Sip Sip

For Christmas, Scott got me a great coffee mug from World Market. It's the kind with the silicone lid, that makes it look like you just got a Starbucks Latte. I swear, my coffee tastes "fancier" in that thing. Not to mention, the lid is just AWESOME for keeping my coffee close by while playing with the kids. It's not spill proof, but at least it gives me half a chance to prevent a major mess when it does get knocked over.

Scott was so sold, he bought himself one and a third one for me to have at the office - which my office mate, Chris, is very grateful for, as he has helped me clean up a massive coffee spill at LEAST 3-4 times in the last couple months. (You would think I would learn not to put my coffee mug between my arm and the ringing phone, but apparently I'm still learning that lesson.)

Anyway, happiness reigns in the small things, and right now, these commuter mugs are bringing a little bit more joy to my daily routine.

And then, it struck me. I don't think I have any position to try and break the kids of their habit of requesting "warm milk in a sippy cup" first thing every morning. Notice a similarity?

Where We Were

1 Year Ago: Sitting at the Blacksmith Restaurant, contemplating what it would be like to have 2 boys in our family.

2 Years Ago: Finally feeling "in the groove" as parents and so appreciative of the wonderful community of friends we enjoy in Bend.

3 Years Ago: Just home from the hospital with tiny, baby Owen (and I think take-out pizza). We had no idea how the energy in our home would forever be changed.

4 Years Ago: Recently returned from a much anticipated trip to Belize; talking about starting a family.

5 Years Ago: Just moved to Bend and then promptly returning to Washington. I spent the evening at Carole's Wedding Rehersal and Scott was at Brian's Bachelor Party.

6 Years Ago: Really settled and enjoying our house, friends, and community in Seattle. Thrilled that Scott had recently escaped a very draining job and exploring if we could work for the same company (ultimately not a sweet idea, but the commute was much more enjoyable!)

7 Years Ago: "Enjoying" one very lame celebratory dinner that still brings us laughs today. Quickly getting over it because we were in Hawaii for a week for Sheri's wedding. Preparing to scour the pet shelters when we got home for our first dog - Hudson!

8 Years Ago: New homeowners. Just brought home the tiniest kitten (Cisco), who was small enough to walk under our couch. Occassionally feeling overwhelmed by the responsiblity of caring for that little creature. (Overwhelmed by a cat - seriously? I guess times have changed.) Within a month, recruiting a friend for that fast growing kitty - Pippin.

9 Years Ago: Taking advantage of the long 4th of July weekend to spend some time in... Canada. Summer vacation on the cheap in Whistler.

10 Years Ago: Bundles of nerves, mountains of excitement, oodles of optimism, and the stunned look of two "kids" seeing each other on either end of a chruch aisle. We stood before more family and friends than will ever be gathered in one place and committed to tackle the adventure of life together.

Life is not easy. Marriage is not easy. Parenting is not easy. But the victories are sweeter when you have someone to share them with. Whether we're celebrating major milestones, wrestling with major decisions, struggling to find our footing, laughing at the absurdity of it all, or collapsing in exhaustion at the end of the day... there's nobody I'd rather be facing life's challenges with. I love you babe!

Let's give this marriage thing a shot for another 10 years.


P.S. Today: Preparing for lovely dinner out, contemplaing what's next for each of us and our family, and looking forward to a kid-free week in Mexico come September.

I Ran

This is the year of the family fitness challenge - all of us Maxwells have chosen a fitness goal to accomplish in 2010. I'm running a half marathon, which has been one of my life goals for quite some time. It will be challenging to find the time to do the training, but I think it will be really good to have a goal to work for, so that I can't take the easy excuses to avoid getting back in shape.

I have been getting psyched up and prepared - researched the options and decided on a local race in October, bought new shoes for Valentine's Day, signed up for a running group in town, received new running clothes for my birthday and found a sports bra to fit the nursing body. I'm all set! Except for the RUNNING part. I haven't run AT ALL since before Owen was born. No wait, since before I was pregnant with Owen. So that means it's been 3+ years. That's intimidating.

