While We Were Out...

...the anniversary of my first blog post came and went. Oh well. Maybe something exciting will happen for my two-year anniv.

My parents are visiting for a few weeks and on Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market and then to The Husband's work so my Dad could get a tour. Then we drove to this Mennonite bakery/cafe about 20 miles away. It was tasty but crowded in there and just before our food came, I was holding up the Little Goat and my Mom noticed something running down her leg. ARGH!! All over her shirt, my sweater, almost my pants, and definitely her pants! So a very important note to you all: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WASTE YOUR MONEY ON TEDDY'S CHOICE DIAPERS FROM SUPERSTORE!!! THEY. SUCK. Every time (and I'm almost not exaggerating all - really!) we've had a major issue with leakage and as you know, it's irritating. So consider yourselves forewarned.

Okay, so after our semi-harrowing lunchtime experience (oh, did I mention we had to change her on the floor of the front seat of the car because the cafe has no public bathroom?), we headed back to town and stopped at a roadside stand for a photo op and some pumpkins. This place was great! Everything a pumpkin stand should be. Hopefully next year, the Little Goat will be able to pose by herself on the bales.

Without further adieu.....Mmmm....pumpkins....

It's cold! It's windy! It's our very first family picture!

Somebody is NOT happy to be posing by some pumpkins.
Let's hope it's not an early sign of an aversion to pumpkin pie!!

Which Side Are You On?

For my first ever "Hump Day Hmm"....and don't get excited cause it could just as easily be my last (*smile*):

Hah! Now this I find amusing.

Busyness

I've actually had time to be a little busy in the last few days. The Husband (he prefers having the word "The" in front of his moniker until such time as I can think of a creative/catchy bloggy nickname for him) and I cleaned like crazy on Saturday and got a lot done. He finished installing ceiling tiles in our spare bedroom in anticipation of my parents arrival today. Only my Mom just called from Vermont to say they'd be in tomorrow sometime instead. Seems they did some, er, backwoods exploring late last night. We can relate.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you a few pictures of what I've been up to. Broadcasting it further gives me a sense of accomplishment in the Mom Department. Not that any of the canning happened in great quantities, but still.

Saturday: Bread & Butter pickles - those black things are peppercorns. The recipe called for too many of them!

Monday: That, my friends, is lemon curd. My all time favourite topping for almost anything!
(Canned before 7:30am yesterday morning.)

Monday: Cookies for The Husband's work potluck/baby shower lunch tomorrow.

Also Monday: I have ALWAYS wanted to learn how to fold towels like that and finally last night I had the time to figure it out!

Sunday: The Spare Bedroom, all ready. Leaving a basket (or in this case a bread bowl) of goodies in the Spare Room is a tradition my Mom started. A welcome basket of treats! And yes, the paint on the walls is called Lemon Spritz, and yes, it's blinding (!), because, yes, The Husband thought my Buttercream colour craving was too pale.*

*And yes, we're painting over it. Hah!

Here We Go A-Bloggering...

I have, once again, been slacking on posting. It isn't because I don't want to, it's more than I haven't had enough time with two free typing-hands (and even now I'm pushing my luck), and/or good ideas for anything to write about. I could just post a new picture of the cutest 2 month, 4 week, and two-day old girl on the planet every day, but I reckon most of you would get tired of constantly leaving the same comment: "Seriously, Bren J., that is the cutest 2 month, 4 week, and two-day old girl on the planet!"
I'm still going to post a picture anyway, because it is cute. And I should let you know that we've had all kinds of progress this week: She slept almost five hours one night and woke up only two minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off, she played with her car keys - by which I mean she grasped them in her wee hand and was shaking them unassisted, looking quite amused - and she put herself down for a 45 minute nap yesterday afternoon. A long enough nap, in fact, for me to bake an entire batch of cookies, start to finish (and consume more than I needed to)!

