My First Mothers Day

we laid in the grass. looked for four-leaf clovers (my new favorite past-time). Ate.
And played. No visiting, no chores, no cleaning...


and we dressed Esther up like a boy...

More pictures, thanks Susan!!!!!

6 months and a maniac

We went to the Fairie Festival this past weekend. In the past Jes and I used to work there selling my Aunt Lynne's home-made human-sized fairie wings. But last year was my last year as Esther doesn't allow for that kind of shenanigans. And this year was Lynne's last year. Jes, Becky, and I (and a crew full of other people too) all went on Sunday to the festival and took Esther (I'll post pictures as soon as i have them).

We set up a blanket and has Esther crawling around and playing with her toys. Several people passed by and took pictures of my beautiful baby and then exclaimed "Is she crawling??!!" and then "How old is she?!" when i tell them 6 months people give me a weird look and then tell me how incredibly early that is. I tell them that she started getting around at 4 months.

There were tons of other babies there. Also, all these other babies were placidly being pushed around in their strollers (or as Stephen says, "prams"). They were quiet, calm, happy, mellow, and sometimes sleeping babies. One baby who was 5 months and about 4lbs heavier than Esther let me hold her and laughed and smiled and was as happy as could be. WHAT THE HECK???!!! Babies don't come like that, do they?? What model did she get? Is it broken or something? Maybe it was the meticulous diet sans sugar and just about everything tasty that i was on while pregnant that has turned my child into the hyper, super aware, busy-body that she is. I should have smoked cigarettes, drank beer, bathed in soda-pop, and ate my body weight in twinkies. Then maybe I would be a well rested woman.

In other news: I just scheduled Esther's 6 month Doctor's appt. for 2pm next Thursday. Which will really mean Ben will come home at 1pm clean up. I'll nurse her, change her, pack the diaper bag, get out to the car buckle her into her seat, then she'll poo all over the place and we'll have to unpack her and the seat clean them both up change her outfit and then try it again.
So we'll be late to the appointment, but that won't matter cause we sit there for like three days anyhow waiting for someone to see us. Then we finally get called they weigh her and poke her and tell us how cute and aware she is. Then we wait for three more days until someone comes to see us and listen to Esther's heart. Then that person leaves and a nurse comes in with needles and Esther screams and gives me that "you betrayed me" look and my heart breaks. And I have a small panic attack thinking that the immunizations are going to give her Autism or some other awful disease. Ben calms me down. I breathe into a paper bag while Esther happily chews on a tongue depressor and then we finally get our act together pile into the car. Have a brief argument about whether or not we should get a pizza for dinner on the way home. and Finally around a week later we get home and eat and make our way to the bed time routine which comes about 5 minutes before i have to get up and go to work.

Things that Drive me Truely Nuts!

In the spirit of the crappy day I'm having I'm giving you a list of my biggest pet peeves.

1. Strangers who call me "honey" or other pet name.
2. Personalized licensed plates
3. People who don't use their blinker when changing lanes (you know who you are!)
4. People who don't understand that "passive voice" is not an actual grammar problem but a stylistic preference.
5. People who mispronounce "supposedly" by saying "supposably."
6. When someone repeats what i just said in the form of a question. e.g. "What would you like for dinner?" "What would i like for dinner?"
7. When my groceries aren't bagged properly. i.e. cold stuff with cold stuff. soap and cleaning products NOT with the food and preferably in a plastic bag. bread and eggs on top.
8. The fact that it's damn near impossible to find reasonably priced non-sweat shop baby clothes, or any clothes for that matter.
9. When anyone suggests that I should give Esther formula, as though i didn't know that option existed.
10. Looking at the calendar during the first few days of a month and realize that all my weekends are already full.


Okay, i could go on and on and on but it's a busy crappy day and i should really get to it.

Attack of the Naked Baby

More Easter Esther pictures

This is her "Do you dare to presume to talk to me?" face.
This is our new favorite thing to do after Esther has gone to bed... We're so old...
Ben is playing us an Easter SeranadeThis is Ester's first Easter dress. About an hour after this picture was taken she poo-ed all over it.




The post poo bath. She's not a big fan of the bath...

And getting ready for bed.

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.