Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I knew it!

Thanks, Elizabeth for bringing this to my attention. If you have been reading the "My Super
Hopeless Romance", read here or here.







It was entertaining while it lasted.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

New Crib!


After two trips to the store, a few hours online, 5 cribs being out of stock, a few tears (sad, but true), we have ordered this crib. Thanks to the tears and asking to talk to a supervisor, we ended up getting 30% off AND free shipping! It wasn't my first pick, but I think it will be cute, a little more modern than we had before, but the best part is that it comes with the toddler bed rail. Lily is excited for her new bed to come.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Another Crib Recall (Not Ours, But It Could Be Yours)

I just read about another crib recall on Delta cribs made from 1995-2007. Make sure you check your crib! Here is the link to the info: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27294553/ or http://www.cribrecallcenter.com/. The cribs were sold at Wal-mart, K-mart, and Target.

Still Sleeping

It is 11:00am and she is still sleeping. Partial explanation for the behavior yesterday?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Adventures in Pottytraining, or, Wanted for Attempted Robbery

**I couldn't decide on what to title this post, so I put in the two titles I liked.

Normally I wouldn't post about potty training for two reasons:
1) Confession time: even though my daughter is 2 and a half, I haven't given it much of a try, other than to say, "Lily, you really should learn to use the potty."
and
2) I get really bored/grossed out from all the gory details (not you, I love hearing about your kid's pooping problems).

BUT, after a day like today, I have to write it down in the hopes that I can look back someday and see the humor in it all.

It started out this morning when I thought it would be "fun" to put some underpants on the Lily to see if the "Let it fly, and she'll stay dry" method would work for us. (You know, the one where the kid ends up peeing all over the house?) Well, she thought it would be a fun adventure, but I should have known that it wouldn't work when she absolutely positively wouldn't sit on the potty. She definitely wanted to stand on it to brush her teeth by herself, though!

Then, I took the potty upstairs for easy access. After a few minutes, Lily decided she wanted to take her underwear off. She wouldn't tell me why, but she went to get a diaper. She didn't want to put that on. Then I went to get a pull-up, but she didn't want to put that on. So we have a little one running around with nothing on. Well, you guessed it, it wasn't long before she started getting THAT FACE, the one that says, "Something is about to come out, but I really don't want it to."

This was followed by my picking her up and running for the potty. She started screaming, and yelling, "No, Mommy, No!" with tears running down her cheeks. She refused to sit, refused to put anything on, and refused to talk to me. She then FLUNG herself face down on the kitchen floor and continued to bawl. Then she followed me into the living room, where she FLUNG herself face down on the living room floor, still bawling.

At this point, I gave up, so I guess I should have not been surprised when not FIVE minutes later, she followed me downstairs, where she promptly spread her legs, and, well, you know, made like a cat and sprayed the carpet.

This led to me, again, picking her up and running for the bathroom, where she was told to remain while I got something to clean up the mess. She actually listened, but when I returned, she started bawling again when I tried to put a diaper on her. I had had it, so I laid her down on the floor, held her hands back with my feet, as I put her diaper on her, dodging the kicking legs. At this point there may have been some yelling, I really don't know. I know, I know, not the best strategy for encouraging potty training.

She then was sent to her room, and told to get on her bed, which she actually did, which was good, because by this time we both needed a time out.

After she was in her room for about 10 minutes, I thought it would be a good idea for us to run to Babies R Us to take care of some business related to our crib. Why did I think this would go well? I have no idea.

So things actually went okay. We got our business done, and I thought we should look at some socks. They had nothing, but they did have some cute Elmo and Ariel underwear (two different packages). Feeling bad for the way I handled the situation earlier in the day, I thought I would get her some new underwear for encouragement. She, of course, wanted both of them, which I contemplated, but in the end, I decided to let her choose one. I don't think she entirely understands the concept of choosing, because every time I asked her to choose, she would say, "Melmo, Air-el, melmo, air-el."

I finally took away Elmo, and was about to take away Ariel, when she decided to take off. Thinking she wouldn't go far, I waited a second before following. I underestimated how determined she was. When she saw I was coming for her, she took off even more, to the front of the store, and out the first double doors. (Who thought automatic doors in a baby store was a good idea?) At this point, I am screaming and running, and I finally caught her, after she went out the SECOND double doors, and INTO THE PARKING LOT!!!! WITHOUT STOPPING!!!! WITH ARIEL STILL IN HER HANDS!!!! I scooped her up, ran back into the store, flung the underwear on the counter, and ran back out, while also catching a glimpse of all the employees gathered in a circle at the front of the store, just staring at my crazy eyes and flaming cheeks.

Needless to say, she didn't end up with either Melmo or Air-el.

For the rest of the way home, I kept reminding her she was in trouble and that she had done something very naughty. She kept saying, "Mommy sad?" and "Sowwee (sorry)". I don't really know if she knew what she had done was wrong (the shoplifting and the running into the street and not listening to Mom), but she knew I was upset.