In other news, my good friend Zach, of no fixed Blogger address, bestowed upon me an award of his own creation: the King of Siam Award. I have no idea what the purpose or meaning of the award is. The king in the picture is King Rama VII, Prajadhipok. The most significant information I can find about him says that he was the last absolute and first constitutional monarch in Thailand as the result of a coup in 1932. So is that to imply that it's the award for bloggers who bend to the whims of their readers? Because if the coup was successful in getting the people a constitutional monarchy, the King's relationship with his people went downhill quickly after that. Hmmm.....

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I've decided that since I'm in need of something to blog about these days, I will spend some time (EVENTUALLY, so don't go counting any chickens) further explaining our name choice for the Little Goat. One of her middle names is Leanne and as I mentioned several posts ago, she is named after five of the most incredible women I know. I thought maybe I should tell you a bit more about those women and why they're so important to me. Not only will it satisfy curiosity, provide you with more reading material and give me another opportunity to reflect on why I love these women, it will guarantee me five posts worth of blogging! I know, I know, for some of you, that's a week's worth of posts, but for me it could be more like a month's worth! So I'm not sure when I'll post the first installment, maybe this week. I need to hunt up some more incriminating photos.....har!

Ready for Church*

Of course halfway through church she filled her pants and it leaked and almost got on her Dad's pants too, but hey, she looked so CUTE doing it! And her genius mother had of course packed an extra set of PINK clothes to impress all the little old ladies who can't understand the aversion to pink. So it was a win-win!

*Also known as: An Easy Post I Can Type One-Handed

SWEET!!

My internet-twin, Brenda, gave me this, my very first bloggity award!! Phew! I've finally made it!
This is what it means:

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass on to seven others whom you feel are deserving of this award”.

So I have to pass it on to seven other bloggers. Hm. Not sure I know seven other bloggers well enough. Erin K. (who already got it from Brenda but it can't hurt to get it twice, can it?), Beck, Shalee, Bub & Pie, and back to Brenda. I'd also give it to my friend Bryan but I'm pretty sure he would think it looks WAY too girly to ever appear on his blog. That's not seven, but it's the best I can do.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

We've actually been watching movies around here lately. Not in the theater (but one can dream....), but on TV or rentals. So by way of filling space on the interwebs with useless blather, I'm going to tell you about two of our recent viewings.

1) Blood Diamond - This movie was full of swearing and violence, but it was really good. Ordinarily, I cannot stand movies that are only thinly disguised publiic service announcements or even more thinly veiled political statements (ARGH!), but this was a good one. Around about the time Blood Diamond first came out, you'll recall, there was a huge increase in pleas from celebrities to boycott the purchase of so-called blood- or conflict-diamonds; and if you weren't going to boycott The Evil Diamond Conglomerates, could you at least attempt to purchase other humanely harvested gems (at eight times the price)? Maybe that's why we waited so long to see the movie: I was getting really sick of hearing public service announcements.

Then we started watching the movie and we began to understand what all the hype was about. However our initial understanding quickly turned to disgust as the movie progressed. Yes, we can understand how a boycott of conflict-diamonds might be useful, but did all those celebrities stumping for Blood Diamond not actually SEE the movie? Didn't they see the kids? Daughters ripped from their mothers arms and forced into sexual slavery? Sons torn from their parents and forced to submit to brainwashing and the heinous act of transforming wee boys into wee murderers?

To us, THAT is the real problem. It isn't just happening in Sierra Leone where diamonds are concerned either. For years now in Uganda and Sudan, the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) has been kidnapping children and forcing them to commit unspeakable atrocities. Since it's inception, the LRA has kidnapped over 44,000 children! Now go back and read that again. 44,000 CHILDREN. (Check out what Far Reaching Ministries is doing in Africa! You can even help evangelize soldiers by purchasing camels for chaplains to use as transportation! CAMELS!!)

