate Farms for Todd's office picnic. It was our first time there, but I can guarantee you it won't be our last. Between the playground, the (real, live, cut-your-own-off-the-vine)pumpkin patch, the hayrides, the farm equipment, the corn crib, the giant two-story slide, and the petting zoo, there's a ton of stuff for kids to do. And although he had a good time this year, by next year Micah will be old enough to really, thoroughly enjoy it.

Focused on the airplane

Fall is the time of year when we finally get to really play outside, without the drenching sweat or threat of heatstroke. We've been trying to get out as much as possible, whether to play in the sandbox, go for a walk, or just stomp through the trees looking for pinecones and other interesting things.

What's dat, Mommy?  What's DAT?

Last weekend, we wandered up Monte Sano to check out the playground in the State park. This evening, we'll be meeting my sister and her family up there for a picnic. Micah's down for his nap, so I'm about to go load up all the supplies we'll need. I'm kind of ridiculously excited about it.


I've said it a million times before, and I'll say it again. I love Fall.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Startin em young

And you thought being able to name every piece of construction equipment was the worst of it.

Baby engineer

This is only a glimpse into how these so-called "civil" engineers plan to indoctrinate the children of America. One day it's dump trucks, the next it's Civil Engineering Magazine and science classes, and before you know it, they're voting for candidates whose platforms include infrastructure improvements. It's a slippery slope, people.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Silver Lining

Due to the FUBAR situation surrounding the sale of my sister's house, she and her family have been staying with us for the past week and a half. Way back at the start of the month, they had the moving truck half-loaded when they found out (less than 24 hours before the scheduled closing) that the buyer's loan hadn't made it through underwriting. Then they were told it would be approved at any second, so instead of unpacking, they simply moved all the boxes back inside. And then they waited.

It's been twenty-five days now, and the situation has done nothing but unravel. You see, it turns out the buyer's loan officer is his girlfriend, and she's been lying her ass off the entire time (for instance, the loan never actually went to underwriting), and...well....FUBAR. But the silver lining is that they've been staying with us, and it's been pretty awesome.

For one, Micah has playmates in the mornings and evenings, and he is LOVING it. Every day on the way home, he's talking about "Dandul an Awex, Mommy!" He's started imitating everything Daniel does, and has been surprisingly sweet to Alex. And he's picked up Daniel's habit of saying, "Okay!"

Two, my sister is a really good cook. There is no quicker way to the heart of a working mom (or dad) than to have a fantastic dinner ready when she (or he) gets home in the evening. In fact, Todd and I have even been accused of sabotaging the house sale in order to keep E and Josh with us, just for E's cooking. All I can say is, there's not a single shred of evidence to support such charges. I made sure of that.
Three, we kind of like those guys. And it's nice to see them a lot.

At the moment, they're unpacking everything to stage the house again and put it back on the market. Which, if there's anything more demoralizing than unpacking all your boxes right back to the exact same place, I can't think of it offhand. They're almost done, and I expect they'll head back to their house sometime next week, now that it's livable again. But when they do, we're really really REALLY going to miss them.



Cousins

Goofy Boy

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Two years

No time to comment on being the mother of a TWO YEAR OLD. Even though birthday totally happened 9 days ago. Life too hectic. Brain melting. Njhguisjshdjkgh.

The annual rocking-chair photo

At home What a difference a year makes

Monday, September 6, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Adventures in vocabulary

Last night we were driving to my sister's house when a fire truck passed us, lights and siren going.

Me: "Micah, look, it's a fire truck!"

Micah: "Goin' ta pump da water!"

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Monday we were driving by a construction site, and Micah spotted his favorite piece of equipment.

Micah: "Ekakator! EKAKATOR. Pickin' up da dirt. Pourin' it out inna dum tuck! Beep beep beep."

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The other morning there were five concrete trucks lined up in our side of the neighborhood for an early-morning pour. I held Micah up in his window to see them before breakfast, and by the time we got outside to get in the car, he was beside himself.

Micah: "Oh. My. God. CONKEET TUCKS."

Todd: "Micah, say oh my GOODNESS."

Micah: "Oh my GUDNEZ. CONKEET TUCKS. Oh my gudNEZ. Oh my GUDnez, CONkeet tucks. FIVE conkeet tucks, oh my...."

[FIVE MINUTES LATER]

Micah: "....FIVE CONKEET TUCKS! OH MY GUDNEZ!!!"

Todd: "DUDE. All right, stop. Look, look over here. It's a school bus."