But, you've gotta start somewhere, so on Sunday afternoon, we were getting ready to take the boys and dog for a walk and I decided to just put on my running shoes and take Hudson for a little jog. Gulp. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast, but it also wasn't as bad as I expected. I managed a 10-4-9 (minutes running-walking-running), and I can still move today. Decent start.

Though I did sustain my first running injury. Hudson took an abrupt stop to mark a bush and, in my blazing speed, my thumb had an unfortunate encounter with the dog leash. Let's hope this is the worst injury I sustain over the next 7 months of running...

Chop, Chop

So Colleen wrote a great post about her hairstyles over the years, just as I have gone and done the super chop on mine. This is definitely the shortest my hair has ever been. I'm not sure if I like it this short, but I do really like how easy it is and I finally feel like my hair has a style, rather than sitting like limp mop on my head.

Apparently I have the same pattern as Colleen of grow - baby - chop because the last time I hacked mine was January '08, when Owen was 6 months old and we were FINALLY coming out of the baby fog. Since that time, my old stylist moved back to Bend, and she does such a great job - plus has a 2-year-old, so we have great chats in the process. So...

Here's the before (seriously, I don't have any pictures of myself since Christmas!):

and the after:

I Love You Two

A few days after Josh was born, my friend Michelle asked if I had felt that same "instant love" at Josh's birth as I did with Owen. I know it's something that many parents worry about as they await the birth of their second child.

What I shared with Michelle (and what Scott and I talked about later) is that it feels like Josh has always been a part of our family... we just didn't meet him until his birth. As if we already had the love for Josh floating around our family, it just hadn't been assigned to anybody yet. It's now our privilege and our joy to meet the little boy that belongs to that love.

Michelle's question also got me thinking about how I love my boys - and the reality that I don't love them the same at all.

With Owen, I've had over 2 years to get to know him, to learn all the little things that make up his ever-changing personality. The more I get to know him, the more it seems like my love of him grows stronger, though I know I have always loved him with all of my heart. My love for Owen is also now part of a reciprocal relationship - I get to share that love with him and see some of that love flowing back toward me. It's the most amazing feeling as a parent when your child says "I love you mom" unprompted for the first (or 23rd) time. Owen is also old enough that we can have some little rituals to express our love.

For example, I've started reciting this little poem to him as I rub his back before bed:
"I love you from your head to your toes,
From your knees to your nose,
Inside and Outside,
I love everything about you."
I hope he remembers things like that down the road and I look forward to the time when I can do the same for Josh.

Loving Josh is a quite different. At this point, it's a love of his creation, an anticipation of the person he is going to become, a love of possibility and hope. Loving Josh right now really follows the old adage that "Love is an action word." Since we don't have the communication that I have with Owen, I get to express love purely through actions - snuggling, feeding, changing, holding, and sweet whispers in his ear.

After Owen's birth, I had the overwhelming realization that he was (and always will be) the baby that made me a mother. At Josh's birth, I realized that he is the baby that makes me the mother of BOYS. Both are amazing feelings, and the things I am most proud of in my life.

So, do I love both my boys the same? Absolutely not. Do I do love them both fully, with all of my heart? Absolutely yes.

Dueling Laptops

Tonight is one of those evenings when both Scott and I are sitting on the couch staring at the computer screen. Only this time we have dueling laptops ... we got a new computer! We have to do our part to stimulate the economy right? So our tax refund went to Best Buy and a new HP laptop that is super slick and with gabs more memory than the 5 year old machine sitting on my lap. Now begins the long process of transferring files, so our pictures are in digital purgatory until we get things up and running, so I updated the blog background design to give you something new to look at.

Our evening:
I've said before how the 5-6 o'clock hour is a tough one in our house. I walk in the door with a mental list of tasks to accomplish, a hungry belly, and a nearly 2-year old that just wants attention after a long day at school. Today, turned out awesome because I was able to put Owen to work on a few of those tasks. He pushed our rolling garbage can all the way in from the curb (I wish I had pictures - the can is double his height), and then helped me shuck corn on the cob for dinner. That kid is just happier with a job to do!

Finally, hooray for the second trimester! I still have bouts of exhaustion (i.e. after a Saturday in the sun without enough water), but my stomach is no longer rebelling. Of course, this also brings the frustrating phase where none of my pants fit, but there's no way I'm pulling out the maternity box yet. We'll see how far a little creativity and my Bella Band will get me...

