Lightbulb Moment

So today, I saw the lightbulb go off over AJ's head. He's spent the last day or two clapping (and really gets a kick out of it when I clap and cheer along). Well, just a few minutes ago, he was sitting in his high chair eating lunch (or whatever you want to call it - it's his second of four meals...I guess that makes the afternoon meal "tea"). He was obviously slowing down in his eating, so I figured he was pretty close to being done, so I did what I've been doing for three months now (give or take) - sign the word "finished" and ask if he was done. He didn't really respond, so I asked (signed) if he wanted more food. He didn't really respond to that one either (usually a sign that he's done, he's just not really sure yet). So I gave him a minute to think about it and he started clapping. So I started clapping and cheering and that made him laugh. So then, he held up one hand and twisted it at the wrist. I got very excited and asked again if he was "finished" (signing back what he'd just signed to me), and he started smiling and laughing (his normal response when he's done), except that he kept studying his hand, watching it move. And you could just see the lightbulb turn on over his head. All the sudden, he _GOT_ it. "When I move my hand like _this_, Mama knows that I don't want any more to eat!"

Yay for effective communication! Less screaming for us!

Growing Like A Weed

So AJ had his 9-month check up yesterday.

• His head is still at the 75th percentile (that's about where it's been tracking for a while now - but is still exemplary of his amazing cognitive abilities - I told you about him saying "fish," right? FISH. The kid's a genius, I tell you.).
• His weight had dropped some to be >5th percentile.
• But his height? It went from 5th percentile at 6 months to _85th_ percentile at 9 months. Dude....talk about sprouting!

And, don't worry too much about the weight. We've only been doing fruits, veggies, and breastmilk up till now. But yesterday AJ had his first MEAT (chicken), and will soon start eating yogurt (full fat). We're still gonna be leery of too much cheese and try to avoid the wheat products for a while yet, but I think he'll start bulking up. Even the pediatrician noticed how "active" he is (her exact words were, "he doesn't ever stop moving, does he?"), so she's not too concerned. Plus breastfed babies tend to be a little smaller, AND his Dada was a wee little one who grew up to be a normally-sized grown up (as did AJ's Dada's sister).

He nurses to take naps and go to bed at night (3-4 times a day), in addition to the times during the night when I'm too asleep to deal with getting him back down without nursing (usually 2 or 3 times lately, due to the teething). He has at least one bottle a day (6-8 oz, usually about half juice, half water). And he typically eats about 30 oz of baby food, not to mention "Perky-Os," teething biscuits, and other finger foods. Yes, that's right. He ingests almost _TWO_POUNDS_ of "solid" food a day. I'm not worried about him getting enough to eat.

No wonder the legs got too short in lots of his clothes all of the sudden.

Now if I could only get him to sleep more easily. He's started getting fussy lately around 6 or 6:30 PM. We usually try to hold him off until at least 7, but he's usually in his PJs, toys put away, nursed till he's done, and cried for a few minutes until he's asleep by 7:30. He'll often wake up at about 9:30 and again at 11:30. Both of those times, I'll try to get him back to sleep without nursing. Lately he's been waking at 2, 4, and 5:30 or so. Those times, I'm usually too out of it to do much more than pick him up and nurse him without falling over or hitting his head against something. Holding the writhing and screaming banshee that he becomes when he wakes in the night until he quiets enough to lay his head down on my shoulder to be bounced, rocked, and shushed back to sleep is WAY beyond my capabilities.

The 5:30 AM waking is by far the worst though because that's when his Dada is getting up and getting ready for work. On the days he wears his dress shoes, the clicking as he walks around the condo is WAY more than our super curious boy can stand. So three times this week, the final wake up has happened right around the time that Dada left for work. Not much fun for a sleepy Mama. But the advantage is that he then has his first nap _much_ earlier and therefore early enough that his Mama can actually nap a little too without feeling like too much of a lazy bum. He also sometimes manages three naps on those days.

Still not worth getting up at 5:30 though.

WooHoo!

So I just got the following email from VNB:

"Your car is paid off."

Yay for bonus checks and one more step on the way to being debt-free!!

Works for Me Wednesday: Coupon Chief

Is it Wednesday already? Well, since it is, apparently, I guess I'll tell you what's going to work for me the next time I shop online. I haven't used it yet, but it definitely looks like something I'll use now that I know about it. It's a website called Coupon Chief. Basically, they find all of the online coupons for you. All you have to do is search for a store or merchant that you'd like to purchase something from and they give you a list of all the coupon codes that are available. If you're like me and most of your Christmas shopping is done online, this could come in mighty handy.

For instance, say you were looking for a computer or computer accessories for the holidays. You could look for Dell coupons or HP coupons. They also have "big box" stores if you're looking for something more generic. All you've lost is a little time if they don't have any stores you need, but you could save big for free if they do.

As I said, I haven't actually used this yet, but I'm sure I'll at least look at it in the future. So check it out next time you're shopping online. For other tips, check out Rocks in my Dryer.

9 Months On, 9 Months Off (well, almost)

So nine months ago today, AJ made his grand debut into the world. As of now, he's officially been alive on the outside longer than he was alive on the inside. In that time, he's:

• drooled a lot
• eaten "solid" foods made by various companies, but also (actual) bananas, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew, "Perky-Os," gluten-free teething biscuits, carrots, broccoli, green beans, and he's tried watermelon,but hated it so much that when it was offered to him a month later, he refused to even touch it, much less put it in his mouth like everything else
• fallen down
• pulled up
• sat down from a standing position (_VERY_ important as it cuts down on the number of times he _falls_ down and then screams)
• fallen off the bed three times (all while in my care - "world's best mom," that's me!)
• walked (more like ran) while holding both hands of a trusted adult
• taken a step or four while holding _one_ hand of a trusted adult
• said "Dada," "Mama," "Kee-kee" (kitty-kitty), and fish (I kid you not, clear as a bell, shocked the heck out of him and me both)
• discovered the joy that is the knobs on his Dada's stereo (which, incidentally, also now controls the TV, DVD/VCR, CD changer, cable box - changing the inputs is like Christmas morning to AJ...and the volume knob? No comparison)
• learned to fall asleep on his own (after crying for a while)
• learned to sleep in his crib
• cut two teeth (with more on the way, yay for more no sleep!)
• cried a lot
• screamed a lot less than he's cried
• been happy (and/or asleep) a whole lot more than he's cried
• giggled and laughed a lot
• laughed and smiled in his sleep
• smiled at everyone who'd catch his eye
• messed up LOTS of clothes
• flown on an airplane five times!
• driven to Nashville once, and to and from NC multiple times
• zrbeted his Mama's leg twice
• tickled his Mama once
• been tickled _by_ his Mama (and Dada) as often as we can manage it
• played in the bath
• swam in a lake
• camped while it hailed, in the freezing cold, and in the sweltering heat, all in one weekend
• been to a NASCAR race
• been to the Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum (by Dulles)
• been to the Statue of Liberty
• been to Ground Zero
• participated in many technical discussions concerning the life support systems on the Crew Exploration Vehicle
• brought worker productivity to a standstill on numerous occasions at both his Mama and his Daddy's offices
• made it so I have to change the station or skip the song when Mark Schultz's "He's My Son" or Michael W. Smith's "Hello, Goodbye" come on
• been told that he should be a model on numerous occasions
• been called the cutest/handsomest baby ever by lots of people other than his Mama (but called that by his Mama the most)
• become my constant companion
• made it so I relish my "freedom" when his Dada or someone else is watching him, but also so that I relish coming home to him and his Dada even more than I ever thought possible (and I _REALLY_ like his Dada)
• brought more joy into our lives than VNB and I ever imagined

While he was inside me, I managed to gain 50 lbs (recommended max? 35. I rocked the pound gainage...that's something we're supposed to be proud of, right?). My midwives (and others) repeated often the mantra "9 months on, 9 months off" referring to how quickly I should expect to lose the baby weight. Well, I'm proud to say that on most occasions (meaning, the last couple of weeks except for five minutes ago when I weighed myself), I am back to within my "normal" weight range. That still means that I'm up to 10 lbs heavier than I was when his knitting together first began...and I can definitely still see it in my gut, hips/butt, and thighs...but I feel almost back to my old self again. That's very satisfying. It'll be much _more_ satisfying when my gut is gone, my hips/butt are back to their normal (not-quite-so-gargantuan) size, and my thighs no longer act like jello, but it's nice to know that I'm back within spitting range.

And AJ is still the cutest, handsomest little man ever. Just ask me! I'll tell you all about him! :) Yes, I am in deep smit with my son. Good thing that the only (here on Earth in corporeal form) person with whom I am more smitten is his handsome Dada. :)

My Alter Egos

Ok, so I was checking out Not the Queen's blog to thank her for her stain removal tips when I came across this meme (I have no idea what meme stands for...it's just one of those things that gets passed around from blog to blog, like the annoying forwarded emails, but without the annoying forwarded email!). So enjoy!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet & current car):
   Mara Escape
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (favorite ice cream flavor & favorite cookie):
   Butter Pecan Snickerdoodle (maybe this one works better for guys, but this just doesn't seem "Gangsta"-y)
3. YOUR "FLY GUY/GIRL" NAME (first initial of your first name & first three letters of your last name):
   M-Jon
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color & favorite animal):
   Red Koala
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name & hospital where you were born):
   Ruth Loudon
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name & first two letters of your first name):
   Jonme (or Turme as my Star Wars Maiden Name)
7. SUPERHERO NAME ("The" & second favorite color & favorite drink):
   The Blue Caffeine-Free Coke (ummm....no?) How about "The Blue Earl Grey Tea?" (yeah...not so much)
8. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
   Nelson Franklin or Franklin Nelson
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother's and father's middle names):
   Lou Winford
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher's last name & a major city beginning with the same letter):
    Johnson um...Johnson City? Heh... I know! Johnson Juno! (Why do so many of my alter ego names seem to be masculine names?)
11. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday & flower):
    Winter Daffodil. Yeah, that's not spytacular at _all_. Winter Rose isn't really either.
12. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit & article of clothing you're wearing right now & "ie" or "y"):
    Strawberry um.....Sweatsie? yeah...not so much, I think.
13. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast & your favorite tree):
    Nothing Climbable. What? I haven't had breakfast yet and my favorite tree is one that I can climb! (Yes, I'm a responsible, married adult, with a small child, why do you ask?)
14. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME ("The" & your favorite hobby/craft & your favorite weather element & "Tour"):
    The Reading Thunderstorm Tour (boy, I'd shell out the dough to go to _that_ concert, let me tell you!)

Pay Per Post

Ok...so a while back I heard about and signed up for PayPerPost. You look at their various opportunities, write a post fitting the requirements of one of the opps, and you get paid.

I figured...ok...I can do this invisibly by finding things among the opportunities that I'd talk about anyway, and just get paid for what I'd talk about anyway. Nice, huh?

Well, the catch to most of the opportunities was that you had to have a certain amount of traffic in order to be eligible for them. So most of the time when I check (which happens around the time they send me my monthly newsletter), there's nothing that I'm eligible to write about.

Well for the first time, I was eligible for something. I get $20 for writing about PayPerPost itself, including this link to payperpost, and this other thing (really, there's something in that space). I think there's also a button on the bottom of the post.

Specifically, they want to know why I love PayPerPost (theoretically easy money), how I heard about it (no idea), why I signed up for it (theoretically easy money), if I've made any new friends (nope), what I've learned (nothing that I can think of, other than that I don't have much blog traffic), and what I'm gonna do with the money (buy things). Oh, and it had to be at least 200 words (272!! Whoohoo...except that I just added more!, so now it's 283...wait, now it's 287...288 (I'm counting the numbers as words here, so the number increases each time I write the number...it's funny if you're a geek like me) - 314).

So that's PayPerPost in a nutshell. It's possible that I get referral bonuses if you sign up from this link. I have no idea. But I _should_ get $20 after I post this. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Mommy Blogger

This is a long one, so bear with me if you will. If not, I'll put up some more pics of AJ soon!

So I think I've mentioned this before, but there's this whole "mommy blogging" community out there. Officially, as AJ's mom who also blogs, I'm a part of it. I participate in some of the 'carnivals' (like Works-for-me Wednesday), I've got links to other "mommy blogger's" blogs, I read several other blogs written by "mommy bloggers," occasionally I'll comment on other "mommy blogger's" blogs...basically, I ought to have the bumper sticker and t-shirt (and laminated membership card)...but I don't, and I haven't really figured out why yet.