Micah: "COO BUSSSSSS! Coo busssss. Oh my GUDNEZ, Mommy."

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The other day, we were sitting at a stoplight when a loud car pulled up behind us in the next lane.

Micah: "Old tuck, Daddy!"

Todd: "That's not an old truck, buddy. That's a toolbag with a trashcan for a muffler."

The light turns green, and we pull away from the car.

Micah: "Bye bye, toolbag!"

This

"There is no satisfaction in the fulfillment of a fear. Instead it makes you question everything. It makes you see the people you love strung delicately on a strand of web, vulnerable to be broken off with a casual sweep of a hand. It makes you feel unsafe, exposed, and out of control."

- Eve in "Reflections on a Year"
 
I hadn't planned to mention anything else depressing, but then today Eve went and posted that. And it summed up so perfectly what I've been feeling these last several months that I had to throw it back out there as a sort of explanation.

You see, thanks to the last year or so, I now have a huge, irrational fear of losing Micah or Todd or someone else I love. Although I'm working very very hard to overcome it, it's been a definite struggle. For instance, when I freak out at Todd because I can't get in touch with him for hours because he's put his stupid-ass iPhone on silent and left it there again, and instead of thinking "duh, he's left his phone on silent," I jump immediately to imagining him and Micah dead in a car accident, and then when he finally calls me back, I find myself yelling, "Oh hi, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU, ASSHOLE." Yeah, that's kind of why. Less amusing are the nightmares, the moments of panic, and the crippling self-doubt when dealing with things like minor childhood illnesses.

I figure at some point I'm going to stop looking over my shoulder for the universe-sized boot aimed squarely at my vulnerable backside. One day I'll regain the confidence to, say, handle a high fever in my sleeping child without the every-10-minute breathing check. But until then, yes, THAT.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Forty weeks

Well, here we are

Thirty-one weeks ago, we watched in a darkened room as an ultrasound technician pointed out the grainy shape of our eight-week-old baby. When we heard his loud, strong heartbeat, I cried. We were so happy.

Twenty-seven weeks ago, we sat in the same room while the same technician looked desperately for some sign of life. I don't think she wanted to say it, so I said it for her. We had Micah there with us, because the daycare was closed for snow, and that was a blessing, really. We needed him then.

Saturday was my due date. If things had gone differently, we would have a newborn right now. That's such a strange thought, because I don't know how we'd have done it. A small, guilty part of me is honestly grateful to have more time with Micah alone. I think about giving up my time with him to cope with a newborn, and...well...it's confusing. I'm sad, and it's going to be a very long time before I'm not, but I'm a little relieved too. I guess that sounds horrible, but there it is.

What a completely, unimaginably different life it would have been.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Something New

A while back, my friend Jonathan got engaged to a beautiful girl named Kalie. A while later I worked up the nerve to ask him if they would be willing to let me attempt to do some engagement pictures. For free, of course, and with the understanding that they'd still reserve a real photographer to do real engagement shots at a later date. He said sure, they'd do it. I spent several weeks hyperventilating into a paper bag. Then last Sunday, we braved the 100 degree heat and went to the park downtown to take some pictures.

It was a real learning experience - as it was meant to be, I suppose. I had a hard time remembering to check all my camera settings, something real photographers do by instinct and reflex. I don't have the right equipment to do a lot of the shots I wanted to. I didn't have a good feel for what shutter speed/aperture to use in which light conditions. I had no idea how to pose people (I mean, my usual subject is a toddler). I didn't know what to say or do to put all of us at ease. Also, I was completely surprised by how much I hurt the next day, after only an hour of getting up and down. It was awkward, flesh-meltingly hot, and a little confusing, and the whole time I was worried I was failing miserably.

But when I got home, I found that amongst all the glaring technical errors and rookie mistakes (and believe me, there were A GREAT MANY), I managed to get a few pictures I loved.








And you know what? They love them too. Yay!

In the end, I think we all got something good out of the experience. I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave it a shot.

(The rest are here.)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Timeline of woe

July 2 - We move in.

July 30 - AT&T finally installs all their wire, and we have internet. Glorious internet!

August 2 - Some douchebag contractor accidentally cuts the newly-installed lines. No more internets for us.

August 6 - AT&T says not to worry, they've fixed it all! But it turns out they completely swapped our connection with someone else's. We start getting calls for some Random Dude, and we still don't have DSL service because Random Dude wasn't subscribed. I resist the urge to tell callers Random Dude was arrested for streaking a daycare playground.