25 Things?!

Note: we're on vacation for the next week, so I'm testing out the feature that lets you "schedule" your post for the future. I'm hoping this pops up on Tuesday. While we're swimming in the sun, you can enjoy random facts about me. (Sorry that's not much consolation).

So the "25 things" about me lists have been going around facebook. I've been working on this one a while - maybe I'm just not that interesting - or things keep popping into my head in the shower and then I forget them once I get on the computer. So, after much thought, here is the randomness...

1. I do my best thinking in the shower. I often find myself planning out a new activity, brainstorming through a work project, or rehearsing a conversation in my head at 6:00 in the morning. I use this as my official excuse for why I take long showers.

2. I always, without fail, sleep on my side. Right or left does not matter, but I have no idea how anyone can sleep on their tummy (uncomfortable!) or back (way too exposed).

3. Like Colleen, I am terrified of deep water. If can't see the bottom, that counts as deep. Lakes included. Scuba diving is not on my list.

4. I have a terrible habit of picking my nails and cuticles. Not biting, just trying to work off those rough edges. I'm doing it right now, even while typing.

5. I have very small feet - 5 or 5 1/2 - which makes it increasingly hard to buy shoes. The gal at the Foot Zone the other day told me the average women's shoe size is now 8 or 9. Seriously?

6. I have terrible eyesight. I'm legally blind without my glasses or contacts. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me, "Yea, my eyes are terrible, too. What are your contacts -5? -6?" Not even close. Let's try -12.5... I'm just thankful they can still correct my vision at all.

7. I'm not a candidate for LASIK surgery. Secretly (or not so anymore!), I am happy about this because...I am REALLY squimish about eye issues. 15 years of wearing contact lenses has not cured this.

8. I just got a haircut.

9. I love bags and could spend hours perusing ebags.com

10. I do not obsess about shoes or own many pairs. This likely has something to do with #5 above.

11. I think I get paid too much for the job I do.

12. These are my two favorite people:

13. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is hire a house cleaner. The second thing I would do is call a financial planner.

14. I am a wicked fast reader.

15. My favorite authors are Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner.

16. I am an information geek. Internet, magazines, newspapers, books. If there is information in front of me, I feel compelled to read it. Good for knowledge, bad for productivity.

17. I read the newspaper (sometimes two different ones) everyday. My favorite parts of the newspaper are the advice columns and the comics. My dad used to read us Dear Abby in the mornings before school, and it stuck. I actually think it was a great way to talk about values and share advice with us as we were growing up. He'd say, "Okay, tell me what you think about this one..."

18. I eat peanut butter toast most mornings for breakfast. (another thing I picked up from my dad.)

19. When I'm concentrating, I stick out my tongue. So does Owen. So does, you guessed it, my dad!

20. When I was little, I wanted to work at Nordstrom. Selling clothes seemed like a dream come true. That was also the phase when I loved the the Madonna song, "Material Girl" - I thought it was about fabric.

21. I love to cook - I consider it my hobby. Always testing new recipes and adding to our list. Baking? Not so much - the only things I bake are banana bread and break-and-bake cookies.

22. When I was a kid, I used to eat a cheese sandwich every day for lunch. Yes, that's bread, margarine, and cheese. Not surprisingly, my comfort foods still include lots of cheese - and chocolate.

23. I don't like cured meats, and have only recently discovered how awesome bacon can be.

24. I have always lived near the mountains. I feel disoriented and unbordered without mountains lining the horizon. The thought of living somewhere with wide open spaces is a little frightening to me.

25. I love being the mom of this toddler.

Wii Got One

Long story short: Scott traded his Xbox for a Wii. Love it! I've never been a big video game person, but the wii is nothing like a traditional video game system. You basically have to be moving to play any of the games. Scott had Tiger Woods Golf on the Xbox and had gotten pretty good with those two thumbs. On the Wii, he now has to stand up and swing his full arm to play the game. This added movement doesn't seem to help me be any more successful at the games, but it does make me more interested in sitting down (well standing) to play.

