Friday Night

We had some friends over on Friday for tacos. It was mega fun, and their six year old daughter made use of the old digital camera I keep around for Owen to play with. He's taken pictures of things mostly in New York (my favorite being "say cheese, hand" and "say cheese, cup" when he was just a wee one of 4 or so). I'm pretty sure it was my main digital camera when Owen was born, so it's been around a while.

Anyway, she got some great shots -- she's got such a different angle than me, what with being somewhat shorter than me! Here are some of my favorites (although none of the photographer or her brother, since I can't exactly be splashing other people's kids on my blog, right?!):

Monkey PJ bottom

Elephant from Dear Zoo book

Jazz Hands?!

Cuddly Baby

Just kidding, I'm awake Baby

Smirky Baby

Let's take each other's picture!

Sweet Face

Rocker Chair

Quilt Squares

Close up of the squares from the quilt that Gma Jane made me ~31 years ago. There are 12 squares in total, each one appears twice. The border is this cool yellow flower fabric. Aunt Lee Ann repaired a few places where it was looking rough from years of use. I distinctly remember using it for my dolls growing up too.

Croquet playing squirrel

Painting Bunny

Prancing Lamb

Puppy Sawing Logs

Singing Kitty

Swimming Puppy

My Favorite Baby Products as of Two Months

Building on my initial baby gear thoughts post, I thought I'd add some more items to the list of baby products I've found helpful.

I'm not an expert on anything but my baby and what she likes at this time in her life, but hopefully these thoughts are useful, if for nothing else than for me to look back on when I want to reminisce about infancy.

I still love the Gerber prefold diapers for burp rags, and even better have got some pretty burpies as gifts. (If I had any sewing talent and scrap fabric I would turn my boring white ones into cute ones too!) The Boppy is still aces for nursing (although we can technically do it without the pillow it's still more comfy), and we still use the Aden and Anais swaddler blankets most every night. Although Jane does have a Halo sleep sack that's good too, since she doesn't really care about having her arms swaddled and actually prefers to sleep with them straight up as if she were in a hold up.

I didn't end up getting the fancy baby bath tub, although I'm sure it's great. I give Jane baths in the sink using this Infant to Toddler Tub with Sling. It fits just great in the double sink, and with my sink's spray nozzle I can get a good shampoo too (something some moms may not have to do if the baby doesn't have a full head of hair like Jane does).

I was tempted by this foldable Puj tub for travel, but when we went to Oklahoma we were able to take our tub with us in the van, and by the time we travel next Jane will likely be able to sit up unassisted, meaning a bath directly in the sink will be completely doable with a towel in the bottom for cushioning.

Some of my nursing favorites include "Mother's Love" nursing bras that I got for cheap on Zulily - with shipping worked out to be around $8 per bra. They're not cute but they work for me. I have a few other bras from Target or otherwise bought online, but I like the cotton Mother's Love ones the best. I use Johnson's breast pads, after reading a recommendation on a blog. I like them a lot, although I can usually find them cheaper at Target or Walmart than online.

I pump every day using an Ameda hand pump that I got at the hospital. If I had to do it more than once a day I'd want an electric model, and I'd probably rent it from the hospital, mostly so I wouldn't have a pump to throw away or store once Jane weans. I started pumping into the bottle that came with the pump and got some more like it for a total of 5. Now I pump into store and pour bags and am stocking the freezer -- they freeze flat and then I can stack them. We haven't actually used any of the milk yet -- but it's there when we'll need it, and I like to think it helps keep my milk supply up.

I haven't really found a bottle I like enough to recommend, mostly because Jane doesn't eat much from bottles, as I'm always around and it's just easier to feed her from the source. We've got a Dr. Brown's bottle that she did eat from when she stayed with Beth and Meme on Boxing Day, and another new mom recommended an Avent bottle that we have yet to try -- its nipple is supposed to be more like a breast.

Our cloth diapering adventure didn't go super smoothly. They definitely leak more than the disposables, and as much as I loved putting Jane in lots of different outfits in a day we kind of fell out of the cloth diapering routine when we traveled for Christmas. So we've been using Target up & up diapers mostly, although I'm sure the Amazon Mom Subscribe and Save would be cheaper in the long run. I'm not ready to totally give up on my idea of cloth diapering during the day. In any case we've found Seventh Generation wipes to be the best -- chlorine free and not so thick as to feel wasteful.

For getting around our best thing has been the Moby carrier. I use it every time we go to a store, mostly because she's too small to sit in the cart and her car seat is convertible, meaning it doesn't double as an infant carrier. (Safety note: those are NEVER supposed to ride in the front part of the cart -- always put the infant carrier/car seat into the big part of the shopping cart.)

Our favorite blankets are the hand made ones -- crocheted blankies and quilts. Jane is just starting to get into toys, so I'll probably do a separate post about those as she develops preferences. Most of her toys have been gifts. We'll also have to keep track of her favorite books -- so far she will listen to whatever I feel like reading. :)

I also am working on a post of the books I've read that I've found helpful (and those I haven't really thought much of). But we'll see when I can get myself together to write that up.

A baby picture for those of you who actually read this (or who just scrolled down)!

Chilling on a quilt made 31+ years ago for me by Grandma Jane

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links used throughout.

Freezer Food Wrap Up

About a month before Jane was born I did a bunch of cooking and freezing dishes for eating when she arrived.

