I won something!

A great big ol' THANK YOU goes out to Heather from Production, Not Reproduction...I won a random drawing on her site and am now the grateful recipient of a subscription to Entertainment Weekly!

How cool is that? Thanks so much, Heather!

"Baby baby are you okay?"

--Early Intervention came today to assess the little guy I've been worried about. They didn't find any delays in his basic development, but they don't know what's up with him. They're referring him to a psychologist and an occupational therapist, however. I'm hopeful that soon we'll have a better idea of how to help him.

--Hester, Petunia, and I went to Baby Loves Disco over the weekend! It was really fun.

--I fell down last night and now I'm a mess. My ankle, wrist, and hand got the worst of it, but nothing's broken or even badly sprained. I'm just tender and sore, which is fun.

--I have my CPR recertification class tonight. There's nothing better than waking up in the wee hours, working a 10-hour day, and then sitting in a CPR class for 3.5 hours. Oh, I can hardly wait.

Later, gators

Tonight we're off to northern NY for a long weekend with my extended family. Hester will be thoroughly spoiled by her grandparents and we'll all get to visit with 91-year old Great Grandma Hester. Good times are ahead if we can make it through the long drive. MassPike and NY Thruway, here we come!

Here's wishing y'all a great long weekend. Happy Labor Day!

In which some random asshat makes my day

Last week I received a notice in the mail saying I needed to pony up $40 for a parking ticket in Boston. The notice went on to say that "the correspondence [I] sent is not sufficient grounds for appeal." Since I haven't received a parking ticket in quite a while, I was stumped. I called the parking clerk yesterday to inquire about the entire situation, and here's what went down:

Bad: I really did receive a $40 parking ticket. I got it for parking in a resident-only zone while we attended my surprise party. That's sucky.

Worse: Some random asshat mailed it back to the parking clerk with "a 4-letter word written on it," according to the clerk.

Fabulous: Because said 4-letter word counts as a letter of protest against the ticket, I only owe $40, despite the ticket being over a month old. If they hadn't received the altered ticket, I would've had to pay $53. Yay, due process! And thanks, asshat!

Inspiration needed

No good blog-fodder + obsession with baby = Crappity blog posts

Lemme know if there's something you want me to write about, 'kay?

Weekend fun

This weekend was filled with family, art, music, shooting stars, coffee, picnic blankets, chocolate covered gummi bears, friends (old and new), sale shopping, and talk of babies. Though Hester, Petunia, and I are still under the weather from last week's summer colds, we had a great time.

How was your weekend?

Road trip

Alriiiiight. We're going on a mini-break! I just got confirmation that our wonderful neighbor Green Thumb will look after the furbabies, so this weekend we're outta here!

This will be our first little family road trip since Hester came home. We have big plans: a kid-friendly museum visit, lots of strolling and lolling around, good eats, an indoor pool, and a fabulous outdoor concert in the Berkshires! We've been away twice since Hester came home but neither of those trips was vacation-related. This one is, however, and BOY HOWDY am I ready for some R&R with my fam!

I'm dyeing here

This morning I tie-dyed my first-ever t-shirts and socks. They turned out HIDEOUS, really laughable, but I'm going to wear them with pride anyway. I especially enjoy the one with concentric circles over the breast; that one's a real winner. (Petunia, of course, made the coolest tie-dyed shirt EVER, because she is talented and has a good eye. All I'm saying is that the things I dyed look worse than the things the preschoolers dyed. For real.) I'll post photos later.

So.

Did you know it was my birthday over the weekend? I didn't, either, but Petunia threw me a surprise birthday party at our favorite Thai restaurant because my actual birthday party got cancelled. It was my first surprise party ever. She even ordered my very favorite cake, a triple chocolate mousse cake from Flour. How awesome is she? Thanks to Petunia and to my friends for coming to the soiree!

Hooray!

Let's hear it for:

--iced coffee
--air conditioners and the wonderful wives who install them (thanks again, Petunia!)
--water play with the kids
--sleepy babies
--feeling healthier
--vintage baby clothes (thanks again, Poor_Statue!)
--perfectly ripe red plums
--good mail
--a brand new baby boy--congratulations K&K!
--other babies on the way (congratulations to L&L and S&S)
--new glittery pink nail polish plus flamingo flip flops
--Grey's Anatomy from the Netflix (I'm hooked on this show 90210-style)
--meeting new friends at the zoo
--hearing great news from those same friends
--planning a get-together with old friends
--anticipating a night out with my 2 favorite people: they welcome babies!
--new library books

What's on your Hooray List today?

Random stuff

Second quarter taxes are due today. Blech.