August 9 - AT&T finally gets the connections sorted out. Yay internet!

August 10 - But...wait...it's down. Why is it down? What happened? It was working at 1:30 PM, WHERE DID MAH INTERNETS GO? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

August 11 - After keeping Todd on the phone for over an hour, AT&T has no idea why our connection has gone tits up again. But not to worry, they're going to get someone out to check the network by 6 PM...ON FRIDAY.

So, to sum it up, in the 40 days we've lived in the new house, we've had an internet connection for 3.5 days. And two of those days, we were out of town. When you put it like that, what's two more days? Right?

Monday, August 9, 2010

New House

As requested, here are some pictures of the new house. I took these the day we closed, as we were conducting our final walk-through. The house wasn't completely finished (it still isn't), but you can get the general idea.

Front Hallway

Master Bedroom

Living Room

Looking down the hall

More here.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

I forsee much mockery

I just ordered a $55 CAT INHALER. For my asthmatic cat.

Yes, yes I know.

It's called the AeroKat. Here's an illustration of how this thing is supposed to work:



Because of course the cat is simply going to stand there with the mask over its whiskers, and give you a quizzical look. I actually made my own sketch of how I expect the whole inhaler thing to go, before I remembered I have no way to upload it. Let's just say that in my illustration, there's a lot more blood.

I'm trying to think how best to do this. Do I fold the cat up in a towel and sit on her? Should I forget the towel and just wrap the cat in duct tape? Do I need to wear a suit made entirely from Kevlar? Will I come out of this with both eyes and an intact jugular? The vet assures me that she's known people who've used this same device, and none of them had much trouble. I think I'd like to see how scarred these people really are. Do they have all their limbs? Do any of them now require a colostomy bag?

Anyway, I just purchased an AeroKat. I am, officially, one of those people.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Anger? Or total despair?

I spent the last two days drilling. I was outside in temperatures near 100 degrees, with heat indices of 105 one day and 108 the next. I was also wearing a Tyvek suit most of the time, which is a bit like being dressed in a Ziploc bag. It was MOTHEREFFING HOT, is what I'm saying. I don't think I have ever sweat so much in my entire life. But hey, we got the job done!

Except that today, the lab called to tell me only one of our sample shipments arrived. The other half of the job? Lost by FedEx. And now, 24 hours later, in the middle of July, on a day where temperatures have reached 100 degrees, the samples are also ruined.

And so, all that work and suffering? Yeah. For nothing. We'll have to do it all over again. In, like, two weeks.

Not cool, FedEx. Not. Cool.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Summer



Umbrella

Summertime

All photos posted thanks to my parent's internet connection.  How sad.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Can't...survive...much...longer....

Okay, so, I might have already mentioned a few times, here and there, about how I currently don't have internet access at home. And how the internet access at my workplace is completely blocked from nearly everything that makes life worth living. Yes, you might already be aware of this.

You guys, this inability to access the Internets is about to KILL ME DEAD. I get emails with links to funny pictures or videos, I can't see them. People send me messages on Facebook, I can't respond. I can read most of my favorite blogs, but I can't see the pictures. I can't even see the comments on my own website. I can't look at Flickr or Shutterfly. I have pictures I've taken stacking up on my computer, and I can't upload them to share. Hell, I can't even back them up anywhere except my Seagate drive; given our recent luck with computers, THAT scares the everliving shit out of me.

(Yes, my company completely blocks Carbonite and other online backup services. I KNOW, RIGHT?)

I'm almost resigned to sneaking into Todd's work to borrow his computer. His company, unlike mine, has an open web policy, despite the fact that they do all sorts of military-related stuff, and really, WHY does a dirt and concrete company have more security than a federal contractor? Tell me that.

(On a side note, you know what my old company's internet policy was? It was something along the lines of, "Don't download porn. If you do download porn, PLEASE don't save it to the server." I miss those days.)

I clearly need a laptop. I loathe laptops, I despise them, but if AT&T or Mediacom or whoever comes out on the 30th and tells us they haven't run any line yet so we won't have internet until 2012, and I DON'T have an alternative at hand, I will punch a technician in the face, see if I don't.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Keeper

I often say to Micah "I love you, you know that?" Saturday night, I put him down in his crib, tucked his rabbit and his dog in next to him, kissed his waving hand, and told him I love him. He looked back up at me and smiled.

"Know dat, Mommy."