We ate our last one -- crock pot chicken taco chili -- last week. It made a lot (something like 10 servings), so I was eating on it for ages. Probably the smart thing to do would be make a full batch then freeze half of it. Also it was a little too spicy, since I was a little heavy handed with the chili powder. Otherwise I'll definitely be making it again -- it's super easy and tasty. I need to find some more crock pot recipes.

My favorite of the casseroles was surprising: chicken enchiladas verdes. I thought it wouldn't be so great once defrosted and heated. But it was quite yummy. It had a lot of steps though, so not sure that it's something I'll make on the regular. But probably some.

My least favorite was the king chicken casserole -- maybe it was just that it was frozen and that kind of weirded out the tortillas (although that didn't happen with the enchiladas). I might try it again, but you have to cook the chicken first, which means a lot of dirty dishes.

If you've got any good crock pot or casserole recipes let me know. 

One Word 2012: Baby

Clean, milk-fed baby: nothing better!

Reboot

The past couple weeks I've read the year-end wrap ups and forward looking posts on my favorite blogs.

I didn't write as much in 2011 as I did in previous years, mostly because the biggest thing to write about -- pregnancy -- was something I chose not to write about. So with less content my statistics went down and a year end wrap up about stats isn't very interesting anyway.

Other blogs did posts listing their favorite posts of the year or favorite photos. Again because the biggest part of my life in 2011 wasn't a topic on this blog it's not really worth it to me to wade through my year of posts to find anything I'd want to re-read or draw more attention to. (And all my Jane posts are recent, so to re-link to them would be slightly redundant?)

But one thing I do like is the "choose one word" meme for the year. It's like a theme word for 2012. And anti-resolution in a way. As I was driving today, and listening to Michael Buble while my daughter snoozed in the back seat, I thought about what my one word would be for 2012.

BABY.

I'm choosing her. I'm loving her. And by extension I'm loving my family and husband. And myself.

Because these last couple weeks since Christmas I've been obsessing over what to do -- job-wise, childcare-wise, etc. I was obsessed, and anxious worrying and thinking I didn't deserve what I wanted, and it was impossible for me to say for sure what it is that I want.

Nothing is finalized yet, but I feel like I have a direction.

I choose my baby.

My baby who I didn't think I'd ever meet. Who I didn't think I'd be able to carry. Who I love more than I ever thought possible.

I can't promise more posts in 2012 than 2011, no matter what happens with my work status. But I can say that when I write it will be rooted in love, because I am more rooted in love thanks to the family we have extended through the birth of Jane.

Epiphany 2012

The last day of Christmas -- Epiphany. Today we celebrate the Wise Men who traveled so far to worship Jesus.

Driving around town yesterday and today, Jane and I saw many trees lying on the side of the road waiting for compost pick up. It's sad somehow. Discarded.

On Boxing Day we bought a fake Christmas tree at Hobby Lobby for 66% off to use next year and beyond. But I'm not sure if that might be just as sad as killing a tree every year? It's a plastic tree. BUT that's my tradition and I actually love it. No mess, no allergens (I think that was a main reason we didn't have real trees). Now we have the space to store it, so why not?! And I don't have to live with the trauma of a dead tree carcass lying on my curb next January.

But I'm sure it's not the "green" thing to do. That would probably be getting a live tree including roots and then planting it in the back yard. I'm sure the process to make fake trees is full of chemicals and destructive things. But I'm looking forward to having a tree of our own.

One of my favorite pictures of Christmas 2011:

I wish I could have this sandwich hug every day! AMLBO, and Baby Jane Loves Cousin Owen!

Season's Readings

Owen's gift to Jane from his Santa Shoppe:
A New Kid in Town bib
Crocheted Christmas dress by me!

Jane's first Christmas was a smashing success, of course. We made it to Oklahoma and back with beautiful driving weather on both of our travel days. Spending time with my family and getting to see many friends at Jane's baby shower were really the best parts of the trip. Having a happy baby 99% of the time was pretty swell too!

The temperature difference from Oklahoma to Louisiana is extreme. I enjoy bundling myself up and feeling the nip of cold air on my face, but wrangling a baby into a car seat in the freezing cold is not my idea of fun.

If we lived somewhere colder it definitely would have made more sense to get a infant car seat to start, since you can load the baby into it inside the house, wrap blankets over her and then click into the base. (The seat we have is a convertible one -- works from birth to 70 lbs.)

I tried to start traditions of our own this year -- the most ambitious being a Christmas book each night in December leading up to Christmas to serve as an Advent calendar.

We did read The Night Before Christmas
on Christmas Eve

Originally I was going to wrap 25 children's books, but then I realized that was ridiculous, as I'd be wrapping and opening them myself. So I just went with the pile of books and tested them out that way.

My mom gave me a whole slew of books that we'd had as kids, so it was fun to read those especially. I remember the big basket of Christmas books and being excited when they came down each December from wherever they lived the rest of the year.

Before I pack away our Christmas stuff I will be wrapping up 25 (or more?) books in tissue paper, which is easier for little hands to rip into -- next Christmas Jane will most certainly be able to do that -- and tissue paper eliminates the possibility of paper cuts. (I learn all kinds of things reading the internet!)

So this year I read a children's Christmas book almost every day. But as we were getting into and out of a routine/schedule/whatever I didn't always remember. Next year I hope it will be exciting for Jane and an easy part of our routine to implement.