It will be interesting to see how much we use the Wii-fit part, but I can really see how it is motivating. Every time you log on, it gives you a rundown of how often you have been exercising. As you spend more time exercising, you "unlock" additional exercises and games to try. The hoola hooping is a riot.

Friends, come on over and play!

Owen loves the Guitar Hero accessories. Guitar:

Drums:
What happens when he tries to climb the drums:
Unfortunately, that scab in in a spot that gets a lot of interaction - hands, utinsels, zippers - I think the scab has been ripped off 3 or 4 times in the past week. Man, chins can bleed a lot!

On a side note: I have "What Not to Wear" on the background, and Nick is recommending the person add bangs to their hairstyle for the 12 zillionth episode in a row. So much for tailoring the style to fit the person.

Resolutions 2009

As we are now three full weeks into the new year, I thought it only proper to post my resolutions for the new year. I think the statistics are that most people who resolve to go to the gym regularly have already bailed on their resolutions by now. I figure it's not much of a resolution if it hasn't held for at least 3 weeks, so why reveal the failures? So, here are the things I'm working on this year:

1. Eat more local/seasonal foods - this is my big one. Inspired by reading Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," I am learning what veggies and produce are in season at what times and finding recipes to work within those constraints. No more eating Chilean strawberries in December. We'll wait and gorge ourselves on Oregon berries all summer long. I'm also using more canned fruits this winter, since a lot of the peaches and applesauce comes from Eastern Washington. I'm looking into either signing us up for a CSA with a local farm this summer or trying to get one of the community garden plots. Right now we're eating a lot of winter squash, carrots, parsnip, and sweet potato. I consider this a resolution in progress - a challenge to myself to keep learning and making small changes all year long. I'll list some of the inspiring statistics at the end of this post. Small changes - big results.

2. Wash my face every night before bed. You would think my mom nagging me about this all growing up would have instilled a habit. Now that I'm 30, it's probably time to start paying better attention to my skin.

3. Have more patience between 5 and 6 PM. Like many people, this is the frustration hour at our house and ususally one Owen and I spend at home alone. He's tired from a long day at school, hungry for dinner, and wanting attention. I'm no better. So, I'm resolving to replace my whining, pleading, and irritated sighs with a patient voice and lower blood pressure for JUST ONE HOUR. If we can to 6 o'clock smiling, it's much more plesant the rest of the evening. Thankfully, I'm already seeing a difference - at least in my mental mantra on the way to get Owen after work...patience for one hour, patience for one hour, patience for one hour.

4. Work first, blog later. This will be the hard one for me. I always save my posting for the evenings after Owen is in bed, but I have developed a terrible habit of reading through blogs when I should be sitting down and getting work done. I love reading about everyone and catching up, but then I'm annoyed when I finish reading and have nothing else to do, but, well, work! So, I'm going to save blog reading for a reward when I get my work done (or for those crazy long conference calls, but don't tell the people on the other end of the line that!). Thanks for the inspiration simplemom and to Cailean for linking to the post.

A few Local Food Statistics:
- 17% of our national energy use is for agrigulture - and 80% of the agriculture energy goes to SHIPPING the food from place to place.
- If each American ate just ONE meal per week of local, organic meats and produce, we would save 1.1 million barrels of oil each week (barrels, not gallons).
- The US exports 1.1 million tons of potatoes each year. We also import 1.4 million tons.
- Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where we get 98 percent of our chicken, are allowed to raise up to 1,152 animals in a 6x8 ft room - picture 1,000 chickens in your bathroom. We're still buying boneless skinless chicken from Costco, but I'm hoping our buget and eating habits will allow us to shift to free-range chicken by the end of the year.

Holiday Traditions

A while back, I posted about our gift giving plan for this year – Want, Need, Wear, Read. I’m almost done with my gift purchasing, and it’s been really fun.

Now that we’re into the advent, I’m starting to think more about ways to celebrate the season. In fact, our family will be lighting the advent calendar at church on Sunday, and part of that responsibility is to share with the congregation about or family’s holiday traditions…hmmm. Better figure that out.

