Friday, October 27, 2006

New post on LGT

I posted on LGT because it was kind of theatre-related post:
http://www.loadedguntheory.com/blog/director/list/julie.html

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Another Cute Pic


Stella at 7 mos, 1 day.

Stella at 7 months


Stella turned 7 months old yesterday. It's hard to believe it's been 7 months since that little firecracker entered our world. She continues to astound and confound me every day. Yesterday she started saying "Da" over and over again, in effect saying "DaDa", although she says it indiscriminately. But it's so cute. Tim was so funny, he was like, "I know rationally that she has no clue what she's saying, but awww." His heart was melted. I'm only slightly jealous;)

Stella was fussy most of the day yesterday and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Sure she was teething, but that didn't seem to be all that was wrong with her. I couldn't get her to sit down, for one thing. I thought perhaps it was the nasty diaper rash she developed Monday that is slowly but surely healing. Then I thought "perhaps her denim overalls are too short in the stride". So I unbuttoned a couple of the crotch snaps and suddenly my baby was happy! I felt so bad that I'd tortured her for most of the day. But the overalls were just so dang cute and it was too cold in the house to go faluting around in just a onesie. I now think that tight pants were the same reason why she was fussy Monday. Although today her pants are definitely not too tight and she's still often keeping her legs rigid when I try to put her down. Perhaps she's practicing standing. Oh, dear!

Monday I made homemade baby food for Stella. I felt so freakin' domestic! It was surprisingly simple, except for the fact that Stella kept wanting me to hold her and cooking and holding a baby don't mix. We served her the potatoes Monday night, but she was not going to digest any of it. I was feeling inferior. But we served her the sweet potatoes yesterday and she dug them. Rock! The homemade stuff is such a better consistency. We were finding with a lot of the jarred stuff that it was just too liquidy and took forever to feed her. Stella would lose interest too soon and it also made a mess. I'm planning to make more homemade baby food tonight. I should have done it this afternoon, but I had no clue she'd take a two hour nap, those are very rare these days!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Wow!


This was one of a batch of photos I took this morning. This just might be my favorite picture of Stella ever taken. It just captures her personality so perfectly. I realize it's blurry, but it's because she's always in motion. I cannot believe how beautiful she is. Sometimes I just look at her little perfect petite features and am overwhelmed. People stop me to tell me what a beautiful baby she is when I'm at the store and stuff. Perhaps I should get her into modeling;) I'm just kidding about that last part!

Wal-Mart Still Sucks

So I broke down and went to Walmart yesterday for the first time in years. I was looking for reflectors for the jogging stroller so that I can send Tim and Stella off on their early morning, still dark runs without the worry that I have been sending them off with in the past. I had already checked Toys R' Us and Target and figured, "hey, Walmart will have it, they have everything." Tim has been trying to get me to go to Walmart lately. Apparently it's okay again, they're all environmentally friendly and stuff. So I went to the new one at Slaughter and 35 because I was curious about it and maybe wanted to relieve a little of the concerts of my youth (it's built over Southpark Meadows, which was a great outside concert venue. I saw Radiohead open for REM as well as NIN and David Bowie there). It's one of them thar SuperCenters that have a grocery store in addition to the regular Walmart and were previously only the domain of small East Texas Towns. These things are huge, they require a Rascal just to traverse the store. (Sidenote: I googled Rascal to put a link to one and something called "Rascal Flatts" kept coming up. Judging by their album covers and the fact that many of their songs seem to end in an apostrophe rather than ing, I'm guessing they are a country boy band. Weird).
Anyway, I pull into the Walmart parking lot and immediately my hands start sweating and I feel nervous. I am not used to going to stores larger than my neighborhood. There are cars driven by yokels, including one that has the sticker "Immigrant? Learn the Language and Assimilate". Yeah, for real. I doubt they even know what assimilate means. They probably think it means to do something with your ass. So I'm already nervous. I park and put Stella in her sling, fearful they'll recognize me as the hippie liberal I am simply because I've got my child in something that has her touching me and doesn't leave her free to stare empty-eyed at the ceiling while she drinks the bottle of formula I've propped up for her. We start towards the store. These people are not Austinites. They look like they have been bussed in from Central Casting as the inhabitants of a small depressed East or West Texas town. Maybe they drove in from Jasper or Seminole. I know how they like to waste money on gas with their big Dulli trucks. Once inside the store, Stella and I are both overwhelmed. It is huge and bright and ugly. I proceed to the toys since I am looking for a very specific thing I want to give as a gift. Unfortunately, they have it, but only one and it looks like someone dragged it all over the store before returning it to the shelf. It probably was used to keep a kid amused. Luckily, I find something else very cute and proceed to the bike accessories. No reflectors, nada. Apparently everything has to have batteries these days. So I go to the deodorant for Tim. I walk back and forth trying to find the aisle because they are called "anti-perspirants" on the sign and I miss it. I finally find the aisle and yep, they don't carry Tim's brand. At this point my legs are tired, Stella's trying to crawl out of the sling, and I just want to check out. But Walmart has decided in order to keep its prices low, it will only have 4 regular checkouts and 4 self-checkouts open at 5pm! The people at the self-checkouts are staring at the machines like they came from outerspace. I swear, any moment these shoppers are going to pull out sticks and start banging the machines and it's going to descend into total anarchy. I keep going to lines, seeing idiots operating them, and moving to another line. Finally I find a line behind a woman who, while she has a ton of stuff, seems to know how to scan an item and put it in a bag. Eventually I get to scan my one item and check out. I tell Stella to say hello and goodbye to Walmart because we ain't going back!
I just read this post and wow, does it live and die on stereotypes. I can only imagine what my fellow Walmart shoppers would have to say about me!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Sleep Rocks!