Also, I read something on my pastor's blog about Christmas being the beginning rather than the end. And what would our culture be like if we celebrated most the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany? So perhaps I should extend my book reading beyond the 25th of December? I have saved the Wise Men books that we have to read on January 6.

I definitely want Jane's experience of Christmas seasons to be full of wonder and joy without the trappings of gimme-gimme-gimme materialism and Santa Claus. I know that will be tough in our culture, even in our church culture, but it's something to strive for.

Hopefully in future years we will add traditions as she develops -- more crafts, baking cookies, etc. But I never want to forget THIS Christmas, especially seeing Jane getting to know my Gran -- they love each other so much. And I love THEM so much that it made my heart happy. I only wish we lived closer together so I could have that heart happiness more than once or twice a year.

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate link used for car seat.

Read: Babyhood & Happy Chaos

Babyhood by Paul Reiser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This gave me lots of laughs. I didn't seek it out, just randomly found it in the non-fiction section at the library when I was looking for Babywise (never found it even though the electronic card catalog said it was on the shelf). This book made me a bit nostalgic for Mad About You, as Paul Reiser has the same sense of humour in the book as he infused into that show. It's just a good, funny memoir about becoming a parent. Enjoyed it.

Happy Chaos by Soleil Moon Frye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun parenting memoir -- which I found at the library on the new biographies shelf by the checkout. I loved Punky as a kid (one of my best Halloween costumes was as her ... although I lost my knee bandana and that still haunts me). She wrote the book sort of with the help of her Twitter followers and Facebook fans -- the start of each chapter has quotes from those people responding to questions about parenting. I kind of skipped over those, but otherwise liked reading about her life, her pregnancies and deliveries, and her parenting strategies. Fun read.

View all my reviews

Relativity

My not-so-new newborn (~5 weeks)

Jane has gone from being "so big" to "so small." She's still growing, filling out her clothes, and I'm sure keeping up her high percentiles in weight and height.

But now when people see her or meet her, instead of saying "what a big newborn," they like to say "Oh she's so small. My kids were never that small." (Although they obviously must have been, as few babies are born 11+ pounds!)

It's all relative, or perspective, or something. When you have actual kids running around it's hard to remember them being so tiny. And I know relative to those kids Jane is. And I find it hard to believe that I will forget -- although I almost certainly will.

How can I forget the feel of her little body melting into mine as I hold her and she drifts off to sleep? The way she fits so perfectly into the crook of my neck?

How can I forget the way her little diapered bottom fits right into the cup of my hand? It's perfect for patting.

How can I forget her newborn hair -- so soft and staticky?

How can I forget her newborn smell -- milky and diapery? And the sweetest breath in the world?

How can I forget her sweet coos, grunts and cries? I know has her language develops it will be harder to remember, although I can still hear Owen's gurgle giggle and it's 7 years later.

I know what I'll never forget about Jane is how much I love her. It's ridiculous and deep and the best thing ever. I don't want time to fly by so quickly, but I know I can't grasp it or stop it. So I'll try to mark it where I can. Hoping that in words I can help myself remember that yes, she was this small. And she's always been so lovable.

Pinwheel Mobile

I made Jane a pinwheel baby mobile, thinking it would be clever and cheap. Uh ... between what was spent on a couple versions of fishing line (that I gave up using in the end), the star brads, the scrapbook paper and embroidery hoop it was probably about the same cost as a store bought mobile. The yarn is from my stash. But now we have it, and Jane seems to like it OK.

Basically I cut down 12x12 scrapbook paper to 3x3 squares. I used double sided tape to put two designs together then followed this tutorial to make pinwheels.

I wrapped the embroidery hoop with the yarn, and then after trying and failing to assemble the mobile with fishing line I used the yarn to connect the pinwheels to the hoop (using graduated lengths) and to make a loop at the top to hang from the eyelet hook that happened to be in Jane's ceiling.

For not being very complicated it sure took me a long time to get it completed (I started this early in the third trimester).

I didn't think the pinwheels would turn because the brads were too short to allow that. But the yarn itself twists and the pinwheels can spin up if you blow them and then spin the opposite way as the yarn unwinds itself. And I've got tons of black and white scrapbook paper leftover to play with.

Goodbye November

I am glad this is over. Although writing daily, even when I did it crappily (i.e. every day), was good for me.

Today I drove with Jane for the first time and she did well. We went to the library for a free book -- Read to Your Bunny. Pretty good stuff. When she's a little older we'll go to infant lap sit story times. Definitely want to raise a reader.

Here are her feet, because I think they're so sweet:

Elf Yourself 2011

This post will be obsolete in a couple months when they stop hosting the videos, but I think it still counts for nablopomo.

Also, someone's umbilical cord stump fell off today ... and she went to the doctor and weighs almost 11 lbs!

Decorate

Shawn brought in my storage boxes of Christmas goodies -- decorations, wrapping things and old cards. Today Jane and I looked through them but mostly didn't get much out. We don't have a tree (yet), so not sure if we need to unpack the ornaments. It seems like I have enough collected to fill a tree. There'd be no theme, other than historical ornaments from my life and a few handed down. I don't think Shawn has any ornaments of his own, other than some I may have given him.