Partly, I'm reticent I think because I started out as just a blogger - long before I met VNB, and even longer before I became a mommy. So changing my mindset from being a 'blogger' to a 'mommy blogger' has been difficult.

But I think more than that, the 'mommy bloggers,' while wonderful, wise, witty, and fun ladies...well, I just don't think they'd be the kind of people that I'd hang out with were we all in high school. From my point of view, they mostly fall into two categories: conservative Christian stay-at-home moms (SAHMs), or ultra liberal SAHMs. There are a large percentage who are work-at-home moms (WAHMs) like myself, and a smaller number who work outside the home. Ironically, a large majority of both sides homeschool and are somewhat "crunchy" in terms of earth-friendliness.

I think I shy away from the Christian side of the fence because, in my high school, EVERYONE was a Christian. The question wasn't "_Do_ you go to church," it was "_Where_ do you go to church." And 9 times out of 10 it was a Baptist church (I went to hs in Nashville - "the buckle of the Bible belt"). And the kid who was a known pot-head and trouble maker wore his Christian t-shirts with pride and I'm sure was a pillar of his youth group. So I stopped wearing Christian t-shirts since I didn't want to be associated with his kind of Christianity. And the "Christian" crowd...I dunno how to describe it...even then that seemed like too sheltered a way to live. I just had _friends._ It didn't matter in the making of them what religious background they had. Sure I wanted them all to know what I know, but that wasn't the basis of our friendship.

These Christian mommy bloggers seem somewhat similar to me. They're insulated from the real world and "real" people. Not that they aren't wholly sincere...they're just...this tight-knit little community that rarely seems to do much more than pray for each other and link to each others' blogs (not that those things are wrong). I mean, they share wisdom and creative solutions on any number of useful topics (a popular one that I've been trying to learn from is "Home Economics" - not sewing and cooking like we learned in middle school, but actually how to run a home economically) and are wonderfully supportive in times of emotional need...many have at least one sidebar link to things like the Scripture of the day, which shows up on a pretty background. Often their entire post will just be a Psalm of praise and a picture of their (perfectly landscaped) backyard.

The thing is, I bet if I met them in person, they wouldn't talk like that. They wouldn't see a beautiful scene, gasp, pause, and in a reverent tone quote entire Scripture passages from memory. And I know that people (including myself) have different written voices than we do in person...but I dunno...it just doesn't always seem genuine to me. It seems like they're all trying to live up to the word "Christian" in their little sidebar summary description.

I appreciate that these women are all diligently trying to be better Christian wives and mothers, I really do. And I enjoy learning from what they share with the world. But I just don't consider myself "part" of "them."

And yet I'm (obviously) not part of the ultra liberal crowd either. But misanthropes...they're just more fun to me! The cynical, the sarcastic, the biting...their writing has _FLAVOR_, if you know what I mean...and yet I'm reticent to link to their sites for fear of what you'll think of me. I mean, yogabeans.com is one of the absolutely funniest sites on the planet. But it's about _yoga_. And she _curses_! But it's about doing yoga with action figures! And it's HI-LARIOUS! (but she _curses_!) And not all of them are misanthropic or cynical...but their writing still has a 'tang' to it that the "Christian mommy bloggers" just don't always have (and I'm not saying that the liberal crowd aren't Christians...they just don't advertise themselves as such on their blogs).

Does that mean that I love the world too much? Am I so enticed by the things of importance to this world that the more reverent "Christian" community doesn't appeal to me? (And I'm not saying that the "Christian" community isn't irreverent either...they just all have on what I call "church face"). Or have the "Christian" mommy bloggers so sequestered themselves that they are of no impact on the world?

I mean...one of the blogs that I read is actually written by a single girl. While she grew up in a church-going family, she does not emblazon herself with the label "Christian" (she blogs about tv and baseball and movies and advice - and did I mention that she curses?), and she and her readership just since the first of October have raised over $50k for "Donors Choose" a website where teachers ask for money for projects for their schools and you pick which ones you want to donate to. Apparently Donors Choose is running a month-long contest among bloggers to see which blog can raise the most money for these teachers. Political blogs are doing it. Technical blogs are doing it...but I haven't heard a peep from the "Christian" community about it.

Just about every "Christian mommy blogger" has a link on their side bar to pray for this family or that little one who has such and such grave illness...and it's not wrong to do that...but why aren't we impacting our world more? And how do we go about it?

There's definitely a dichotomy of readership too, I think. The Christians use their churchy words and talk about submitting to their husbands (and potty training and child-rearing and home ec and dozens of other topics) and the liberals talk about all the same things, minus the churchy words and teachings and with a dash of cursing and salt. And to some extent, never the twain should meet.

Except that _we're_ called to be the "salt" of the world. Why are we so boring?

No answers here, folks....discuss amongst yourselves.

(But how is it that blogger.com doesn't have "blogger" in their spell-check dictionary?)

Works for Me Wednesday: (Backwards Day) Baby Stain Fighting

So today is "Backwards Day" over at Rocks In My Dryer's Works-for-me Wednesday. What that means is that I ask for some wise and creative ideas to solve an issue all my own.

While I've seen others post on previous WFMWs on stain fighting, I have to say that I'm still struggling with this - not with my clothes or VNB's, always with AJ's. Specifically, bibs and the legs of onesies.

I think my biggest problem is that I'm in a small condo with communal laundry facilities (meaning that I do laundry at most once a week) and no place that I can really leave something to soak with any regularity that either the cat or the baby couldn't get into, other than outside on our porch...which kinda weirds me out, plus it's starting to get cold and things won't stay liquid out there for too many more weeks.

This is what I've tried and the results:

• Dreft stain remover - worked pretty well, but not better than oxyclean stain remover, and neither got the entire stain out, even with leaving for longer than it recommended on the package. This would be a choice which would make me happy if someone could tell me how to make it work as Dreft is the cheapest of the stain removers by far ($3 at Walmart), and there are coupons for Dreft products, making it even cheaper!
• Oxyclean stain remover (both sprayed on and poured in with the detergent) - didn't see much difference when poured in with the detergent, but worked the best of everything I'd tried when clothes had already been washed a couple of times, then I think I tried the dish soap and washed again, then sprayed with Oxyclean stain, then left to sit overnight, then washed and dried. I haven't tried just spraying them and letting them sit overnight by themselves though, so it could just be the combination.
• Dish soap - maybe I did this one wrong - I put the soap on the dry clothes, rubbed it into the stains, then left them to soak in the sink for about 30 minutes. It worked some, but no better than anything else. I guess this would be the absolutely cheapest method, but it was _REALLY_ messy, and involved having a clean sink and work area around the sink (which doesn't usually happen in conjunction with laundry days).
• Shout Advanced gel - I seem to recall this working really well, but it's also _REALLY_ expensive and I go through a bottle in about two laundry days. I'd much prefer something cheaper.
• Bleach - other than to take color out of things that ought to be colored, I've never seen bleach make a difference on anything. And yet I keep buying it and using it with my whites.