**************************************************

My v. stylish and kind friends C&F sent us a little package from their newest venture, Bureau of Urban Living. They gave Hester the sweetest little embroidered pillow! I wish I lived in Detroit so I could visit them all the time.

**************************************************

Last night Petunia and I went to a card making class given by one of my work moms. We went out of obligation, but we made some really cool greeting cards. Who knew? Now I'm kind of obsessed with this transparent ink that lets you stamp watermark-looking things onto your papers. It's pretty cool stuff.

**************************************************

Hester's big on the stranger anxiety these days. She's been fussing at folks for a while now, but on Wednesday she full-on cried when Baby A.'s mom smiled at her. I wanted to take her aside and be like, "Look Hester, N.'s baby died when he was a month younger than you are now. Let the woman hold you, for crying out loud!" Not my most empathetic moment, I'll grant you.

*************************************************

For 3 years I've gotten away with calling the ice cream truck "the music truck" during work hours. (What? It's not exactly a lie!) However, I fear that my sweets-loving 2.5 year old little girl is going to blow my cover: "Why those kids have ice creams, Clementine? The music truck has ice creams?"

Sigh. If they ever discover the tastiness of Phil's homemade ice cream sandwiches, I'll have a mutiny on my hands.

**************************************************

We really need copies of Hester's photos for Bobby for Father's Day, but it just won't happen for us: Target let us down bigtime and CVS wouldn't recognize the files on the CD from our computer (though they transferred just fine to Petunia's computer at work...what gives?). We're sending Bobby the CD itself with a note that real photos will be coming soon, but this sucks--it's his first Father's Day with Hester and there's a screw up. I feel guilty about it, but Petunia and I have been trying to get those photos printed all week. At least Bobby will have a card, Hester's molded hand print, and a letter from us (we sent his package overnight today). It doesn't feel right without the pictures, though.

**************************************************

I'm looking forward to a great weekend! I have Portland Pride, a visit to Hester's old NICU, and a long-awaited Psychic Twin Birthday Blowout with my dear JPP. Good times are ahead. I hope they are for you, too.

Thinking optimistically

In an attempt to jumpstart the weekend, I'm going to list some good things from this week. Here goes:

--My dad's 2nd cardiac cath went well.
--My mom's GI tests came back fine.*
--Nibs.
--The aforementioned "bastard coated bastards" line.
--Pizza, salad, and ice cream with my little fam.
--Catching a few Zs with Hester as we waited for Petunia.
--Sleeping children.
--Nice weather.
--News of kids' upcoming vacations.
--New baby gym for Hester.
--More v. kind gifts for Hester, this time from L&J.
--Our new computer.
--Pride month.
--Baby swimming pool.
--Fresh squeezed orange juice.
--Sweet kitties and dogger.
--Skorts. (ha!)
--Gossiping with college friends.
--Flowers, plants, and a tree from Green Thumb.
--Memorial Day.
--Several packages on their way.
--Hester's smiles.
--Petunia's kindness.

*She still might have to swallow a teeny camera, though.

"Bastard coated bastards with bastard fillings."

TGIF, dudes.

This week has been spectacularly craptastic and I'm so glad it's almost over. Good riddance, I say. This week can suck it.

One shining moment: Last night we were watching Scrubs on the DVD and heard the best lines ever:

"People aren't chocolates. Know what they are mostly? BASTARDS. Bastard coated bastards with bastard fillings."

Word.

Why NPN needs to shut her piehole

I'm out in the yard with the kids and my next-door neighbor says hello:

Her: Did you get a haircut?

Me: Yes.

Her: Hmm. [Wrinkles her nose.] I like you better with shoulder-length hair.

Me: [Mute with fury.]

Her: Have a good day!

GRR.

A question for my tech-savvy friends

Dear Friends,

How do I transfer my photos from the old computer (an almost 10-y.o. PC) to the new one? The old one is so old that the external hard drive we bought isn't compatible. Thanks in advance for your help!

love,
Clementine

Wow, it's been a full week.

I've been busy doing the following things:

--Celebrating my 30th birthday, despite my cold and Hester's croup

--Receiving so many kind, generous, and thoughtful gifts from friends and family...

--...including a NEW COMPUTER!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy cow!

--Spending precious time with my parents

--Watching my parents become proud, loving grandparents

--Meeting JPP and her family for brunch on Sunday

--Taking trips to Newburyport, Boston, Portsmouth, and Kittery

--Bargain shopping for Hester

--Watching Hester get totally spoiled by her grandparents

--Watching Hester begin to teethe

--Watching Hester suck on her toes

--Driving a minivan and feeling for all the world like a soccer mom

--Receiving bouquets, plants, and even a tree from Green Thumb

--Watching Clary B. race around Green Thumb's yard with 4 other dogs

--Talking with Petunia every chance I got

What a lovely time.