A neat tradition that my aunt did for her boys is to buy them an ornament each year and then when they move out they have a set of ornaments that cover their lives. I want to do that for Jane. I ordered a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament today because it was cheap on Cyber Monday. But I'll probably want to get something nicer too -- and so there's a 2011 baby ornament for us to keep in our collection too.

I'm so exhausted I'm not sure how I'll be able to remember this holiday season. But I know when Jane's my age and even sooner I'll want to remember it in detail! So I'll be writing a lot in December -- although probably not as much here as I have been doing this November!

Advent Season

Today's the first day of Advent. Shawn and I took our baby girl to church. I'm not sure if it was a good idea -- given her young age and immature immune system. She seems OK, and no one touched her but us. She also was an angel during the service and slept most of the time. We'll see if I psych myself out of taking her again next week.

Mama & Jane at church ...
Why yes, I am posting a flattering picture of myself!

31: Made to Order

Hey, hey. It's my birthday.

And it's like I special ordered this day. I woke up with a house full of family -- Beth finishing cleaning and doing laundry, Owen being his sweet funny self, Mama cuddling a baby Jane, and Shawn filling in everything else.

It's been rainy and overcast -- my perfect weather. (If I had my way, it would do this every day ...) Right now it's really pouring and I'm sitting in the sunroom listening to the first Christmas music of the season (Jane's first Christmas music EVER).

We're spending the day at home together. Thinking about going out to dinner, but the thought seems overwhelming, especially since we didn't get an infant carrier/we'd have nowhere to put Jane down. So maybe takeout instead.

This time last year my arms were aching -- aching for Jane. But patience -- even imperfect patience -- paid off. And how blessed we are.

I can honestly say, despite the exhaustion and steep learning curve of caring for this sweet baby girl, that I have never had a happier birthday...

This is 31 -- with my two favorite little people: Owen and Jane!

Left Overs

Beth made our Thanksgiving dinner, and boy was it good. So good that we really don't have much left over, except some turkey (so yummy -- really the best turkey I've ever eaten) and some Pumpkin Dump Cake, which is so good and so easy. Definitely an overly rich dessert, but yum-o.

We also went on a walk -- took Jane to the local park for the first time. Owen had a great time on the playground, and I even swung a little bit. Now I'm trying to figure out birth announcements (still hemming and hawing about those because I want them to be just right), decide whether to do a separate Christmas card (less self-designed, more drag-and-drop) and what to do about Christmas gift shopping.

What I really need is a nap!

Daddy & Jane stroll home from the park

Grateful Life

Another non-meme meme -- everyone is of course posting about Thanksgiving today and being grateful for all our blessings and even our first world problems.

Shawn and I have a lot to be thankful for. It's too much to even try to list and almost too much for a heart to bear. But here's a little bit of what's on my mind and heart these days, in the month where gratitude is top-of-mind for many.

We have a beautiful, healthy baby who's growing and being so good.

We have family who help us take care of her and who take care of us (my sister and mom have been amazing in their tag team efforts).

We have a lovely home, plenty of food, heat and air conditioning (depending on the hour it seems!), clean water and a comfy bed.

We have each other, and we've got LOVE.

Jane's new gown from cousin Maelee

Review: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book caused quite a controversy back when it was released. My husband's boss loaned it to us now that we have a daughter. The book wasn't as extreme as I was expecting. It's more of a memoir than a how-to-parent guide. It details her experiences raising her daughters in the "Chinese" way of high expectations and no excuses. Some food for thought, but I think I learned more from Jim Burns' Confident Parenting.

View all my reviews

All Wrapped Up

Moby Success?

We have a variety of baby carriers -- Baby Bjorn, Moby, Ring Sling. I'm not sure what the baby likes.

She let Daddy carry her around the back yard in the Baby Bjorn (another hand-me-down -- hurrah!), and I was able to hold her in the Moby for a bit. I think both times she was sleeping. Not sure how she feels about being carried when she's awake.


The ring sling has had mixed success. But we'll keep trying. It's the prettiest carrier of all -- it's purple and a gift from Gingie!

Fringe Benefit

A side effect of growing a human has been an increase in the strength of my fingernails. Normally they are pliable and prone to breaking and peeling. But right now they're as long as they've ever been and ALL are long -- not just a few randoms. They're also super strong. But to be a better mom (i.e. not scratch up my kid) I'm cutting them off. Just wanted to take a picture of them and document them here -- once I grew long nails! (Nowhere near the accomplishment of growing a human, but still something.)

Also my wedding and engagement rings fit again! I haven't been able to wear them in months, and even after the delivery I was so pumped full of fluids that I was a stay puff marshmallow even MORE than what I was at the end of the pregnancy. Everything in that regard seems to have resolved and I think my feet have stayed the same size -- still gargantuan, but not any bigger than they were in February, pre-pregnancy.

Sugar Dumpling

Not many pictures of me and my girl, so I took one with my webcam. Owen is SICK -- so we haven't had many pictures of the two of them together. I am stressed out at the thought that she might get sick too. She's so little and vulnerable. Hoping breast milk really does help ward off any germs she may encounter!

Initial Baby Gear Thoughts

In my 10 days as the mother of a newborn I have a short list of things that I've really liked and that have been most useful. I thought I'd share them, and I'll probably have additional thoughts as Jane grows and I learn more.