Yes, it would be great if something could be done to lower the demand for diamonds and improve the conditions in which European companies acquire them, but shouldn't we be focusing on saving those kids?

At any rate, we did like the movie. I'm not looking to start a debate and I'm not going to trade in my engagement ring, I just needed to make sure I got in a little soapbox-style rant today.

2) The Queen - We just watched this one last night. It's been on our list to see for a while and since it was the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, it seemed somehow apropos. I had heard beforehand that the movie was as much a character study of the Queen as anything and it did not disappoint. It was full of real stock footage from the days following Diana's death, but not so full that you felt like you'd seen the movie before. And who knew the Queen could be quite so cold?! This movie is a must-see if you're at all interested in the royal family and you don't mind a slower-paced story. Oh, and true to form, Philip even makes some bizarre comment about Zulus. Oh that Philip, he must have skipped a few too many lessons in tact.

So watch those two movies and tell me what you think.

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In other news....we made this crock pot steel-cut oatmeal recipe the other day. It turned out...GROSS (sorry, Beck). Maybe we're just weird over here, but this oatmeal had the consistency of what we imagine Emma's father's gruel (that's 'grew-L') would be like; I followed the recipe exactly, but man, was it runny! We'll stick with our baked recipe.

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This morning we actually got up at a decent hour. I finished yesterday's laundry and the Husband cuddled up with the Little Goat. Is there anything cuter than a Dad curled up with his wee Goat? I think not. Then we gobbled down an egg and headed out to the farmer's market. This time, there were actually people there. Lots of farmers, purveyors of tasty gardeny produce. We bought a tomato, some zucchini, a cucumber, some purple and green peppers, some brussel sprouts (wish us luck, we're brussel sprout virgins), and the most important acquisitions, a GIGANTIC apple fritter and a cinnamon bun (yes, that's a BUN, not a ROLL) from the Mennonite bakery (yes! Mennos! We really ARE everywhere!) in a town a little ways from here.

Now we are home where the Husband is working diligently in his yard and I am working diligently at my computer (while tending the 'herd' of course). It's cool and crispy outside, it's September 1st; Fall has arrived. Here's to a fulfilling Labour Day Weekend!

Would You Like Some Spice With That?

All this week, the Husband has been getting up rather.....later than usual. Late rising often leaves him with a decidedly rushed morning schedule. This morning was worse than usual; with a 15 minute drive to work and maybe 16 minutes until he was supposed to be there.

On these mornings, breakfast-to-go has to be a little creative. Today, he wasn't interested in his usual container of cereal with soymilk along in a separate container, to be consumed whenever time permits after he's arrived at work. So I proposed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The Husband: Sure! That sounds good.

Bren J.: Grab me the grape jelly?

The Husband: There's not much left in here.

Bren J.: How about plum? There's plum in the cupboard.

Bren J. spreads on the peanut butter and rushes to open the plum jelly. After smearing some over the peanut butter...

Bren J.: Wait a minute. I don't think this is plum...

The Husband: What?

Bren J.: Here, taste....I think it's hot pepper jelly.

The Husband: You know, I think it is.

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So, thanks Mom, for labeling that jar. I didn't realize plum jelly and hot pepper jelly look exactly the same. And yes, I scraped off as much of the 'plum' as possible and used apricot-pineapple instead. Phew!

Additionally, it must be noted that The Husband has never, until now, known the 'proper' way to assemble a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: Each slice of bread much be separately spread (read: slathered) with peanut butter BEFORE the jelly is added, otherwise, you get some soggy jellyfied bread. Ugh.

Because We're Lame Like That

The Husband and I like to come up with funny superheroes from time to time and we imagine conversations one might have with them. The Mumbler is one of my personal favourites (modeled after the Husband), but our most recent creation is The Googler. So without further adieu, may I present:

"Eavesdropping On a Conversation
Between a Concerned Citizen and The Googler"

CC: Oh! The Googler! You're just in time! There are two goldfish trapped in a bowl on the window ledge of that burning building!