I always wash the stained stuff in hot water, and usually wash them until I can't stand the effort anymore (or AJ no longer has clothes), then I dry them. I really don't care that much if colors fade (he's a baby, he doesn't care, and most of the issues are with bibs which are mostly white, or onesies - also mostly white, and usually worn under clothes).

Please help! Tell me a combination or a method or a product that works (worked) for you with baby stains! And if you're looking to help more people with your wisdom and creativity, then check out "Backwards Day!"

The 300

So this is officially my 300th post. I didn't know when I wrote my 100th post that it was "supposed" to be a list of 100 things about myself (according to blogging 'tradition,' which may or may not have existed then). And, although it was completely unintentional, that one ended up being a list of 111 things - my favorite memories of Baghdad.

My 200th post wasn't nearly as interesting.

Anyway, so as I neared the 300 marker, I kept contemplating what this post should be about. I thought that maybe since I'd never really done it, I should do the list of 100 things about myself. But I always find those things somewhat pretentious (and wayyyy too long)...so then I thought, why don't I make a list of 100 things I'm thankful for? Surely that's less pretentious. You know...counting your blessings. But then I thought about the list of things I'm grateful for...and, while it certainly wouldn't be meant that way, it would have come across as, well, pretentious.

So then I thought I'd just write whatever was on my mind since I hadn't done anything special for any of the other blogging milestones (why start now?)...but I kinda wanted to mark this one since I actually noticed that it was coming. But while I've got lots of ideas for deep, theological things to write about (like this), nothing's really ready for public consumption yet.

So then I thought about writing a list of things I thought about writing about for this very special entry. And I guess that was my plan when starting this entry. But then in the explanation of why I was writing about what I had been contemplating writing about, I pretty much wrote about what I was going to write about (you still with me?).

And since I've somewhat completed my intended task, and in the meantime AJ has gotten hold of the tissue paper I couldn't put away because of the bathroom surround that's blocking the doors to his closet (don't ask), so I should probably go.

But in the meantime, on the "singers and standards" music station on our cable, it's now Sammy Davis, Jr. singing "My Funny Valentine." So please pause for a minute to remember my sweet puppy who died on Valentine's Day in 2004 when I was overseas. Apparently I wasn't blogging then.

Works for Me Wednesday: Spacebags

So VNB and I have a pretty small place (~1000 sq. ft.). This smallness is compounded by the fact that when we married and moved in together, he was coming from an apartment of about 900 sq. ft., and I had stuff that had filled most of a 3-br house prior to storage in my brother's basement (while I was overseas).

Since I didn't have a job right away when we got married, I spent my days culling through my stuff (for a second time - I'd done it once before it went on the truck to come here from my brother's house), getting rid of lots of stuff, and finding lots of creative places and ways to store things.

Well, we'd found a place for everything (finally), with half of the space under the bed to spare when we visited VNB's folks and were given seven boxes of his childhood stuff - way more than half the bed. So he culled through that and we'd finally found a place for everything (which included "just put it in the second bedroom for now")...when we found out that I was pregnant and we were going to need that second bedroom for baby things, rather than our things.

So we both culled through everything again and got rid of another large chunk of stuff until we had room for all the baby furniture and stuff we could stand. Everything sort of had a place, but it was overwhelming. We put lifts under the bed and the futon to give us more space, but the whole place was still just too full. The problem was that we'd gotten to the point where if we threw stuff out, we'd want to buy it again when we got a bigger place.

We'd seen the SpaceBags commercials time and again, but one night, VNB said, "why don't we try those?" So we bought our first box (the one with lots of different sized bags). We were hooked. We started SpaceBagging everything that would shrink, and all of the sudden, we had room to spare again! So we bought more and bagged more stuff! and more! Until the only stuff left wasn't smushable!

They haven't been great about keeping their integrity (we've got a few that are still good, but not all of them), but the good thing is that you can suck them down, stick several of them into someplace small, then they can re-expand all they want without taking up any more space for you! They're a little harder to get out, but that's not a big deal.

In any case, SpaceBags have definitely worked for me! For some other great tips, look here.

Grateful

The "mommyblogger" community is a large and diverse one. Most of the blogs are written by mommies like me, but there is a relatively large community of those who use their blogs to track the course of an illness in their or their children's lives.

To call this a "story" seems to desecrate it. It makes me hurt for this family, and feel both grateful and guilty for the healthy, beautiful family that God has given me, not to mention in awe of their faith, honesty, and worshipful attitude in the midst of struggle.

I know that grace is given in the moment, and that my imagination is more fertile than most, but I can't even stand to hear that Mark Schultz song "He's my Son," much less imagine how I would cope if something were to happen to VNB or AJ (or myself).

Stephen Curtis Chapman says that "We [as believers] can cry with hope...'cause we know our 'goodbye' is not the end." I am in awe of the many people who can 'blog with hope,' and hope that, should a crisis ever befall me or my family, I can be one of them.

AJ the SpokesBaby (or Our Trip to Hotlanta...finally...)

So while we were in Atlanta, AJ decided he was going to try out a few different products to decide which he wanted to become the spokesbaby for. If you have a preference, please leave a comment so that we can help steer him toward what will show off his natural abilities the best.

Our first day, we went to the Atlanta Federal Reserve. We didn't really get any pictures of that, but I would think that it would be profitable to be the spokesbaby for money. Plus, while we didn't quite "win" their loan simulator "game," we came pretty close, so he should be good at it.

The second day, we went to the NEW World of Coke. It was Coke-tastic! We didn't get a chance to see everything (lunch reservations), but we tasted all sorts of sodas from around the world (alas, no Rani) and got the first of our spokesbaby pictures.