• Boppy pillow for breast feeding in my chair -- and good for propping up the baby for photo shoots or otherwise when she's being supervised
• My Brest Friend pillow for breast feeding on the couch (our couch is deep and this pillow wraps around the back and buckles, providing lower back support)
• LOTS of prefold cloth diapers as burp rags -- they're everywhere in our house
• Swaddler blankets -- Jane likes to have her torso wrapped for sleeping so her arms are still able to stick straight up (and sometimes she can find her fist to suck on in a pinch) but keeps her feet warm and provides a little snuggle -- we have the Aden and Anais ones from Target
• Snap up jammies and gowns -- pulling things over her head is doable and she doesn't cry, but it's much easier to just stick in arms and then snap up the front
• Baby seat -- we got a little rocker seat from my coworkers and it's been great for letting her sit on her own while we eat, while I go to the bathroom when I'm here alone, etc. It has vibrations, but she can take or leave them.

Jane in snap-up jammies propped up on the Boppy

Edit:The Boppy was a hand-me-down and I actually find that it's the superior BF pillow. The Brest Friend seems cheap -- especially when you take off the cover to wash. I also managed to break the zipper on my cover when trying to get it back ON the pillow (really just some foam cut and glued together). So if you're going to get just one pillow, I'd say the Boppy, although I know some people swear by the other.

SUSHI for the win

Forgot this easy post ... Shawn and I got takeout sushi last night. Huzzah! What other things were verboten that I can now enjoy?!

Angry Charlie!

Wait For It ...

Tomorrow my two favorite little people will meet. Owen comes to town, and Jane will meet her cousin! I think it will be epic ... not that there is any pressure. :)

Still from Webcamming Wednesday

I hope the visit produces enough fodder for posts thru the rest of the month...

AMLBO!

Love Story

Daddy plays a tune

Warning: This is a little sappy and hormone-fueled. But it's also true.

Want to find out what your heart is made of?

Have a baby with the one you love most -- and who loves you most too.

Seeing Shawn with Jane has melted my heart and given me even more reasons to sing.

I really couldn't imagine loving him more, but seeing him holding our girl ... it unveils new depths.

Jane didn't pick her parents, but we picked each other. And I think we did a marvelous job.

We have a lot to learn, but it's exciting times b/c we will do it together!

Touch

I don't have an iPhone, and I've turned off my work Blackberry for the duration of my leave. But my iPod Touch (no such thing as an iTouch) has been a lifesaver.

I used it during labor to keep up with email and distract myself. I used it to play music (with a little speaker from Amazon after reading about it on Jezebel). It was handy during the hospital stay to read all the replies to our baby announcement.

It's great now because I can work it one-handed. stay up-to-date on my Google Reader (although I'm pruning b/c don't want to read about pregnancy anymore ... but give me lots about baby development, please -- and let me know if you have blog suggestions) and read emails as they come in. (I mostly wait to respond until I can get to the computer b/c typing is so much easier with even one hand on a keyboard than thumb typing on the iPod!)

I won this iPod in a PRSA contest several years ago while living in NYC. That alone should be enough to keep my membership up to date. (I recently let it lapse though -- whoops.) It's an older model, so no speaker. But I love it. If it were to crap out on me I'd definitely want to replace it.

This is my one and only Mac product.

Kathunk

Almost forgot to blog. Halfway through the month. I guess I'll continue, despite my sometimes zombie-like status.

I haven't uploaded photos yet today, so here's one from yesterday (the day before?):

Went to the doctor today -- all is well. Jane has gained weight and jaundice is totally gone. The doctor marveled at her feet (going to be tall!) and how she doesn't seem like a newborn.

Otherwise same old, same old. In love and learning new things every day.

Inbox Zero

I am beginning to understand people's frustration with email. In my "regular" life I am able to manage email quickly and efficiently. Even with high volume the messages are still one-to-one and I can process them -- reply, delete or archive as needed.

BUT when I sent out my mass emails with the news of our greatest joy I got myself all tangled up. I use gmail, and because of the conversation thread I am having a hard time tracking to whom I've replied, and every time someone else responds it sends the whole thing back up to the top. And inevitably I look through the entire thread to be sure I've responded to everyone who's going to get a response.

On my iPod though I can see each message individually. MIGHT there be a way to -- at least temporarily -- view gmail in the mobile version so I could better assess the incoming messages?

In any case, if you're emailing me and not getting a response the best bet is to change the subject to be something other than my daughter's name, i.e. start a new "conversation" just between us. And then I'll be much better -- maybe not responding any faster BUT I will be able to keep it a little bit more straight and the response will eventually come.

I can't figure out how to add photos to a created-but-not-published Facebook album so I'm still not convinced FB is the right place for me to post regular photos of Jane. I don't know why I don't feel the same way about Google that I do about FB (i.e. that I'm OK with Google having lots of my data, but something about FB doesn't sit as well with me). So I may do a private Picasa album -- or maybe even Flickr. I've really got to get my act together.

In the meantime, a photo of a 5-day-old who looks anything but (at least to my untrained eye):

Update: I figured out the FB photo album -- I think. So there are 22 photos there. That's not too bad for 6 days (although I have 250+ on my memory card).

Let 'Em Fall, Let 'Em Fall, Let 'Em Fall

I will probably never see snow falling outside the window of my sunroom (although if I did it would be an amazing view). But what I can see now are leaves falling -- by the bucket full.