Stella slept till 4am last night, so she technically slept through the night. Sweet! Now our next challenge is getting her to sleep until 6:30. Go Stella, go!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Our Baby's All Grown Up!

Not really, but we did put Stella in her room by herself for the first time last night. I was really procrastinating doing it, and would get weepy whenever I even thought of it, but after several nights of very little sleep, figured it couldn't possibly get any worse. So Tim set her crib up in her room and we left her to sleep all alone. I wasn't actually really that upset. But our room does seem very empty and huge. I would love to report that on her first night in her room by herself miracles happened and that she slept through the night. I would be lying. She woke up at 1:30, 2:30 and 5:30 and didn't want to go back to sleep after she ate at 5:30, but Tim managed to get her to sleep until 7. The only difference from previous nights was that I had to walk into the room next door when she woke up, rather than just get out of bed and turn to the crib. But still, I'm sure we slept better. And it was nice not having to dread going to the bathroom for fear of waking up Stella. Although it was really odd because I kept waking up totally disoriented. We switched sides of the bed again, back to our pre-Stella sides so I would be back by the door instead of by the crib, plus we no longer had the nightlight that had lit our room for the past 6 and a half months, so when I woke up I really had no clue where I was. It was strange. I think I actually got up and went to Tim's side of the bed once when Stella woke up.

On another note, Toys R' Us really sucks. Stella and I went there today to search for a present for Henry, who turns One on Saturday with a Birthday Bash that I'm sure all the babies will be talking about for years to come, as well as a ball for Stella, and reflectors for Tim's jogging stroller. The toys were WAY overpriced. And they didn't have any balls, in fact sports had been relegated to a single aisle. No wonder our kids are so fat! And they didn't have any reflectors. Plus Stella and I were totally overwhelmed by the brightness and loudness of the place. Although I did see some really cute toys Stella told me she wants to add to her Christmas list:)

I had a dream last night that Stella just started walking. At 7 months old. Tim and I would astounded. It was such a weird dream.

That's enough rambling for now, I guess.