AJ the Coke Baby (not that kind - the good kind of Coke baby)

Alternately, there's this one. I mean, seriously, who could resist those eyes?


Then, he decided to see if he could advertise for Aunt D's quilting guild by showing off the latest of her creations, "Fantastic Fish Friends." Either that or he was looking for a pack of Marlboros to roll up in his sleeve so he could shill for a new run of Grease.


If you look closely, in the black square visible under his left arm (the one holding Aunt D's hand), you can see one of a couple of spots where she embroidered his first name. His last name is elsewhere in a couple of places too. This quilt is just amazingly beautiful and intricate, and is definitely something that he will treasure. Thanks again, Aunt D! Here are both sides:














And the inscription which is on the lower left-hand corner of the pic on the right.


Then, in honor of his first tooth, he thought that maybe "Beef, it's what's for dinner" needed some fresh blood (if you'll pardon the pun):


But, after much contemplation at Atlanta's High Gallery of Art, he decided that he'd cover all his bets and give another product of the Coke company a try:


And if that didn't work out, he figured he might try deep sea diving and/or advertising for the Atlanta aquarium (with his mommy and daddy, of course!).


I think all in all though, he really wants to get into his mom's "family" business (you know, my uncle Ted).

Works for Me Wednesday: Recycled Changing Table

It seems that I can only manage to get posts together for WFMW. In my defense, it's because some of the pics for my Atlanta visit post were on our desktop computer while some are on this one and when I tried emailing them from the other computer, it didn't work, and in the meantime, VNB has wiped that computer and reinstalled everything. All the pics got saved, but we used like four different media so now I have to track them down.

Excuses, excuses, I know...believe me, the pics are worth the wait.

But back to WFMW, which is why most of you came here in the first place.

So, when AJ was in the process of being knit together, we, of course, started looking around for furniture for his room. VNB's boss very graciously gave us their (very nice) old crib which was just ending its usefulness in their family, and we already knew we just didn't have space for a glider or rocker, so the only thing left to get was the changing table and a dresser. After a _very_ brief tour of the _VERY_ expensive tables at Babies 'R Us (only a very few of which actually looked like what I had in my mind's eye), I convinced VNB to go with me to all the thrift stores and look for something there. After a good bit of searching (and a lot of him saying "can't you make due with this one?" with me replying "not really - it's too tall (or too short, or too something else, or not what I was looking for)"), we finally found the perfect thing.

It was a three-drawer chest of drawers that comes up about to my waist. Good, solid, wood construction, with only a little bit of damage way down at the bottom of the feet. It was the absolute perfect size - 18" wide, 40" long, 35" high (and had drawers - I didn't want that big open space underneath that so many of the cheaper plastic ones had). So, for $30, we brought it home, gave it a fresh coat of high gloss paint (not easy to put on evenly, but makes wiping it off a breeze, and we happened to have the paint on hand already), bought a nice changing pad for it (I think that was about $25), and we had ourselves a changing table for about $60 (instead of $600+). Incidentally, it has room for all of his little clothes too, making one less piece of furniture we had to find room for.

I'm sure that all of you crafty folks out there could do amazing things with decoupage and other stuff, but I'm just not that kind of girl. If I'd had more time and inclination, I probably could have stripped off the old stain and restained it to match the crib. Being 6-months pregnant (and with a husband who had a broken arm), I did not have that time and inclination.




The best thing about it is that when we're done with changing tables, we can just take the changing pad off and we still have a good, solid dresser. An expensive changing table/dresser on the cheap definitely works for me!

For some other great tips, go here.

Works for Me Wednesday: Too-Tart Baby Food

So it all started when AJ started eating the baby food peaches, which have a very strong odor, although I haven't sampled the taste. He liked eating them, but after every other bite, he would scrunch up his face and shiver, kinda like you would do if you were surprised by the tartness of a candy or something. While this provided VNB and I endless hours of amusement (AJ too because I'd mimic him and he thought that was the funniest thing ever), I began wondering what I could do to make the food less tart for him (especially when he started doing the same thing with the applesauce - there aren't that many foods for us to choose from right now, especially fruits for breakfast, so I wasn't about to give up on them).

Finally I came up with an idea - add the rice cereal that was just taking up space in my cupboard. AJ prefers that the peaches with rice cereal "age" for a few hours prior to eating (I guess to more completely merge the two flavors or something - he's going to be a gourmet chef, apparently), but he'll eat the applesauce with rice cereal right away.

One added advantage of this (besides getting rid of the cereal) is that it's helped him get used to the tastes. Now he can down a container of peaches without a second thought (or shiver). It also gave me the opportunity to accidentally give him squash with rice cereal for breakfast one morning (squash and peaches are roughly the same color, and did I mention it was morning?). While he was a little confused by that, he actually liked it, giving me _another_ opportunity to get rid of the rice cereal...and a way to make each container of food last a little longer.

So, rice cereal in tart baby food works for me! For other ideas, go here.

Pics from Hotlanta

So we spent Labor Day weekend with VNB's Aunt D and Uncle R in Atlanta. We had a great time (although AJ's used to having four adults at his beck and call all day now, which makes for a very whiney household) and have lots of awesome pics....which I haven't gotten together yet.

So stay tuned. Hopefully this weekend sometime I'll manage to scan what needs to be scanned and come up with pithy descriptions for your enjoyment.

Break Through!

So there are no pictures yet (although not for lack of trying), but today AJ was extra fussy as we were driving back to VNB's aunt & uncle's house from the Atlanta Federal Reserve (we're visiting for the holiday weekend). So, being a mom, I stuck my finger in his mouth for him to gnaw on. To my surprise (and delight), he no longer had a smooth lower gum.

That's right, AJ has his first tooth! Ok...VNB is correcting me. He doesn't have a tooth yet - his tooth has broken through his gum. The waters have parted. Here's hoping that they continue to part so that his other bottom tooth comes in quickly because I'm really tired of only getting an hour of sleep at a time every night. It's been rough these last few weeks.

But in any case, our little man has taken his next 'first step' toward adulthood. And we're very proud and happy!

Works for Me Wednesday: Carrots as Teethers

I can't take credit for this one, although it's a brilliant idea and I'm happy to share it with the world. Our pediatrician recommended it in order to allow us to avoid toys from China several months before it was really scary to let your kid chew on toys from China.