The Googler: Fish? Trapped? Burning Building? Just a moment while I figure out what to do....Now let's see, "goldfish + bowl + window + fire....." Fried goldfish!? No, no, that won't do. "Goldfish + window".....Come on, I'm feeling lucky. Stained-glass goldfish? Ack!

...And so, two goldfish meet there firey fate. If only The Googler didn't have so many answers.

The Price is Right

The last couple months have been great months in which to receive mail. Having a baby dramatically ups the quality of our mailbox treasures. For a while there it was at least one card or present at least every other day. Who could ask for more? Alas, those days of surprisingly blissful trips to the mailbox have ended. We have now finally gotten both of the hospital bills for the Little Goat's birth - her bill and mine.

Having spent the greater part of my life living in Canada where at least the basics of health care are covered, it is still always a shock for me to see a hospital bill and find out exactly what it is we've paid for. The category that has me most befuddled is "Supplies." Three hundred and twenty-five dollars for supplies. Little plastic squirt bottles for cleaning, those abominable sanitary pads akin to the same BRAND NAME diapers my child wore in the hospital, only sans Winnie the Pooh or Tigger or Elmo or whichever cartoon-character-of-the-day is on them. Then there were those horrible mesh undertheres; $20 a pop, I'm sure. (I was really hoping to restock my personal supply of those, but it turns out Victoria's Secret is all out. Bah!) The most useless expense I witnessed? A bottle of sterile water opened during our in-nursery demonstration of bathing the Little Goat. One whole bottle of water, opened for what? Cleaning her eyes. Four drops of water on one cotton ball for one eye, four drops of water on another cotton ball for the other eye; and that's it! Don't save the bottle for anything else, it's contaminated now. Trust me when I say that we took almost everything from that hospital room that wasn't tied down. Extra chucks pads that I have no idea when we'll use, even the leftover pads and undertheres (I'm sure I'll find a use for them some day)!

So, just for "fun," I've decided to break down the cost of this birth into units that make it seem even more ludicrous. (Just for starters, for the cost of this birth, we could've purchased, used and before taxes of course, 2.4 units of the same car we already own, or 'splurged' on 15 'extra' mortgage payments.)

I have chosen the following units of measurement:

Carrots - a one pound bag costs us 68 cents

Soothers (also known as 'binkys' [<-seriously, WHO thought of that?!] or pacifiers to my American friends) - $3.96 for a package of two

Cans of pop - we're talking Walmart brand from their pop machines, available for 25 cents per can

Okay. Are you ready? Here's the breakdown:

Nursery/Semi-private hospital room (two nights): 6018 lbs of carrots, 1033 pkgs of soothers, or 16, 368 cans of pop.

Drugs: (I was sure this category should've been less. I figured a discount might be forthcoming since I requested Extra Strength Tylenol and they were "all out." Yes, ALL OUT. An entire hospital, evidently, OUT of Extra Strength Tylenol!) 201 lbs of carrots, 35 pkgs of soothers, or 548 cans of pop.

"Supplies": 478 lbs of carrots, 82 pkgs of soothers, or 1300 cans of pop.

Laboratory: 331 lbs of carrots, 57 pkgs of soothers, or 900 cans of pop.

Delivery Room: 2775 lbs of carrots, 477 pkgs of soothers, or 7548 cans of pop.

Physician: 5451 lbs of carrots, 936 pkgs of soothers, or 14,828 cans of pop.

So the grand total of all that is: 15,254 lbs of carrots, 2619 pkgs of soothers, or 41,492 cans of pop.

Thankfully, we are only responsible for the following: 1765 lbs of carrots, 303 pkgs of soothers, 4800 cans of pop, OR 1.75 mortgage payments.

What may be worse than all of this is the nearly insatiable and highly irritating craving for Cheez Whiz they sent me home with...all part of their plot to have me back for more business sometime in the next ten years, I'm sure.