When I was growing up, we had one Christmas Eve tradition that was unique to our family. Since we weren’t a churchy family, we would go over to my aunt and uncle’s for their open house/dinner and then come home for… Elves Party! I’m not quite sure how it all started, but I remember that one year my mom made us all little elves shoes (slippers) and hats with bells to wear. Each year, we would pull them out, dance around to Christmas music, drink hot chocolate, etc. We also would open one “family gift” that was always a board game to play that evening and finish the night by reading The Polar Express and setting out cookies, carrots, and milk for Santa. It was totally silly and corny (and embarrassing to admit as a teenager), but also incredibly creative, lots of fun, and a tradition that belonged to only our family. Anyone else grow up with an Elves Party?

Since Owen is so little, we haven’t really established many rock-solid family traditions, but I’m reading with interest what other families are doing and starting to plan for the future. Here are some of my recent favorites:

My friend Phyllis always does month-long activities with her toddlers. Each night, they get a small gift that relates to a story about Jesus. They also read the advent story each night and add a new figure to their nativity scene. For example: (DEC. 2 - In the stable there was a MANGER, filled with hay . . . and DEC. 3 - . . . for the animals to eat. There were animals like a CALF . . . ) I love that!

I also read about a family that always put a big emphasis on Saint Nicolas Day (December 6). They always let had the kids open stockings on that day and talked about who Saint Nicolas (the Turkish Bishop) was and what he did to help people. Annie wrote that they always grew up knowing that Santa was a story, but Saint Nicolas was a real person that they could be inspired by.

Colleen is using December to teach her 4 boys about serving others. They're making a paper chain all month long with one loop for each "service" thing they do. Wouldn’t it be cool to meld those last two traditions? Open stockings on December 6 and kick off a month of service by talking about Saint Nicolas?

I also read about a family that is giving their kids 3 gifts each. Jesus got three gifts, we get three gifts. I could get inspired by that.

I guess we have a few years before Owen will be ready for these things, but it’s fun to ponder. I know our traditions will always evolve and it’s not something you can really plan for. They just develop over time until you (hopefully) look back fondly at the things that your family does to celebrate the season.

P.S. Thanks to Phyllis for the great tip on how to add the falling snow. We don't have any falling in Bend yet, so I'm loving having it on my screen (easier to drive in this way, too).

The Earrings that Never Die

With a grabby toddler, my jewelry has been reduced to stud earrings - no necklaces, no hoops, no bracelets. Thankfully, I have a great pair of stud earrings that Carole got for me in Ireland - they have been a wardrobe staple for almost a decade. These earrings will not die. I've lost the backs more times than I can count. At one point, I lost one of the earrings and figured I had to start a quest for a new "favorite pair." Good thing I was too lazy to throw out the other one because the lost earring showed up in the bottom of my sock drawer WEEKS later.

The earrings worked their magic again at the Husky Game in Eugene. While I was out walking the concourse with Owen, he managed to yank one off my ear. I hunted the ground, but decided it was a loss. We walked a few more laps around the stadium, spent another quarter cheering in the stands, walked 45 minutes back to our car, drove the hour to our hotel, unloaded, changed clothes, and then Scott stepped on the missing earring while climbing into bed. It must have been caught in my hoody for all that time...amazing!

These are winners!

Thanks for all the great comments on my political post. For the record, that post started much more fired up, but I let it sit for a few days, massaged it a bit, and this is the result. I think it really helped to get my brain around the reasons I vote the way I do to write it all down. I would encourage anyone to take the time to do the same. Even if you don't post it on your blog... just know why you vote the way you do. We are so privlidged with the right to vote. Let's not take it for granted. Be educated.

Television Debut

This week, we kicked-off the annual United Way fund raising campaign for Deschutes County. I've been involved with United Way for many years, and now sit on Board of Directors and the Community Impact Committee. Our committe has the awesome responsiblity of deciding where the donations go each year. It's challenging because there are so many needs and never enough money, but we know every dollar helps. I love it!

This year, Owen and I were asked to participate in the media materials for the campaign. Our theme is "Live United" which encourages people to think about the little and big ways they can give of themselves throughout the year to better our community and help those in need.

Here's the link to the video that has started running on local TV:

And here are a couple of our still shots that may be used in brochures and other print materials. The second one takes up almost a whole page in one of the brochures. Yikes!