Friday, October 13, 2006

F is for Frugal

Tim got paid today, woot! I am going to have to practice extreme self-control not to spend it all at once. Okay, not really all, but basically we have been extra frugal the last couple of weeks because due to various costs, foreseen and unforeseen (but mostly related to our four-legged children and our two-legged child's Baptism and attendant hoopla), we've been beyond broke. (Disclaimer: when I say "beyond broke" I mean had to dip into savings, not had to Pawn our wedding rings or anything) So when I go into Fabulously Frugal Mode, we try not to buy anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Like my hair mousse, which is why my hair has been so limp lately, although I actually kind of like the look. I've been feeling like a caged animal this week, going kind of crazy, because I've barely been getting out. I've got to find new activities because I'm realizing that a lot of my current ones involve shopping, which is sad and expensive. But anyway, the result of this is often that once Tim gets paid, I go around buying all the stuff I've not been getting and suddenly we're perilously close to broke again. It's an unhappy cycle. Tim just IM'd to ask if he could go out to lunch today. See, it's like we get a little money in our pocket and just can't wait to spend it! (I told him yes, of course, I'm not Draconian!)
Tim depressingly calculated that 10% of his income goes to our health insurance costs. I didn't have the heart to tell him it's actually more than 10%, I'd already calculated this sad little figure. And a national healthcare system would be worse, why exactly? I think someone who runs his health insurance is getting insanely rich because it should not cost that much for healthcare for 2 adults and a baby when the employer is supposedly paying for the employee's part and subsidizing the dependents (I don't believe that they actually are).
Okay, enough bitching. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to stay home with my baby, own a house, own one car and be two payments away from owning the other. I don't have any credit card debt, (well, two plane tickets and Roxie's hospital bill, but those are already in the works to be paid off), and we all have our health. I suddenly feel sheepish for complaining, especially when so many people have nothing. I'm sorry for the whining but I feel I have to share my pettiness sometimes.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Rain Glorious Rain!

Or Super Crappy Night is Made Better by Sooper Awesome Morning.
Stella is really teething. No really, I mean it, she's finally in the teething shit now. Night before last she woke up several times with it. In fact, at one point, about 12:30am, she was chewing on her pacifier for relief. Last night she woke up at least every two hours and I had to nurse her to get her back to sleep. It was obvious she wanted some comfort because her teeth hurt her. Poor thing. Poor me.
But then, this morning, Tim took her on their run. He got back about 20 till 8. Then I heard him come out of the bathroom and instead of handing Stella off to me, I heard her playing in her exersaucer. I still didn't dare take the pillow off my head. Then I didn't hear her anymore. "Oh, that's so sweet, he took her down with him to eat breakfast", I thought. Then I looked at the clock and it was 8:30 and still Stella had not been returned to me, "he must be driving" I thought. Then 9:30 and I realized that he must be working from home! I didn't want to stir, although I finally did because I thought Stella was probably getting hungry. I came downstairs and it was pouring rain (outside, of course), and Stella was sleeping in the crook of Tim's arm as he slept on the couch. It was adorable. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want to wake them up. So I curled up on the other end, joined by Roxie and Lucy, and just enjoyed listening to the rain and the thunder and the lightening. Of course, I found out the reason Tim was staying home was that he'd unfortunately hurt his knee, so hopefully that's a temporary problem, but it was so nice to get a chance to rest after the horrible night we'd had last night.

Friday, October 06, 2006

The cutest picture ever!


Can you stand the cuteness? Seriously, wow, these are some cute babies! Daniel was cute too, but I think he was eating at this moment, so he isn't pictured. Stella and Henry were so cute today. Henry crawled right over to Stella and took her pacifier out. Stella was stunned. But I think she's pretty enamored of Henry. After all, he can crawl all over the place and say "yeah". Then Henry kept offering Stella toys. Oh it was just adorable! Stella's so fun now that she sits up. Tim and I both think it's so cute, we make her do it all the time. I need a synonym for cute, this is worse than my sweet potato post.