Blog, Sweet Blog

Oh Blog Bloggity Blog Blog. It's so good to be back! I've pined for you, my bloggity friends, so much that I was beginning to fear my blood would turn to sap. Our poor computer is back up and running after a second surgery, with a $100 replacement part, so don't be surprised if you suddenly see ads on this page: Blogging isn't 'free' you know. It IS wonderful to have a computer that purrs like a kitten once again however.

What's that you say? Enough with the rambling and on with the update? O. K. Firstly, the Little Goat has taken to being quite smiley and laugh-y in the mornings. I'm quite enjoying those first few morning hours. (We won't get into how I feel after lunch.) We're not sure how much she weighs now (appointment next Friday, complete with *gasp* more shots!) but she's eating almost incessantly, so it must be more than 10 lbs. She seems to be right on 'schedule' with most of her 'developmental milestones' except that she HATES (inasmuch as a baby can hate) lying on her stomach. Oh man! If anybody has tips, we're all ears. Thirty seconds is too much some times.

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And what would a (finally!) new post be without a very funny story to share? Well, useless, that's what, so here you go. This past Tuesday, Husband was scheduled to give blood for the first time. He was excited because they let you take time out of work to donate and you walk away with a belly full of pizza and watermelon, a coupon for a free movie rental, and a coupon for a free wee pizza at Pizza Hut (still, it's free pizza, right?).

His donation time was 2:45. He called me at around 3:30 to say he still hadn't gotten in. Finally at around 5-ish, he got in to give blood. I was in a bit of a tizzy here at home because my La Leche League meeting was starting at 6:30 and I still hadn't really decided if I was going or not pending a check of the old temperature (a lovely bout of mastitis settled in on Sunday night - oh goody); but if I was going to go, I needed to get dinner in the oven ASAP. Anyway, around a quarter of six, Husband calls.

Husband: Um, well, I'm going to be a bit longer than I thought.

Bren J: You mean you're not done yet?

Husband: Well, I passed out in the bathroom.

Bren J: Cause I need to get dinner started and, wait, YOU WHAT?!?!?

Husband: I passed out in the bathroom after I gave blood. Another donor found me. So now I'm in the ER.

So he passed out in the bathroom and the AMBULANCE had to come and drive him from one end of the hospital to the other. Ridiculous? I. THINK. SO. He finally got home just after seven, blood on his work clothes, blood all over his neck (I guess it must cost extra if they have to actually clean you), a nasty headache from hitting his head on the floor after the initial connection of the chin to the urinal, two stitches resulting from said connection, a sprained pinky finger, and a huge bandage on his arm from 'the biggest hematoma the nurse said she'd ever given anyone giving blood.' (see photo)

Good. Grief. And so...

Bren J. (laughing): I'm sorry, but it's just really funny. That would just happen to you the very first time you gave blood. Sorry, the very last time you give blood.

Husband: Um hm.

Bren J.: You know you'll laugh about this some day, right?

Husband: Maybe.

Bren J.: Is it okay if I laugh about it now?

Husband: I guess, in your own little way.

Bren J: Please can I blog this? I'll leave out some of the details....

Husband: Fine. Whatever. Tylenol, please.

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A few days later and all is well. The bruise on Husband's arm is gargantuan but his headache is gone and he's saving 30 seconds not having to shave his chin every morning. And just so you know we're not the only ones who are mildly amused; we've finally succeeded in capturing the Little Goat's wee smiles. Hooray!

*Edit: Turns out there was no ambulance ride. Husband refused. They took him in a wheelchair instead.

Ahhhhhgain.

So posts are going to be sporadic again here because I have been informed I must undergo sensitivity counseling as a result of my wheelchair curling comments.