Basically, you take a baby carrot of appropriate size (not too short or thin, but not too thick either), hand it to your teething child, and let them gnaw on it. They'll like the sweet taste, they'll love the coolness if it's right from the fridge (although don't freeze them because they get mushy), and it's too hard for them to bite off a piece (and is therefore of excellent hardness for teething).

One other advantage of this is that later on when you introduce solid foods, you can start with carrots and they'll recognize the taste (and remember the joy it brought them), making the transition just that much easier.

This _definitely_ works for me!

Reply-To

I only know of two people this has affected, and a lot of the folks I email (or receive email from) don't read my blog, but I figured this was the best way to get the word out.

For some reason, Hotmail decided of its own volition to change a setting in my account so that my 'reply-to' address is one that hasn't worked in several years (leia@pobox.com). Back when I was overseas, for a while I was emailing from Hotmail, but receiving my mail through Pobox because of various technical issues. I stopped being able to get access to the pobox account, however, so I changed the setting which made that my 'reply-to' address.

For some reason, Hotmail has started sporadically sending my replies to that account again (which, as I said, stopped working a while ago). So if you're trying to reply to an email that I've sent you and it bounces for some reason, check to make sure the correct email address is in your 'to' line. I've fixed the setting, but since it did it on its own and seems to be doing it randomly, I wanted to alert you guys to it.

Weird....btw, I've also alerted Hotmail to the "ghost in the machine."

Things I Want To Know

• So on Miami Ink, was the dislike of the girl (Kat) engineered so that they could start a spin-off, or was the spin-off created because the guys in Miami hated her, but TLC had a contract with her? I want to know.
• Why is it that it makes me laugh every time that Word autocorrects "uncrewed" (as in, no crew onboard a spacecraft) to be "unscrewed?" I want to know.
• Why does my cat not run away when my son grabs her fur and squeals with delight? I want to know.
• How does my house go so quickly from being as close to pristine as it ever gets, to looking like the tornado's still blowing through? I want to know.
• Why is that stupid Sharpie commercial on all the time? It gives me chills every time it's on (and there are always two back-to-back) because of the squeaking. I want to know.
• Why is it that I always have a ton of pithy, funny things to blog about...right up until I sit down to type them? I want to know.

RSS feed

Hey All!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've been publishing a RSS feed for a while now. "What's a RSS feed?" you ask. Well, I have no idea, technically, I just know that you can subscribe to it (through many different websites or programs) and it will tell you how many times I've updated this site since you last checked. Basically, it saves you the bother of checking my site itself to see if there's anything new (since I'm not exactly the most consistent of bloggers). This is especially helpful if you have lots of sites that you keep up with.

Now, more HTML-savvy folks than myself would put a button on the sidebar that you could click and it would automatically add it to your current list of feeds. But I'm not one of those people. So do it yourself. It's really easy.

I don't know all of the RSS readers out there, but I use Bloglines and so does my one RSS feed subscriber (Hi, Valentina's Buddy!). I know that Google does too. You'll have to register with them, but that's just so they know who's subscribed to what. It doesn't (or at least shouldn't) cost you anything.

Anyway, check it out if you're tired of checking to see what I'd posted day after day, only to find nothing new.

Natural Progression Part II

So VNB was Nextelling us about something and AJ was, as usual, reaching for the phone to eat it and babble to his Dada, when to everyone's surprise, as he was babbling (and we were asking "Who's that?"), he actually _said_ "DaDa."

VNB heard it just as clearly as I did, so in our shock we asked AJ again who he was talking to, and again he clearly said "Dada."

...I just don't even know how to react. I mean, I have no problem with him saying "dada" first, and I'm ecstatic that VNB actually got to hear him _say_ it for the very first time...but his first word at 7.5 months? Good Lord, what have we gotten ourselves into?

We've got trouble and that starts with T, which rhymes with P, and that stands for...um...Prodigy...

(not quite as catchy as Harold Hill's version, but work with me)

Natural Progression

So, about a month ago, all AJ could do was lie on his back. Sometimes he'd roll over, but that was pretty much it for his bag of tricks. I mean, he was darned cute and all, but pretty stationary.

Then he started his belly crawl.

Around that time, we really started working on this:

Maybe a week ago, he started doing this (not always with the pillow):

And a few days after that, he did this:

And a couple of days ago, this:

Well, I didn't get a picture of it, but today, he pulled himself to a stand by the couch. Since _his_ intent was to climb _onto_ the couch, he managed to take a few steps, "cruising" down the couch, prior to falling over and hitting his head. :) He's been doing a lot of that lately.

They tell you that it all happens so fast....but really...it's been like three weeks since he was a lump. Now he _HAS_ lumps from falling over and hitting his head so often! It's so bittersweet. I mean, I really am proud of him when he pulls himself up (and he's obviously so proud of himself)...but he's growing and changing so fast!

Sigh...

Works for Me Wednesday: Pasta/Rice Entrees

Maybe this one isn't so ground-breaking, but it works very well for our family (and for myself long before I _had_ a husband and baby). I turn those boxed/bagged pasta and rice side dishes into main dishes by adding in a chicken breast or about a pound of beef. It's like Hamburger Helper except that it's about 1/3 the price. My husband, who's a rather picky eater at times (at least in terms of veggies) really likes them. If you really want to get fancy, you could probably add fresh veggies too, but we haven't gone that far yet.

One box is about enough for two (if you have a veggie on the side), with at least one container of leftovers for hubs' lunch the next day.

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more "Works for Me Wednesday" tips!

Feline Fancy

Ok, so I've been trying for weeks now to get video of AJ crawling. I had somewhat forgotten/given up when I got an email from my FIL encouraging me to try again (something about actually wanting to _see_ his grandson crawling). So I did. This was the first result:

That obviously worked well. So I tried this (you know...if "go get it" doesn't work, try "fetch!"):



Well...you saw the results. But I plodded on. And now you get to see the very first video of AJ crawling!!!! Yay, AJ!!!



But there were other things that needed to still be captured digitally. 1) he's completely over the "a-wah-wah-wah" sound. It's no fun at all anymore. Fun now? Screaming/squealing/shrieking. He does it especially when it's approaching nap/bed/eating time. 2) THE CAT. He's been noticing our sweet Monkey for a month or two now. When she'd walk by, he'd turn to look and would be completely distracted from whatever he'd been doing. Well, now he can follow her.