Give, Advocate, Volunteer

Live United

The Inevitable

Well, you had to guess this was coming. I know this blog is supposed to be about keeping friends and family up to date on Owen and our response as parents, but…who’s NOT talking about the presidential race these days? And I, for one, have never been shy about expressing my political views, so I think it’s appropriate to publicly post on the topic that is (THANKFULLY) sweeping our country these days.

I’m prompted to post because I finally found someone who has put my political views into words. Through the blog of a friend of a friend, I followed a link to this post from a gal I will call “Greta who gets it” because… she does. Here’s a snipit:
“It boils down to this:
Some changes and policies can, and should, be made on a federal scale.
Some can only occur during a heart-to-heart conversation.”

Bingo. That’s one big reason I take issue with the RNC. How can the Republican party supposedly stand for smaller government and less government control and then push to make such conservative values widespread LAW? Yes, my faith informs my politics, but it doesn’t dictate that I vote with the Christian right’s legalistic agenda.

In college, I stuck out in the greek system as one of those Christian girls that didn’t drink. Lots of guys and gals in our “little club” that took it upon themselves to blatantly oppose events with alcohol, distance themselves from those that drank, and preached their message of alcohol=bad wherever they went. Never saw anyone change their mind and stop drinking because of the guilt message, though... I did, on the other hand, people who were invited by respected friends to attend a bible study or worship service, explore faith on their own terms, made a decision to follow the Lord, and THEN changed behaviors based on their newly understood moral/ethical code. Those changes come from the heart, not from guilt or rules or fear.

All that to say that I don’t think we’re going to legislate morality into our society. I think it’s government’s job to take care of government issues and it’s OUR job (if we are the church) to build relationships, invite others to meet Jesus for themselves, and let HIM lead them into making faithful, life-giving choices.

I encourage you to read Greta’s whole post (she writes much better than I do), but here is the part that made me say, YES! These are the words I have needed so long:
“I don't think some decisions can be made by a far off government; some decisions can only be made from personal relationships and interactions…. Issues like gay marriage for example, have become a non-issue for me, because what governmental decree is actually going to keep two people from falling in love with one another…. The issues that, to me, make sense to decide on a national scale are things like heath care, education, the environment, global relationships, the decision to go to war, and the economy. Those are all issues that I side with the Democrats on.”

Thanks Greta. You said it better than I ever could. Here’s my best attempt…

I’m liberal because I believe government should help people that are hurting. I think those that have a lot should share with those that have little (that whole “from those who much is given, much is required” deal). I believe the best way to improve our economy is to keep people working, give them the dignity that comes with work, and help them out when those jobs aren’t paying enough to meet their basic needs.

I’m liberal because I believe government should protect our natural environment even if it might hurt some businesses along the way. I believe we are a resourceful people and can find solutions to make those businesses successful within the new constraints. I’m liberal because I believe we all have to make sacrifices to get this country where it needs to be. We can’t just “DRILL BABY DRILL” hoping that a slight increase in fuel supply will solve our energy problems forever. I believe in the long term view. That we have to do what’s right by our children and their children’s children, not just what’s best for me…this minute…today. I’m liberal because I think poor people should pay less taxes and rich people and big corporations should pay more.

Oh, and according to Mitt Romney, I’m crazy liberal because I think the people locked in Guantanamo have rights and deserve a trial to see if they’re a credible threat. Yes, I really believe that “all men are created equal” means… all men are created equal! (Though at this point, anyone locked up unjustly for the last 5 years is probably pretty mad at the United States by now even if they weren’t to begin with. Nice work!)

I won’t even mention the war that we got into based on a series of lies, the need for health care reform, the economy that’s in the tank (how’s that stimulus check working out now?), the way America has lost respect around the world, the national debt, etc, etc, etc. Can you imagine how much more money we could put into our schools if we weren’t paying for a war (or two) right now?

So, big shocker – I’m voting for Obama. I hope you will, too.


P.S. I voted for Hilary in the primary and the thought of having a woman president still sends chills up my spine. I believe it will happen one day and that woman will kick-ass. However, I do not, under any circumstance, believe that Sarah Palin is the woman for the job. I’m pretty insulted that McCain seems to think Hilary supporters will vote for him because he picked a woman. Not. Even. Close.