Just kidding. We thought the computer was okay now, but alas, it is not. We need to replace a part. Anyway, I may be reading other blogs and leaving a comment here and there (as usual), but I won't be posting anything heart-stopping (wait, do I ever?) for a week or so.

As with last time, I'll miss you...and I will definitely pine for you.

In Which I am Accidentally Ridiculously Politically Incorrect*

The following is a conversation that occurred two days ago, the end of which I have not heard since.

(Watching CBC - as usual - and a commercial for special edition Olympic coins comes on, specifically wheelchair curling.)

Husband: Oh look, it's the wheelchair curling commercial again. They sure are emphasizing wheelchair curling coins.

Bren J.: Yeah....lazy-ass curling.

Husband looks at Bren J. with mouth agape.

Bren J. (with look of lightbulb suddenly turning on): *gasp* Did I just say that?!?! Oh man, I totally didn't mean it that way. I was thinking of people sitting in regular chairs trying to curl! Seriously!

Husband continues to look at Bren J. with mouth agape.

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So that's me and that was my bumbling-idiot-let's-be-completely-insensative-to-people-with- dissabilities- moment. This continued lack of sleep really is NOT helping. My apologies!

*This post also fulfills my burning desire to begin the title of a post with the words "In Which." Woohoo! Finally!

Also, in my previous post, I used the word "germaphone." Obviously, what I really meant was germaphoBe. I CAN spell and I do know what I meant. You knew what I meant, didn't you? Well, didn't you?!?!

Day Surgery and a First Stroll(er)

Oh relax, relax, I'm not having surgery...We're back online over here at the J house. Finally! The computer isn't 100% yet, but it's functional. (Indeed, I did pine for you. Do you know how easy it is to write posts in your head when you have no way to post them?) Here's a picture of Husband performing surgery on Ol' Betsy (who is really only four years old, but that's like what, 100 in human years?) under the watchful tutelage of my uber-tech-savvy FIL with only a bit of 'backseat fixing' from yours truly as I watched and paced like a mom waiting to hear if her teenage daughter had a good time on her first date (or how I would imagine that to be).

Also here's a picture of the Little Goat after her first stroller ride. Don't be deceived! Husband took two pictures and in the first one, she was about to let out a good scream. Bonus points for us who had the genius idea of putting her in there when she was already asleep, then going for a half-hour walk. When we finally got her back in the house she was quite awake and looking quite baffled to be in her new GreenMobile. But it's a fabulous stroller and we love it. (Thanks Grama & Grampa!) **********************
In other news, I've been told by several people that after a few weeks with a new baby you really can't remember what life was like before said child. Well, I SO TOTALLY REMEMBER! And so I present:

5 Things I Miss Now That We're Parents for Real*:

1) I may as well state the obvious first: I miss uninterrupted sleep (minus a trip to the bathroom once - or five times) and all those other related activities - in the words of Shalee over at her Diner - *ahem*.

2) I miss not having to spend a good part of a church service deciding whether or not to take the Little Goat out of her carseat. The Little Old Ladies who sit behind us probably think we're some heartless parents who don't love our child enough to hold her (if they only knew that feeding her amounts to holding her for 8 hours a day). In reality, I don't want people to fight over who gets to hold the new baby first (or second, etc)....and my healthcare-employed husband is turning me into a germaphone.

3) I miss buying things that we want. This sounds selfish, I'm sure, but between diaper wipes and stupid nursing bras...I'm already sick of it.

4) Getting through a whole chapter in a book without interruption. Better yet, reading any book that doesn't pertain to children.

5) Five minute stops at the grocery store. I don't think I need to bother elaborating on that one.

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Also, Happy 100th Post to Me! <- That's a reminder so you can all congratulate me.

* These aren't necessarily complaints, I'm just...observing.**
** Okay, fine! They're pretty much complaints. Hmph!

Ouch!

This computer sounds like it's about to blow up, so I'm just letting you know that I won't be posting until it's fixed. Don't know how long that will be.