And I haven't figured the cat out yet. Is she too stupid to run away? So attention-starved that even the grabby, screamy little thing that keeps chasing her is better than nothing? So incredibly patient and smart that she recognizes that the screaming, grabby thing that keeps chasing her is a baby and will eventually treat her better, but for now is to be humored? Has such a sense of entitlement that she feels that the screamy, grabby thing that keeps chasing her should be made to stop so that she can enjoy the spot she's chosen for herself in peace?

I don't know. I wish I did. I think it might be interesting.

Works for Me Wednesday: Travel Diaper Rash Creams

So Rocks in My Dryer (really, I do more during the day than just read/advertise for Shannon's blog, but it's really a great blog!) hosts a weekly carnival called "Works for Me Wednesday." Each week, people from around the world post on their own blogs about helpful hints that work for them, and then link to their sites from Shannon's site. That way you can help others with your own ideas and be helped by everyone else's brilliance. Well, while I've been gleaning from the insight of others for months now, I've always felt like I had nothing to add myself...until recently. All of the sudden, I have six ideas for WFMW! So for the next six weeks at least, I'll be participating! :) Yay! No longer a mooch off of the system, am I!

So my first "works for me" idea involves those travel/trial sized packets of diaper rash cream. I don't know about you, but when AJ was born, I received lots of free samples, trial sizes, etc., of diaper rash creams. My original idea was to put those "little" ones in the diaper bag and use the "big" sized ones at home...but I found that I never used the ones in the diaper bag because I knew that once opened, there was no way to reclose the trial sizes - and there was no way that my little man was going to need the entire packet in one diapering.

So one day I had an epiphany. Why not put the big tube (with the recloseable lid) in the diaper bag and keep the samples for the changing table at home? That way I can use the entire sample package in as many diaperings as it lasts with minimal mess, but I still have a relatively mess-free way to have diaper rash cream on the go as well!

Now that he's seven months old (!!), we're starting on our final sample. After that's gone, we'll use one of the _really_ big containers of cream that someone gave us. But now I feel less wasteful, I've gotten a chance to see which of the samples works the best, and AJ's bottom is mostly rash-free!

Anyway, it works for me! Hope it helps you too!

Wild America

So, spurred on by my FIL, I tried again to capture AJ crawling on video. As with any good nature photographer/videographer, patience finally won out and after a few more attempts, I succeeded. Then I tried downloading said video (and some others) onto the computer. Something happened during the downloading process to where it didn't actually work.

Long story, short. The video _is_ on the memory card (I can see it from the camera), but now, when the computer recognizes the camera at all, it says that there are no pictures there to be downloaded.

I've rebooted the computer, I plugged, unplugged, and replugged the camera into all available ports. I've tried just looking at the camera as another hard drive. My next step (when I get around to it) will be to uninstall and reinstall the camera software. If that doesn't work, then I may see what I can do with the memory card slot on our printer (another place to see it as another hard drive, possibly). I'll also try plugging the camera into my mostly-dead laptop to see if it's the computer or the camera.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As I don't think a new digital camera (especially of the quality that I would want to buy) is in the budget right now, please hope that we get this figured out.

Caught up!

So until yesterday morning, I had over 3000 email messages in my inbox, over 1700 of which were unread. Now, the VAST majority of the unread were automated things, with only a forward or two from a real person - there was no actual corresondence that I hadn't read. But over the past two days I've taken the time to actually _delete_ all the stuff I don't need anymore and am now down to 46 messages!!!!! So, if you wrote to me sometime in the last year and a half and I have yet to respond, you're now on the short list. I intend to email a bunch of you over the next week or two so that I stop feeling guilty about not replying (and because I really do like talking to and hearing from you, I'm just not much with the replying all the time).

Of course, the result of the emails is that you'll likely write back...at which point I'll get overwhelmed with all the emailing I need to do and will probably hide in my cave again. So, apologies in advance if I don't reply back right away to the email you'll probably send me relatively quickly after I reply to the email you sent to me 10 months ago.

Silent Runnings

ok...I still have yet to catch it on video (AJ is camera shy on occasion), but he's been crawling for a few weeks now. Not up on his knees yet, but still motoring around _REALLY_ fast.

His most recent "new" trick is to wake up in the mornings (he usually comes to bed with me after VNB leaves for work) and instead of crying or making any other noise, he silently rolls onto his belly and is off and 'running.' This makes it difficult for me because my back is to the bed when I'm at the computer (which I usually am by the time he wakes up), but I don't have the lights on yet because I don't want to wake him. This is especially difficult when he's wearing his dark PJs that blend in very stealthily with our bedding. Blinded by the computer screen, I must turn at each and every noise (no matter how slight) and try to discern if he is indeed awake, if he's partially thinking about waking up (at which point I rush over, pat him on his back, and pray that he goes back to sleep), or if it was just my imagination.

And since we've already learned the hard way that "mommy and daddy's bed + awake or moving baby = hard meeting of head with pergo," I tend to be a very sleepy nervous wreck until he wakes up in the mornings.

If I wasn't worried that it would wake him up, I'd _SO_ get a little cat collar for him - you know the kind with the bell...

App. Trail, Denver, and the Poconos, Oh My!

Ok, so I haven't blogged in like a week. I might have mentioned that VNB was backpacking the Appalachian Trail (part of the MD portion) with some friends from church last weekend (Friday morning through Sunday afternoon). Then Monday at noon, AJ and I left for the airport to fly to Denver for a business trip. We got back Thursday evening. Then we left Friday morning for VNB's Father's Day weekend extravaganza in the Poconos and got back around noon today. It's been exciting, let me tell you! And very tiring. And dirty and cold there at the end.

So the weekend that VNB was away wasn't that exciting for AJ and me, really. I got the house mostly clean (it needed it), while still successfully getting ready for our trip, going grocery shopping, making it to church almost on time, and managing to sleep a little too. I was doing ok until VNB called to say that they were done. Then it was like something inside me snapped and I couldn't take it any longer. By the time he got home, I was pretty wiped. So he took AJ for a few minutes while I laid down, then I got back to packing.