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Utility companies (and the USPS) are the new enemy

Well, we finally moved in last Friday. The new house is beautiful, Micah loves his new playroom, and we're slowly unpacking all the junk we'd forgotten we had. Life, overall, is pretty good.

Now, for the bitching.

1) Up until the very day we closed on the house, the local water authority refused to allow us water service, because the sewer pump station wasn't finished. Except that it WAS finished, and everything was on and working. They were holding out on the homeowners because our builder needed to put in some dirt along the pump station driveway. And that dirt had to be personally inspected by the head of the local water service. Who was on vacation.

Those water authority guys almost cost us an awful lot of money. They DID cost us an awful lot of stress and wasted time. Remind me to send them a nice card at Christmas. One filled with the best anthrax money can buy.

2) A couple weeks before we were supposed to move, the builder mentioned all offhand-like that our section of the neighborhood didn't have gas yet. As in, it hadn't even been run to the area. At the time, he wasn't even sure when it would actually be run. And we were all, "Uh, dude, we have GAS COOKTOP."

"But it's okay," he said. "We'll install an electric cooktop in the interim. That way we can get the Certificate of Occupancy, and you'll have a cooktop." We agreed. We moved. Then we found out that the wiring for an electric cooktop is totally different from that of a gas cooktop, and consequently, ain't nothin workin. Fast forward, and FINALLY, 5 days after we moved in, the gas is connected and our cooktop is working.

Gosh, I'm glad someone thought to call the gas company BEFORE it became a huge inconvenience for...oh, wait.

3) We won't have phone or internet until at least July 30th because there are no wires in our section of the neighborhood. Even though we called AT&T quite some time ago and asked about that very issue.

4) And finally, the best of all. Today Todd went over to the post office to forward our mail. He'd tried previously to use the online service, but that didn't work. So he went to set it up with the postal worker, and she couldn’t find the address anywhere. This led her to argue with Todd about whether or not we actually live in our town (the answer is a resounding "yes, and also, are you simple?"). Then, once convinced that we do in fact live there, she told him that they'd have to measure the new distance on the route before anything could be approved. The entire extra half-mile deeper into the neighborhood would have to be verified PERSONALLY by the postmaster, who would then decide "if we want to service that mailbox." And, of course, the postmaster is on vacation. FOR THREE WEEKS.

So, no mail for at least three weeks. Oh, but we can go pick it up on Saturdays between 8 and 10! Because that's not an inconvenience, is it? Doesn't everyone want to drive all the way to the post office to pick up their mail? I mean, what kind of lazy person really needs postal service to their house anyway? You know, I bet the USPS could save a lot of money just by eliminating mail delivery. Yay, we just solved the USPS budget crisis!

...Guess what those guys are getting from me for Christmas?

Monday, June 28, 2010

What we've been up to

The work web-blocker thing is down, and I was able to upload a stash of pictures I've been collecting since May 18th. You know what that means.

I found a teeny-tiny baby praying mantis, about the size of my thumbnail, hiding on my basil plants.

Mini Mantis

Our house is finally nearing completion, although our move-in date has gone from June 18 to June 25 to June 29, and now July 2. Hahahaha, le sigh.



My child was adorably weird. I'm not sure what he was thinking here, but I appreciate that it required a butter bucket for a helmet.

I have no idea, people

He was also adorably wistful, watching Daddy drive the lawnmower. The tragedy of being almost two is that no one ever lets you drive lawnmowers or operate heavy equipment, no matter how much you beg.

Watching Daddy mow the lawn

We've been really enjoying the neighborhood pool. There's usually no one there in the mornings on the weekend, so we pretty much have it all to ourselves.





Micah, though, seems to regard the pool merely as a means to a snack.

Snacking at the pool

Oh, and then there was that time I let Micah play with the markers exactly how he wanted.





This necessitated a bath.



And then there are all the random, fun moments that fill up our days. Micah is in such an incredible stage right now. He's sweet, well behaved, cuddly, and hilarious. He's into everything, climbing and crawling, and dissassembling various objects. He wakes up talking, goes to bed talking, and in between it's a nonstop string of fire truck, helicopter, excavator, aih-pane, police car, dump truck, lie down Mommy, book book book, PURPLE TRUCK, unka joshhhh, puppy dog, rabbit naptime, snack, UH OH, bye-bye backhoe, waffles! The chatter is constant and it is so amazing to hear what he's thinking about at any given moment. (Hint: it's usually either food or construction equipment.)

Yay!

We've been having a pretty awesome summer so far. And hopefully, once this move is complete, it'll just get better.