My Army brat roots are showing

Last night Petunia and I puttered around the yard after the kids went home. When Hester got hungry, we pulled a lawn chair onto the sidewalk so that I could feed the baby while Petunia planted lobelia in our front garden. As we talked in the twilight, many of our neighbors happened by. They all stopped to look at Hester.

"Look how big she's getting. Congratulations again, ladies! It's just wonderful!" said one neighbor. "Isn't she just beautiful? Look at those cheeks! She's such a gorgeous little baby," said another neighbor. Our friend and neighbor Green Thumb held Hester's hand as we grown-ups talked grubs, sunflowers, and lilac festivals for a half hour or so. A little later we caught up with the 11-month old little girl across the street. "Could Hester use this summer outfit?" her mother asked, proffering a 3-6 month purple daisy 2-piece romper.

Honestly folks, my heart just about exploded from all the kindness. The neighborliness. After a childhood on the go, I never thought that one day I'd live in a place where my neighbors know my name, my dog's name, and my daughter's name. Where people snowblow sidewalks for one another. Where folks leave big bouquets of spring flowers or bags of summer produce on each other's porches. Where the newspaper carrier brings the paper into our enclosed entryway, and where I chat with Tom the Postman at least a couple times a week. It's unbelievable, truly.

And then there's this:

A bright red baby swing hanging from the huge maple tree in our backyard. A tangible symbol of so many hopes and dreams fulfilled beyond my starriest imaginings.

Turning 30

To preface: I look older than I am. For reals. I've always been an old lady.

But not anymore, baby: I'm turning 30 in 3 short weeks. Yippee!

It's about time.

Feeling good

So, last night I fell asleep at 6:30pm. I woke up with a start at 9pm, but Petunia reassured me that it was okay for me to go back to bed. I set my alarm for 4am and promised to do any night feedings, then I passed out again. I got up at 4am and it was surprisingly peaceful; I was in a great mood and I got a ton of things done, including changing over the curtains from heavy velveteen winter drapes to airy cotton summer curtains. Good times, huh? Even better, Petunia and Hester are doing well today, too.

This promises to be a great week for me. My most aggressive 2-year old is out on vacation all week, so work is waaaay more calm than it's been in months. Also, it's a short work week for me because Orca and Beluga will be here on Thursday! I can't wait to see my brother and his GF, and I can't wait for them to meet Hester. Good times are ahead!

V. boring, but it's all good.

I've wanted to post all week, but it's been so quiet here that I haven't had any good blog fodder. That's good, I suppose, if a little boring.

I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. Work is going better. Hester is a joy (and she's not barfing as much these days!). I've resumed my normal schedule at the library, though I'm certainly not up to the quantity of books I read before Hester came home. Still, it's all good. It feels normal.

This weekend is looking pretty darned great. Hester and I are meeting the remarkable JPP for breakfast tomorrow, then we'll spend the day hanging out in Boston. We'll meet a new moms' group in the afternoon, pick up Petunia from work, and head home. On Sunday all 3 of us will be walking in a local charity event to benefit the organization for which I've volunteered since 2000, so I'm super psyched about that. It should be good times all around, and the money we're raising is going to a great cause.

If you have ideas for posts or questions for me, perhaps that'll jumpstart my blogging. Please let me know what you think.

Feeling better

After 2 weeks of illness, I'm finally feeling better. Good news there. Also, the sun is shining, it's Thursday (not much-loathed Wednesday), and I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend with Petunia and Hester. I'm also feeling the spring-cleaning itch, so maybe we'll be making a few runs to Savers. Awesome. I loves me some CleanSweep.

In just 2 weeks, my brother and his girlfriend will be here! They'll meet Hester for the first time and it'll be their first time at our [not-so-new-anymore] house. Hell, it'll be Beluga's first time in Yankee-land--I've got to show her a good time for real. When I was in Texas they took me to a karaoke dive and we all sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and laughed at some dude's rendition of "Eye of the Tiger." I just don't think I can do better than that. New Englandy suggestions, anyone?

It turns out that May will be All Hester, All the Time month. Orca and Beluga will be here to see her the first weekend in May, Hester's godparents will come up the second weekend, and my parents will be here the last weekend. My 30th birthday's in there as well; so is our 3rd legal marriage anniversary, JPP's birthday, and about a gazillion other birthdays and anniversaries. I love May, I really do.