I'll miss you. In fact, I may just pine for you.

The Next Jack Hanna

Recently overheard at the J home:

(The Little Goat is wailing in the background.)

Husband: We should have gotten a puppy.

Bren: I tried to convince you....

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I'll preface this next quote by telling you that Husband worked a regular day yesterday and then was on-call last night, then a regular day today and on-call tonight. That's 32 hours of on-call/work in one weekend so he's a little, er, tired.

(Shortly before 3am, Husband arrives home after being called in.)

Bren: How'd it go?

Husband: Fine. Hey, I saw all kinds of wildlife on the way.

Bren: Oh yeah? Like what?

Husband: On the way there, I saw a whole family of raccoons crossing the highway! There were all these babies following the parents, but one hesitated and went back over to the side of the road. So I got out and tried to herd it across the road but it ran back into the bushes.

Bren: So you were on the side of the highway at 1:30 in the morning, herding raccoons?!?

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Yes, Friends, the minute Jack Hanna retires, I think I know a good candidate for his replacement.

Pulling a Britney

Well, we are officially horrid parents, I'm sure. Went to church on Sunday and realized AFTER we got there that the base of the Little Goat's car seat was only sitting in the car, it wasn't actually attached. Yes, we felt horrible. No, it won't happen again. Hopefully. We sure weren't intentionally stealing a page from the Britney Spears Book of Modern Parenting.

In other news, she now weighs roughly 8 lbs: when we took her to the Dr. last Thursday, she had gained 10 ounces in a six days! She's already grown more than an inch too. My deduction? Bigger baby = bigger poop = UGH!

So Grama is visiting (Grampa stayed home this time but will be out in September; Nana and Papa will be out next week) and we decided to try out the restaurant in town. They don't have a menu per se, but usually offer five different choices of 'entree.' One of Sundays entrees was Chop Suey. For your convenience, I'll offer Miriam-Webster's definition of Chop Suey, which is as follows: "a dish prepared chiefly from bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, onions, mushrooms, and meat or fish and served with rice and soy sauce."

However, seeing as we're up here in Northern Maine where apparently that definition got a little lost in translation, I should warn you that Chop Suey - Northern Maine-style - consists of ziti and rigatoni pasta cooked with stewed tomatoes and hamburg. Yes, hamburg. There's no 'er' on the end of that either. It's not hamburger (as in most of the normal free world), it's HAMBURG.

Some day, the Husband and I will compile a longer list of the strange word-isms that Northern Mainers have come up with. Some of them are truly asinine. In the meantime, I have a sleeping Little Goat on my lap so I should put her in her crib and try to get some things done around here.

P.S.

Just in case you've been wondering:

Mingle² - Online Dating

Based on one occurrence of the word 'torture' I rate a "G." I'm appalled. I guess I need to swear more or something. My Mom would definitely not rate this blog a G as it contains stories of childbirth. My friend Bryan would also definitely not rate this blog a G based on the overabundance of references to breastfeeding (sorry, Bryan, if you're counting, that's probably reference #8467).

I wonder what kind of words I have to use to rate PG?? No worries, I won't start experimenting...

On the Other Hand...

...last night's "sleep" consisted of a grand total of two very interrupted hours of what almost doesn't even count as sleep. If I was really narcissistic, I would post a picture of my tired self here so you all could tell me how great I look in spite of my tiredness. But I won't. You'll have to feel sorry for me sans photo.

A Brief Reprieve

Just thought I should check in and let anyone who cares know that since my Mom is visiting, blog posts will be rather stingy at least for another week. Then we'll see.

We had a wee breakthrough last night in that the Little Goat (quite what she sounds like when she's sleeping) actually slept in her crib for an hour and a half before she got up for her midnight feed and then when I got her back down at 2:30 (again, in her CRIB!!), she wasn't up until just before five, bless her little goaty heart. We got sleep!!! Hooray! Oh it felt good!