Correction - Stomach Flu

Turns out stomach flu (not the lentil-barley soup) is to blame for Owen's messy crib last Friday morning. We got an email from daycare on Friday afternoon warning us that an illness was going around. Sure enough, Owen is still sick today (Monday), and I came down with my own version yesterday. Scott even stayed home from work part of today to take care of us. I hate being sick, but Owen is surprisingly upbeat - you would never know his tummy is churning. He's roaming the house, chasing the animals, walking more and more, and today climbed our whole flight of stairs for the first time. Scott thinks maybe he's a happy because he's so used to having a yucky tummy. I, on the other hand, am not happy, but seem to be recovering. Being sick is very low on my list - being sick in 95 degree heat is even lower.

We're just hoping that Scott and John (who was visiting for the weekend) don't catch the funk as well. Also hoping we recover quick, so we are ready to host our family for Owen's birthday this weekend.

Killing time while baby sleeps

Owen is fighting is first real fever this morning. It's a mild one, so not worth a trip to the doctor, but he's a pretty sad kiddo. Whimpering and clinging to me while he's awake and taking massive naps. I guess I should be taking advantage of these naps to get some housework done, but in the meantime, I bring you...

4 things about me. Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Dental office grunt
2. Restaurant worker (not quite a waitress, not quite a busser, not quite a barista)
3. Pool/Clubhouse watcher
4. Nanny
...good thing I got that engineering degree. None of those jobs were going to get me anywhere.

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. When Harry met Sally
2. Braveheart
3. Armageddon
4. Planet Earth series

Four bands/artists on the music rotation:
1. Jack Johnson
2. Carbonleaf
3. Death Cab for Cutie
4. Snow Patrol

Four places I have lived:
1. Camas, WA
2. Bellevue, WA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Bend, OR

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Project Runway (or whatever other Bravo Reality show is on at the time)
2. Survivor
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Heroes

Four places I have visited.
1. Europe
2. Hawaii
3. Siberia
4. Belize

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Cheese of all kinds (Mac and Cheese, grilled cheese, dessert cheese platter, cheese and crackers - haven't met a cheese dish I don't like)
2. Caprese Salad (basil, tomato, mozzerella)
3. Grilled Salmon
4. BBC's Blue Cheese an Mushroom Hamburger with crispy on the outside, soft on the inside french fries

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At my Mom's Group (we missed today)
2. Skiing
3. Vacationing in a warm place
4. Outside walking (but we're going in an hour)

Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Chasing Owen when he learns to crawl, walk, and run
2. Hiking and camping to teach Owen about the outdoors
3. Our annual trip to the beach with 3 kids this year
4. Planning some sort of vacation

Why I Love Bravo

Still taking votes on the baby legs in the next post. Used them again this morning as another layer in our walk... But let's move on.

If one television station could be called the center of my guilty pleasures, it would have to be Bravo. Two years ago, I may have said TLC, but my obsessions have shifted from Trading Spaces, What Not to Wear, and Clean Sweep to the full suite of reality shows offered on Bravo. Project Runway, Top Chef, Top Design, Make me a Supermodel... I'll joyfully watch any of them. I've even watched a few episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker (it's kind of interesting), but I do draw the line at The Real Housewives (gag) and that Kathy Griffin show (seriously??). However, with all these great shows, the real reason I love Bravo is that the schedule fits my life. Sure, all their new shows premier at 10PM On any other network, this would be a problem, as we have sworn off TV after 10 in order to get some sleep. Bravo, other the other hand, doesn't have enough shows to fill their line-up. Instead, they cater to my schedule and replay each week's episode over an over in various timeslots. Missed the new Project Runway episode on Wednesday at 10? No problem, catch it on Thursday at 9, or a couple times over the weekend, or (as a last resort), Wednesday at 9 before the newest episode premiers. They may not have a wide variety of shows, but they get great mileage from the ones they have!

The New Do

I decided that after 6 months of mommy-hood, it was probably time to get a real haircut. Not to mention the need to get my hair away from grabbing fingers. The task was harder than normal because my normal stylist has since moved away - bugger! I tracked down a recommendation and make an appointment. Since I got on the schedule, Colleen posted about her post-baby haircut and Jill showed up at church with a super cute new bob. I guess I'm not the only one who needed a refreshing change. Sooo... here's the new cut. The picture is kind of dark and I'm showing my end of the day tired-ness, but I'm pretty pleased.