Yesterday Shawn and his dad raked and bagged 11 huge bags of leaves -- and today the yard is covered again. It's actually beautiful and calming to watch them drift down. And the crunch they provide is nice -- and alert that visitors have arrived.

Perhaps they provide protection to any would-be thieves if they have to make a lot of noise to get to the doors.

We had a door-to-door salesman come by yesterday looking to sell magazines as part of a "lift me up" program or something. Shawn said the weirdest part of his pitch was "I'd rather knock on your front door than your back door," which we took to mean was a threat that this guy would break into our house if we didn't buy magazines.

We didn't buy any magazines! (And I LOVE magazines ... but I already subscribe to all that I want at this point.)

So I guess we'll just keep watch and hope for the best for our safety. (And we probably should have got that guy's name ... although Shawn did get the name of the organization he was representing, looked it up and thought it seemed like a scam.)

Combed Hair

My hair woes don't seem as important anymore. Here is my daughter (!) after a sponge bath with her long dark hair combed. (Her hair is her most complimented feature so far.)

Oh I love this Pumpkin Girl!

Homecoming

Baby stories would be a lot more interesting with pictures. Will have to make a better effort to transfer them. I'm already a few days behind. I don't want to turn this space into a mommy blog anyway ... but that's just all I have to write about for right now.

We made it home OK. Discharge was uneventful -- but coming home was more exciting. Last night was near freezing, so the house was chilly (63). We'd never turned on the heat in the house, so knew it would be stinky ... but didn't expect it to fill the house with smoke.

Welcome home, Jane! Hope we don't burn the house down on your first day home. (We didn't.)

(We also didn't take the standard picture at the hospital of us as a family of three -- whoops!)

Also, 11/11/11 is corduroy day or something. Hilarious!

Control

So much I cannot control. Some I can, like typing a post everyday as time allows.

But what to write about now that my big, life changing information is public on this blog and Facebook?

We're not going home today, so homecoming will be 11/11/11. I guess if you can't have it as a birth date it's not a bad date to have as your first car ride, first night at home, etc. It's also four months since we closed on the house.

More tomorrow, I am sure.

Best Laid Plans

My birth plan was a bust. It will take me a while to adjust to that new reality. I hadn't decided whether to post our story here. I may change my mind, but for now no. But I will give a few more photos b/c they are easy to upload w/ one hand...

Birth day evening

Daddy loves Pumpkin

Pumpkin girl

The J is for juggle image from yesterday is a print for Jane's nursery. From Kindygarden on Etsy.

J is for ...

Juggle

And for Jane

Waiting

Things are happening (being forced to happen), and I may not be able to update tomorrow. But I figured while I'm still able I would knock out a post and at least get to 7 for NaBloPoMo 2011.

I'm starving and may not be able to eat for some time. Hoping that things go quickly and smoothly. Prayers for discernment to know exactly what to do.

And for any blog readers who have no idea what this means -- all will become clear in a couple days time.

Undefeated

Geaux Tigers and Go Pokes! Both teams remain undefeated this season. I flipped back and forth last night watching their games -- both on at 7 p.m. central on national television. The streets were full of screams and fireworks after the Tigers won -- it was reminiscent of election day 2008 in NYC when Obama won. NYU students don't get excited about sports -- they get excited about politics. Anyway.

We watched the games on mute on our tiny TV. I'm not a big fan of the commentation, although our TV is so small it's not always easy to see how much time is left -- and when there's a penalty ... forget about it! Maybe someday we'll have a bigger TV. What worked in our studio apartment isn't as conducive to watching in a bigger living room. But it gets the job done and I enjoy many an hour of TV each week on it..

No writing prompts over the weekend -- it's for "free writing." One of the prompts I didn't use this week was this: When you are writing, do you prefer to use a pen or a computer?


The answer depends on what I'm writing. For note taking purposes, I'm a handwriter all the way. I can write much faster than type, at least in shorthand. But composing things like blog posts and emails, obviously typing is better. I like to hand write my letters and cards though.

Hair update: looks the same straight as it did before the haircut. It looks so long when straightened. At least no troubles with pony tails in the near future.

Saturday Yard Work

We have a lot of leaves because we have a lot of trees. We don't get the brilliant colors of fall in them, but they certainly do fall. That means there's always yard work to do -- raking, putting them in bags, sweeping them off the carport floor. Shawn has a lot of upkeep to do.

The house itself creates chores too. Cleaning is the big one, but also laundry and groceries (my main weekend tasks that are obviously less about the house and more about the people residing here). Shawn takes care of home maintenance. He is the best husband -- and house owner -- I know.

Big game tonight. Very glad it's an away game, should we need to get somewhere tonight (most likely we won't).

Disappointment (Another Hair Post)

Tip #1: don't choose a hair salon based on convenience to your house.

Tip #2: don't go to a salon called "Rage" because you may every well end up leaving ENraged.

My hair has been recovering from the weird haircut in January. It's still got super short pieces as layers on the top back from the weird stacked thing that girl did. I had a trim at a mall in Florida in May, and I think that made it even worse/puffier. But at least it was a cheaper cut.

Basically I wanted to go get a haircut that would add some shape back to the bottom of my hair, which has grown out considerably, maybe get some razored ends added back for the rock star look and mostly to get a really good blow out.

Instead of picking a chain haircut place I made an appointment at a salon that I drive by every day. A SALON, where I expect the stylists to have some modicum of training beyond snip, snip and an ability to shape hair/add layers.