Monday, October 02, 2006

MeMe that is distracting me from cleaning my filthy kitchen

Learn 50 things about your friends, and let them learn 50 things about you!
1. How tall are you barefoot? 5'9" and a half
2. Have you ever been unfaithful in a relationship? Nope.
3. Do you own a gun? No.
4. Have you had a mental disorder? No, although sometimes I do think I'm crazy, but don't we all?
5. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Both quoth "Nevermore"? I have no clue.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Not a huge fan, but Tim bought some Hebrew Nationals that were delish
7. What's your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night, makes me cry everytime. ONe of the few things I could still play on the piano years after I stopped taking lessons.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Oj, milk, and Decaf coffee
9. Do you do push-ups? Nope. Although in yoga they make us do things similar to pushups which I hate.
10. Have you ever done ecstasy? No.
11. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? No, I've been married for over 7 years.
12. Do you like the rain? Yes, especially since it never rains here. I actually find myself pining for the afternoon showers and storms of Houston. But I don't pine for the humidity.
13. Are you sweet? I don't know that that would be the first adjective I would use to describe myself, but I think I can be.
14. Do you have A.D.D.? I don't think so, but I have a short attention span.
15. Full initials? JDWT
16. Do you like the snow? Yes! I've only seen it a few times, but a few years ago, it snowed when we had a bunch of friends over and we had snowball fights and drank spiked hot chocolate. It was one of the most magical, fun nights I've ever had!
17. Name 4 thoughts at this exact moment. I really should clean the kitchen. I wish I'd taken a shower when Stella went down for her nap. How long before Stella wakes up. I need to order that halloween costume for Stella.
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought in the past week: groceries for dinner last night at HEB, groceries for Stella's Baptism party Saturday night at HEB, and dinner for Friday night at Central Market.
19. Have you ever been arrested? No, but I got an Minor in Possession my first weekend at UT when I was 18.
20. What time did you wake up today? 2:50 when Roxie started barking and woke me up and more importantly stella, 5:30 when Stella woke up and I had to get her back to sleep, 6:40 when Stella woke up to eat, 8:09 when Stella's Aunt Kate brought her in to try to get her down for a nap, and finally 9:10 when I realized Stella was probably hungry and I should get her and feed her.
21. Can you spell? yes and woe to anyone who can't. I also made it to my school's spelling bee and usually came in 2nd.
23. Current hate? Poopy diapers after Stella has eaten peas. Had one this morning and I swear that smell was manufactured in the 9th circle of hell.
24. Favorite place to be? on the beach
25. Least favorite place to be? the DMV?
26. Where would you like to go? Back to England, I think about it all the time. Or Cozumel to the beach, I've never been to Mexico.
27. Do you own slippers? Yes, they're in the closet but I only wear them during the winter. DUring the rest of the year, I wear flip flops around the house and often go out in them because I forgot to change shoes.
28. Where do you think you'll be in 10 yrs? still in Austin, but hopefully in another house. Probably have 3 kids, still acting a lot, and LGT will be the coolest theatre company in Austin and people other than us will know it.
29. Do you burn or tan? either. If I put sunscreen on, I can get a tan, but it fades quickly. If I do not put sunscreen on, I burn.
30. Yellow or blue? Blue
31. Would you be a pirate? ARgh! Yes, I like the idea of travelling the high seas, but I wouldn't steal stuff and kill people.
32. When was the last time your phone rang? I think probably Saturday evening when my Mom called to tell me they were in town.
33. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower.
34. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? evil cars. I had a recurring dream where I was standing in my grandmother's kitchen at the screen down that led to the garage, and a car was coming straight for me.
35. What's in your pockets right now? Nothing.
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Stella eating her cereal this morning.
37. Best bed sheets you had as a child? I don't remember.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? I dove into the pool after swim practice on a dare, dove too shallowly and hit my head. That ended my swimming career because I was scared to dive after that. I got a big lump on my noggin, but no concussion or anything. Or the time I sprained my ankle two years ago and had to drag myself to the sidewalk on sixth street. I had to go to physical therapy and everything, it was pretty bad.
39. Have you ever crashed a car/truck? Yeah. two weeks after I got my license I crashed my dad's truck when driving to work at Splashtown in the rain, and 3 months later I crashed my Ford Fairmont into a woman when I was trying to turn left. After that my car's right headlight pointed into the trees like the bat signal.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2. Living room and office, although we never watch the one in the office.
41. Would you ever buy an iguana? possibly, I think they are very cool.
42. Are you attracted to your same sex? Sometimes, unconsciously, like I'll have a weird dream or something and think, "what the heck was that about?"
44. Do you wish on stars? No.
45. What is your favorite book? I have lots. I loved "The House of Sand and Fog". "The Great Gatsby" is an all-time fave.
46. What song did you last hear? Bennie and the Jets on the Running with Scissors preview. Can't wait to see that!
47. Do you think Mormons are hot? Eww, no. THey're usually super-blond and super-inbred.
48. What is your favorite cereal? Oreo crunch, but I haven't eaten it in years and would only eat it for dessert.
49. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I hope Katie still doesn't mind if I give her Stella while go back to sleep.