As an added bonus, I think I've found a new stylist, that's pretty quick, friendly, and reasonably priced. At least I should be able to keep my hair in style.

My wardrobe is a whole different story. I realized that on my non-work days, I'm pretty much rotating 4 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, and a couple hoodies. (For full disclosure, the shirts all have some sort of faint stain, so the hoodies get the full zip when we leave the house.) For now, I'm just going to acknowledge and embrace my "mommy wardrobe," but once Owen stops spewing, I'm buying new clothes to celebrate. =)

Hooray Me!

Since mom's don't get enough cheers. This week, I've been saying "Hooray Me!" I want to give myself a pat on the back for making it through 6 months of breastfeeding. It has not been an easy road, but my goal from the beginning was to reach 6 months - and we did it!! This is a significant mommy milestone. I feel like I should get to eat cake and throw confetti. Hooray Me!

I just want to say that the breastfeeding proponents DO NOT do a good job of preparing you for how challenging it is to be a pumping mom. They say, "Get a good pump; you'll have to pump as often as the baby would eat." Lie! I find that I would need to pump twice for each bottle Owen takes, and my other working mom friends have had similar experiences. Owen takes 2 bottles at daycare, but I pump 3 times/day at work and still supplement with frozen milk from our freezer. Now that we've reached 6 months, I'm going to cut back and just pump twice a day at work. We'll use up what's stored in the freezer (probably another month) and then Owen can start taking one formula bottle a day.

Eventually, I'd like to get to nursing just morning and night, but we'll see what happens. For now... HOORAY ME!

I've been Tagged by Kim

Jobs I've had:
babysitter, cafe worker, pool watcher (not a lifeguard, just monitored who came and went), bank teller, charity casino dealer, theater usher, nanny, engineer, mom

Places for a Weekend Getaway:
Love the Oregon Coast. We went to San Diego this year - awesome! Backpacking - though we haven't been in forever. Camping. I would like to explore more of Oregon - Hood River, the Wineries, Northeast mountains, etc.

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again:
When Harry Met Sally, Top Gun, Braveheart, I'm a sucker for lame movies on TV on Saturday afternoons

Guilty Pleasures:
Blogging/Reading Blogs, Television - Heroes!! Gray's Anatomy, Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, and on and on. I also love reading and napping, but those shouldn't make you feel guilty, right?

Places I've Lived:
Short List: Camas, Bellevue, and Seattle, WA, Bend, OR.

Places I've Been On Vacation:
Over the last two years: Belize, Las Vegas, San Diego, Maui, and the Oregon Coast. I think our vacations will be a bit more limited and close to home for a while.

What I First Thought When I Saw Scott:
I thought he was cute and noted that he was wearing a hat from a fraternity that was supposed to have "nice guys." Of course, when I tried to talk to him, he totally blew me off. We didn't talk again for a year, then went on one date and didn't talk again for another 4 months. Not exactly love at first sight!! We will always be thankful that our dear friend, Todd, was persistent and set us up on both our first two dates - even though they were 4 months apart!

If I'm in a Jam With Scott, Tactics I Use to Get Out of the Doghouse:
Try not to get in a jam in the first place!

Favorite Foods:
Cheese, Pizza (I could eat it everyday), Banana bread, Scones, Chocolate, Coffee, Peanut butter, Salmon, Tomatoes, Sourdough bread, any dinner that involves a new recipe and fresh ingredients - makes me feel healthy and accomplished

Websites I Visit Daily:
email (multiple times a day - I'm addicted), blogs

First Kiss Location:
In front of my parents garage

Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
Exploring the world: Ireland, Turkey, Greece, Prauge, and Russia are all on the list. Oregon Coast. Hiking in our awesome Oregon forests. It all sounds great. However, it's hard to imagine I'd want to be away from Owen. We're just getting into our groove together as I'm understanding his rhythms and learning how to be home instead of "at work" all day.

People I Tag:
Since so few people know of my blog, I don't think I can tag anyone. If you're reading and have your own blog, give this a try. Good times.