The stylist was nice enough, although weird (who brings a little dog to work? the whole place seemed a little grungy). I got shampooed, which was nice, and we talked about my hair and she said she would cut some of the back off and try to blend in the layers better. It seemed straightforward, and I did emphasize that I wanted to keep the length to still be ponytail-able. She asked if I usually wear my hair curly, and I said yes, not thinking that the way I usually do it would be the way I walked out. The weather has changed here -- yesterday morning was exactly like Vancouver in July -- so it really isn't too humid for my hair to go straight, which was something she said as she was looking at my hair.

Shaping/styling didn't really happen, and the cut was about the level of a Supercuts or Fantastic Sam's visit (only twice as expensive). She just did a bit of trimming with scissors for maybe 5-10 minutes and that was that. She put some smelly stuff in my hair, searched for 5 minutes for a diffuser and then used it to dry my hair. I paid for a "style" that was really bad, i.e. so dumb I could do it myself. And my hair in the end looked like one big curly triangle.

The worst part? I still tipped her!

My hair went right back into its pony tail when I got in the car. And I raged and raged at myself for my stupidity (because really it's my fault -- I could have easily asked her to please add more layers/shaping and blow it out -- but I was ready to get out of there).

This weekend I'll wash and blow dry it myself, just to see if it's at all different than it was before once it's styled straight (because it definitely doesn't look any better when styled curly).

TL;DR? My hair woes in Baton Rouge continue...

Google-y Changes

Google Reader has changed this week, and some features are gone. Specifically the social features -- like the "what I'm reading online" bit on my sidebar -- dead. Now instead of sharing w/in Reader you share items on Google+. Old fogey that I am, I don't fully understand G+, but hopefully it will make more sense as I use it.

I wouldn't call myself a power user of Reader, because I've never really used all the sharing functions to their full advantage. But I certainly do use Reader every day and have hundreds of blogs that I'm able to keep up with thanks to the tool.

I followed a few people on Reader, most of whom I know in real life and therefore am connected to on G+ or am easily able to add. But there were a couple people who were strictly Reader-only connections. I was worried that because I didn't write their names down I wouldn't be able to find them and "circle" them on G+ so I could still get their recommended RSS items.

My basic questions: Where are my Google Reader Shared Items? and How can I find who I was following on Google Reader before it changed?

My shared items are still at the same URL (which I luckily have access to from my blog sidebar). New items that I share via G+ do not get added to it though, and eventually (soon?) it won't work at all.

I was also able to find them on G+ (not public, but as part of my profile) -- click profile at the top (icon looks like a person in a circle), then click Buzz on the right of the menu bar under your name. This is also where I was able to see a list of the people who I followed (and who followed me, in theory, although it never would load for me) on Reader.

So I circled the couple of people I had been following in Reader, and hopefully will remember to check G+ once a day or so to read any shared items. (I guess it would be wrong to ask for an RSS feed of my G+ feed so I could read it all in one place, i.e. Reader, which is almost always open on my computer?)

I also did the Google Takeaway option for Google Buzz (a link on that same part of G+ described above), creating an archive and downloading it. And I'll be darned -- it created a ZIP file of all the things I've shared on Google Reader. So if one of your questions is "How do I save all of my Google Reader Shared Items?" this seems to be the way to do it. Although I guess if you did other things on Buzz (what other things could you do on Buzz?) those might be created in the ZIP file as well. I saved my ZIP file in Google Docs, and I don't think I'll ever actually need it/want to review it. But if I do, it is there.

I'm sure I'll get used to these changes and maybe even start to like G+. I am intrigued by its ability for "hangouts" -- web chats with multiple people and multiple cameras. If I figure that out it could be another service-y post. Hope this one is helpful to some people. I was so excited when I figured it out yesterday!

The Memory-Keeper's Daughter

In my spare time I've been reading the Internet, like woah, and one blog I've been reading for a while is The Mom Creative, which presented 31 Days of Memory Keeping in October. It was a great series, and I got a lot of good ideas.

The Mom Creative is also great about sharing online deals related to memory keeping (cheap photo prints, free photo books, etc.) -- it's how I made the ABCs of Owen book over the summer for the cost of shipping at Paper Coterie. Good stuff.

I don't know that I'll ever consider myself a successful memory keeper, but I've had a lot of fun making things for Owen. And our wedding book is one of my favorite things (although I certainly wish I'd spent more time lightening/adjusting the photos in that book).

We have many a photo album at my mom's house and grandma's house that catalog my and my sister's childhood. And I think about the weekly letters my mom wrote to her mom and wonder what memories those held, and if they survived the years (I'm guessing not). I have my own journals to see about my life from my perspective once I could write (ca. 2nd grade).

So blogging is one way that I'm keeping memories and it's an outgrowth of my childhood journaling. But my blogging is selective ... and I have been falling away from it so much that when I left a comment on The Mom Creative to thank Jessica for her series I got my blog URL wrong! (blogger vs. blogspot)

Perhaps this November effort will get me back in touch with what I liked about having a blog in the first place. Or maybe not...

Today's NaBloPoMo blog prompt: If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be? 

Sort of easy: Gran's fried chicken or chicken-fried steak, new potatoes and white gravy, loaded salad w/ Catalina dressing, Sonic vanilla diet coke, millionaire pie.

