Busy Week and Happy Esther, i mean Easter

Okay, so it's been a while. We've been REALLY busy.

Kirstin came to visit. One of my most favoritest people in the universe. We went to the AVAM and had a ball.



We reminisced about when our lives weren't nearly so complicated...



Then Easter hit with a bang! Friday my brother and sister came and helped prepare the Jones farm for the Jardeleza onslaught (my mother's family). I was at work but hung out with them when i got home and stuffed my face full of Hot Cross Buns (a Good Friday tradition).

Saturday we loaded up TONS of stuff (mostly baby gear) and drove down to my mother-in-law's. We celebrated Easter at her place in Salisbury where we expected to find more spring, but were welcomed by some latent snow drifts piled up under bushes. We did however, celebrate with lots of amazing food (Thank you Sue!) and lots of shenanigans (led by Esther).

I like this picture it looks like Sue is telling Esther a Secret.And Esther is telling her one now. They're probably talking about me...
And this is Ben's Easter Face.

And in other news: We don't have a scale at our house but Sue does. So i weighed myself and i'm the smallest i've been since i was 16. Ben thinks i'm dying... I think it's just the breastfeeding. I am really glad i lost the baby weight so well. I'm a lucky lucky gal. However, i bet when she's a toddler and not nursing anymore and i'm eating all the food she doesn't eat i'll get nice and plump.

Also I just saw "Science of Sleep" and loved it. And I'm thinking of cutting my hair short again like Zoe (see pic below).

First Food

We were trying to wait until she was 6 months old to start cereal but she seemed ready sooner. She fussed when we ate. She tried to eat our food. She chews on spoons. And she can drink water from a cup. So... we begin the trek into the unknown world of REALLY stinky diapers and new experiences.(Sorry these are so blurry, the batteries in my camera are dying.)

Daddy-daughter conspiracy?

I have a sneaking suspicion that she is going to be a daddy's girl. I'm okay with that...i think...

Talking on the Baby Phone

Outting with Lalee

Every year on the first day of spring Rita's gives away free Italian Ice. So my mom and her art girls (they all work in the advertising department of Oakworks) met me and E at Rita's. It was a bit cold for eating Italian Ice, but hey it was free.


Lalee is my mom. Brief explanation: Lola is grandmother in filipino (not sure if Tagalog or Visayan). My mother called her grandmother "Lala" (an evolution of Lola). We call my grandmother "Oa" as another evolution of Lola. So in one of my funnier moments i came up with Lalee as it's another spin-off. And then my father can be "Pop". Get it??? Get it??? Lalee Pop? hehehehehehe.

Esther and Becks

Becks watches Esther on Tuesdays while I'm at work. Not to mention the countless times she's come over to save me from myself during Esther's more fussy days in the beginning. Becks is one of E's favorite people now.

The Sleepy Family

Voyerism.

It has come to my attention this morning that I have many more readers than would be apparent by the all-to-often empty comments sections at the end of each entry.

Some of you have stumbled across me by accident and subsequently caught yourselves up by reading the entire archives since august 2005 (Fred this means you)... and some of you have found me through myspace, friendster, the signature at the end of my hotmail emails, or through the thick rumors that pass from person to person like a highly contagious disease.

In my defense (as i feel i ought to defend my need to be incredibly narcissistic and publish my every thought, feeling, and the oogobs of pictures of my baby--what can i say I'm obsessed--on the internet for all to see), this website started out as a means to communicate with those that are too far away to call on a regular basis (the at&t long distance guy is in cahoots with the record and tape traders guy and my student loan officer). This website is a wonderful way to keep people updated on the goings-on in my life. That said, it's also a wonderful way to vent about my weird OCD things, the people who annoy me, and point fingers at the man who stood WAAAY too close to me in line at the gas station this morning. (I know who you are and I'm going to elbow you in the groin next time you do that!). Also i would like to apologize for anything in my earlier entries that were offensive to anyone in particular. I don't mean to hurt people's feelings but let's face it, I'm not a secretive person.

Okay. until next time, this is your host Extremely-blatant-on-the-internet-for-everyone-to see!

My daughter has the balding pattern of a high school science teacher

Mover and a Shaker

My strange little daughter is teaching herself to crawl. She's only 4.5 months old so it seems a bit early to me. She gets up on all fours and then launches onto her face. She does the worm crawl which i already told you about, she does the backwards army crawl, and she spin in circles on her belly.

My sister and me and my gangsta baby.

This is my little sister, Casey Jones (yes that's actually her name).
And this is my gangsta baby.

On another note: She's more mobile everyday. She can scootch (which is really like a worm doing a face plant and using her legs to propel her across the bed). She can roll over but only from right to left. And in her Johnny-jump-up she can spin in circles but only counter clock-wise. I told Ben it was genetic because when i was learning how to ski i could only turn left for a while. After two days hard work i could finally turn right too.

1st pediatrician visit

About 7 weeks after she was born we took her back to the birthing center and she was seen by a pediatrician who saw babies who did not have a pediatrician yet (usually kids without health insurance).

Starting Jan 1st we have health insurance (yippeee). We found a family practice close to home and decided to see if she was what we're looking for in a doctor. We chose a family practice so we could all go to the same office for treatment and have a doctor and her staff that are familiar with our whole family and our history not just one of us at a time.

So we made an appt. for Esther and took her in on Tuesday. After A LOT of discussion we decided to have her vaccinated (Rowen, i hope you don't hold it against us). We did however wait until she was almost 4 months old. I wanted to wait until she was 6 months, but we compromised and 4 months it is. For weeks I had been agonizing over the shots. So when we finally got to the office for her check-up and shots i was a mess of nerves trying to play it cool.

Everyone in the waiting room could tell it was our first baby. We were walking piles of proud parents as well as so nervous as to speak louder than was necessary.

To make a long story short: Esther was fine. She handled the shots as best as could be expected, which is to say she cried and was rather indignant with the nurse administering them. She has quite a temper and when the nurse grabbed her arm to give her the third shot she gave him the nastiest look and began to yell as loud as she possible could. Ben held her and i distracted her and the nurse was kind.

We spoke with the doctor about our philosophies regarding modern medicine and our belief that we live in an overly medicated and surgically removed society. How we believe in nutrition and prevention and homeopathic remedies before antibiotics and whatnot. She was kind and did not seem offended or put off or scolding (which is normally the reaction i get when i talk to medical professionals about how much i dislike how medicine is practiced in this country).

Esther did not have a fever or any excess crankiness due to the shots (thank goodness). And we believe we've found a good match for our medical needs.

She is 12lbs and .5 oz. She is 23 inches long.

She is in 50th percentile for weight and 25th-50th percentile for Height.

Now if only we could find a sliding scale dentist. heh.

conceptual baby photography with a low end digital camera

Tour of downstairs and Husband eating cereal

Who's child is this?

Many of you have been commenting on how she has my eyes. Well after diggin' up some old photographs, i've determined you're right. Glad to know she's not ALL Ben. Although, she'd grow up to be quite a looker if she was...

Tempting Fate

The Joys of Breastfeeding

Foods i can't have because they make Esther cranky and, on a scale of 1-5, how irritating that is for me.

Chocolate 5
Cheese 4
Broccoli 5
Onions 5
Garlic 6
Cauliflower 1
Kale 3
Collards 1
Ginger 4


In other news: she has a propensity for eating non-food stuffs including her toys, her parents, and herself.