Monday morning, 9 AM. I get a call from a friend asking if I wanted to ride to the funeral with her. Now, I knew that this very dear friend of the family had died, but the last I'd heard (including at church on Sunday), they were going to have a small family-only service right away, then have a big memorial in a couple of weeks when his daughter got back from Nigeria (she was leaving with a team from the church on Monday). Anyway, I was a "little" surprised by this new info, so I called the church to make sure that it was a public funeral. Then, I did something which has to have beaten some record somewhere. I got together the last of the things for our trip (we were planning on leaving the house for the airport at noon), emailed my boss, found (clean!) clothes that were appropriate (at least mostly) for a funeral which weren't already packed in my suitcase, got AJ dressed and ready, and we were in the car driving away (only having forgotten two relatively unimportant things) at 9:40.

We made it to the church just in time for the funeral to begin (it started at 10), then even had time to go to the graveside service too before needing to rush off to the airport. Unfortunately, AJ had a diaper which was in desperate need of changing after the funeral, so we had to traverse from one end of the church to the other. Now, it's not a big building, but _EVERYONE_ we passed wanted to chat and see the baby and coo over how adorable he is and how big he's gotten...and by the time we made it to the bathroom with the changing station and back again, the procession had left for the cemetery. And I had no idea where the cemetery was - but since I was planning on going, other than waving, I hadn't given the family my condolences and I'd told a couple of them that I'd be there, so we really needed to show up. So I called one of the pastors and made a bee line up 95 (what do you mean that isn't the speed limit?) until I caught up.

We made it to the graveside service with just enough time to give our condolences to each of the family members before it started, then we left for the airport the moment it was over.

We got to the airport with only minimal delays and made it, exhausted (well, I was anyway), to our traditional 'very last gate in the terminal.' We had a pleasant flight (AJ was great), landed, met up with a co-worker, and headed to the hotel. After a quick trip to the grocery store for diapers, wipes, and baby food, we turned in for the night.

The next day, we successfully found the baby sitter's house and made it back to the meeting site in time (barely, but we made it). After a long day of meetings, I got to go pick AJ up from his first full day away from the care of someone related to him. He had a great time, and I was mostly able to concentrate. The hardest thing was making time to go pump. After dinner with the team, we turned in.

On Wednesday we repeated the trip to the sitter's and breezed through our meetings. After picking up AJ, letting him nap, and letting everyone get changed from the day, the team went out to Denver's Dave and Buster's for the absolute worst service I have ever received in my entire life. It was an hour between the time that we entered the restaurant and we received our drinks (and only about 5 minutes of that was waiting for a table). And that was only the non-alcoholic drinks. The adult beverages consumed by the non-nursing mothers took even longer. And the food took even longer than that. The manager didn't even seem to care that much. But we finally escaped from the restaurant and managed a couple of races before AJ and I had to head back to the hotel, well past his "night night" time.

Thursday was just a travel day. That went pretty well. AJ was great on the plane again, despite the length of the flight. We got home in time to pick up dinner and spend a little time with VNB before AJ's bed time.

The next morning we got up, repacked, and headed to the Poconos (with only one false start to come back and refill the cat's food dispenser). What should have been a 3.5-hr trip took a little over 5 with construction delays. But we got there, set up camp, and went to the closest fast food for dinner. Right as we were getting back in the car, the rain started. By the time we were back at the campground, it was a deluge. By the time we were back at our loop (but not quite back to our campsite), the hail started. We waited that out under the trees by the bath house, then returned to our campsite to view the damage. It was surprisingly minimal, so we ate, unpacked some more, and went to bed. AJ made it on his little mat by himself until about 1:30, then came to bed with us.

Saturday morning we planned on hiking...after spending about two hours looking for a trailhead that should have been (and actually was, we discovered later) very close to our campsite, we gave up and went someplace else to hike. On the way back, AJ had his first swim in the park's lake. Despite the chattering "teeth," he had a great time! He even got his face wet a couple of times, although the top of his head never quite got wet. By the time we got back from that, we were all pooped, so the afternoon's hike got cancelled in favor of snoozing. After a couple of expensive trips to the camp store, we had chairs, firewood, and hot dogs for dinner (among other things).

The hot dogs were gross, but AJ went to bed relatively easily and VNB and I had some quiet time by the camp fire before going to sleep ourselves. AJ only made it by himself until about midnight. That was when the temperature really started dropping. They tell us it only got to about 65, but I don't believe them. At some point, the always warm VNB got up and improvised another blanket for us from the beach blanket. Despite all the clothes we could quickly find and put on, we were freezing all night.

But the next day was RACE DAY! VNB's actual present was tickets for the tree of us to the NASCAR race at the Poconos Speedway. We'd been warned that we might not actually get the seats listed on our tickets, so we went early. WAY TOO early. We got to our seats about 4 hours before the race actually started. We each took turns taking the baby out of the sun and eventually the pre-race stuff started, followed by the race itself. By then, we were surrounded by all of the chain smokers in eastern PA. They would coo at the baby while puffing away, and no amount of polite coughing and wafting away of smoke from the baby's face seemed to give the hint that maybe we'd prefer our child to avoid lung cancer for a few years yet. So about halfway through the race, VNB decided that it was time to go.

We found out that there was a 'no smoking/no drinking; section, but it was much lower down than our seats had been and much closer to one of the turns, both of which would have meant even more noise. So we left and went for a nice dinner instead. Except for a touch on VNB's face, we all managed to escape the worst of the sunburn, and apparently missed a rather boring race. The guy that had been in first pretty much since the start of the race (one of the Busch brothers) ended up winning, with no other controversy that we heard of.

So after another stop at the camp store for a blanket, we headed back to camp. Once AJ went to bed (with a thick, long-sleeved onesie underneath his PJs, extra padding under him, and extra blankets ready to go) and we got the fire really going, the rain started thinking about really starting. We got everything we could packed up, put out the fire, got AJ re-settled, and prepared for the coming cold. The cold never really came. AJ joined us around 1:30, but probably because he was hot, not because he was cold. It rained pretty much all night. I kept expecting it to stop and the cold to start, but that never really happened. It was just blazing hot and humid until it was time to get up in the morning.

But we did get up, finished packing, and headed home. AJ screamed for the first half-hour or so, but then settled down for a LONG nap. He didn't wake up until we were about five minutes from home (thank goodness!). I even remembered to call in for my meeting...only 30 minutes late. :)

But we're home now...and AJ was GLAD to see his old toys and be back in familiar settings, and I'll be glad to get back to a normal schedule in a two-parent household!