November One

I've taken part in National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo) for the last few years. I have plenty of time on my hands right now, so I figured why not give myself a challenge? I may will likely not make it the entire month, but I can give it a shot. It remains to be seen if I will write about the most important parts of my life, or if those will remain in offline mode.

If you'd like to join Zulilly use my referral link and I get $15 credit. I've ordered a couple things from it but not sure it's actually worth anything. Quite the ringing endorsement, huh?

So the writing prompt for today is What is your favourite part about writing?

Does anyone have an answer for that? I think partially it's reading my writing later -- not for the quality of the writing but for the memory keeping itself. I also like to choose words, and I like grammar and punctuation. Probably a lot of it has to do with navel gazing.

Rebound

Still haven't discussed my personality results further, but am less stressed by them/they're not keeping me up nights anymore. One of the things the guy said was "these are all strengths" -- a regular line, but whatever. And really I don't doubt myself -- I'm a kick ass employee and typically pretty highly valued. I'm in unique circumstances now, but still encouraged.

One of the things the guy asked me was about a perfect day -- at work and off work. For work it's about getting a lot of tasks to do and plowing through it, getting feedback and clearance quickly, until it's time to go home (maybe with a good lunch break with coworkers thrown in). Perhaps I'd answer that differently if I wasn't so starved for tasks (again, it's the unique, temporary circumstances dictating that mostly). Hrm.

My response to the "off work" perfect day was basically spending time with Shawn and/or our families (can any day be perfect without a squeeze from Owen Jay?!). But the more I thought about it, the more I thought I'd like a perfect day in New York. In some crisp fall air, with a street festival, some Mercado's pizza slices and a Diet Coke, a stroll through Washington Square Park (assuming construction is all finished by now) and a look up 5th Ave through the arch. Maybe a matinee Broadway show (drama or musical ... just something good). Maybe a sushi dinner after the show and a ride down 5th Ave on the bus to get "home" -- or maybe ride all the way to the Staten Island ferry for a night time ride in the cool air before ending the day.

What is my perfect Baton Rouge day though? I don't have any activities I really love that are exclusive to BR like my NYC memories. I LOVE our house -- so puttering around here is fun. Actually my perfect day now would involve my couch, comfy temps (read almost chilly in the room with a cozy blanket), something good to eat and drink, and a full DVR of shows to watch, heavy on the Psych. Oh, and maybe something good to read too ... because I'm seriously bored much of the time as I wait ... and wait ... and wait.

Assess Me

I took a personality test -- or something like it -- at work a couple weeks ago, and on Friday I got my "results." Nothing too shocking. I mean, I know I'm detail-oriented and impatient. But what was a surprise was my "score" on manageability.

I like to think that I'm a really good employee -- I follow directions, offer suggestions but know my place once a decision is made and go do my work. Apparently not, at least according to this test. Perhaps it's a reflection of how I FEEL rather than what I DO, because sure I might grumble about directions or projects that don't make sense, or when a decision doesn't go my way ... but I don't think that makes me unmanageable when I keep the grumbling to myself and ultimately do the work as assigned. So I've been tumbling that around in my head for a couple days now.

The results also showed that I would not likely be happy or good in a leadership role, i.e. leave me alone in my work. I can see that, but I also want to think of myself as having room to grow into a leadership capacity. Maybe not in the cards, but if not I would like to think it's my choice rather than a personality trait.

So what I came away with is that I can't be managed and I can't lead -- so what am I do to for an occupation? Blurgh.

I still have to talk with someone who actually works with me/has seen me in action (results were given by a nice third-party guy). Also funny to note: I am totally different personality/traits wise than everyone else that I work with in the region. The third-party guy was really confused how I fit in ... until I explained to him my communications role and journalism background (and then he thought skepticism was the bees knees for me rather than a possible hindrance). Oh me.

Domestically Disinclined

On Saturday I did a big grocery shop to make a bunch of casseroles to freeze. The shopping wasn't too bad (although getting to the store was -- stupid timing on our part re: game traffic). But the cooking has been exhausting. So far I've made six dishes, and we've eaten one of them (a spinach and cheese strata that I realized probably would not freeze well, although I'm not actually convinced any of them will taste good).

When the inlaws were here my m-i-l took me to Sam's and one of the things we bought were these throw away foil pans for casseroles. But I'm realizing they have a weird smell to them, so we'll see if that affects the taste (I made the strata in a regular pan).

Here's what I've made, none of which look as good as the recipes, of course:

• Baked Penne with Sun Dried Tomatoes (we actually ate half of this one on Sunday and it was pretty good)
• Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
• King Ranch Casserole
• Best Macaroni and Cheese
• Shepherd's Pie

The two left to make are Baked Rigatoni with Tiny Meatballs (what am I thinking, this recipe is two pages long?!) and Spinach and Rice Casserole. I also have the stuff for Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili, but I pre-cooked and froze the chicken so hopefully can just cook as directed and throw the thawed chicken in at the end. We'll see how that works ... and if I can get it together to make some corn bread or muffins to go with it -- I guess that's another thing I could premake and freeze.

I've come to the conclusion that I should have just relied on takeout ...

Random song/video for fun:



Road rage got me this morning on the way to work. I need to revisit my defensive driving materials from work. To be fair I was provoked/the guy was tail-gating me, but I'm really lucky nothing actually happened. Good grief.