And, that, my friends, is why my daughter will be in kindergarten, still not potty-trained. I apologize to her tablemates in advance.

As soon as we got home, she went back to her bed, where she is currently still sleeping peacefully, with no hint of the troubles from earlier in the day.

*Oh, I did stop to take this picture as we got home.

WANTED: FOR ATTEMPTED ROBBERY

-How do you discipline a 2 year old? We do time-outs and the like, but how do you know what you are trying to teach them is sinking in?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

NKOTB!

Okay, I know at least my sister Alicia can appreciate this. Did anyone see Rachael Ray today? It had a super New Kids fan contest. The lady that won was 33 and was decked out in a jacket, tee shirt, pins, etc, and she had a water bottle that Jordan used 15 years ago. It had water in it until yesterday, when she had to dump it out at the airport. She also had a spoon that Donny had used in a hotel 15 years ago. She was crying when she was talking about it. And then, they had the New Kids on. They look exactly the same, just older. I always had a secret crush on Jon, because he was the quiet one. I wouldn't ever tell anyone about my crush, but I had a secret dream that one day I would meet them, and he would see me and fall in love, and I could finally admit that I was in love with him. There, my confession after 15 years! By the way, he just seemed really nerdy today. My taste must have grown up. I know Alicia was looking to go to the concert in California, if anyone is up for it!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

CHECK YOUR CRIB!!!

Through the magic of the internet, with one thing linking to another, to another, to another, I found this tonight:


Cute, right? This is the crib we picked out for our darling little girl right before she was born. This is the crib she has been sleeping in almost every night for the last 2 years and 4 months. This is the crib that I just tonight discovered has been RECALLED due to strangulation and entraptment hazard!!!
I had no idea, and the recall has been around since June. So, make sure you check out your crib and see if has been recalled.
We got ours at Babies R Us in 2006. Here is the official notice.
The good news is that we will get a voucher for the highest retail price, including sales tax, to use on a new crib of our choice from Babies R Us or Toys R Us.
Lily doesn't really need to be in a crib anymore, although Matt and I were talking 3 nights ago about how nice it is that she sleeps so well in it still. She never even tries to get out.
But, since we hope (crossing our fingers and our toes) that someday we will have another baby, we need to get it now while we still can.
And, I was noticing a few weeks ago that it had dings and scratches in it, and how it would be nice to get a new one!

So, to sum up, make sure to check your crib. The US Consumer Product Safety Commision website has all the info on any recall on anything. Make sure to check it out periodically.

A temple in Italy!

Hooray!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I think this blog is fake

I stumbled upon this blog as a link on someone else's blog, and as entertaining as it is, I think it is fake. What do you think?

The real reason I think it is fake is, how did people find out about it? Did she send the address to a few friends, and it has spread? And in that case, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of remaining anonymous, because her friends would know who she is?

And if it isn't fake, I am sorry to the real author, because having many years ago been in a semi-similar, if not quite so dramatic, situation, I feel for her. Also, it is so detailed, I think she may secretly want "Seth" to find it so that she can let him know her true feelings without outright telling him.

Read it and let me know what you think in the *comment* section below.

Comments

I was just posting a comment on a friend's blog, and it got me thinking about a couple of things. Feel free to respond to my questions in the comment section below.

1-How do you respond to people's comments? Do you post a comment on your own blog, under the other person's comment? I don't always go back and look at the comment section of someone else's blog after I have posted, so I don't know if the person would see it. Do you post a comment on their blog under a possible completely unrelated post, in the hopes they will remember what they posted so they will know what they are talking about? And should you reference their post in your comment, even if it is something you might not normally comment on?

2-Is it proper blogging etiquette to always post a comment on someone's blog? I personally don't always, either because I don't have anything new to add, I am too lazy, I don't know the person (oops, does that happen?), etc. But I feel sad sometimes when nobody makes a comment on my postings. I like to know that people care at least a little bit to look at my blog. But, just because I don't always comment doesn't mean I don't care, right?

3-How do you feel about posting on a blog for a person you don't know? Come on, I know you all do it--blog hopping, blog stalking, whatever you want to call it. I know I do--I even have a few links to people I have never met. My mother-in-law reads my sisters' blogs to find out what is happening in the family, not technically looking at a stranger's blog, but still.

4-Would you like strangers posting on your blog? Obviously this question is for people with non-private blogs. I assume most strangers don't get invited to read private blogs.

5-Why don't you leave comments on my blog? I know you read it, because you tell me so later. (You know who you are!)

Also, based on this blog post, can you tell where I am at in the cycle?

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is my grandma Amy's 84th birthday. This is the grandma that we are living with and help care for. I don't mention her often, because, frankly, nothing much changes with her. She spends her days sleeping and eating. She has a fever today and doesn't seem to be doing well, so we will just keep an eye on her and see how she does. But, happy birthday Grandma!