SO Big

Courtney seems to get bigger by the second. Actually, she doesn't seem that much bigger to me until she stands up and can reach things I never thought she'd be able to reach. Then I'm all like, "Kid, where are you getting that height from because it's totally not me." And I guess getting SO big is all part of the growing process, which is fine and good, but I need to keep her small so I can lug that kid around.

OK, OK. I can't "keep her small." Fine, be like that. But I need a new baby carrier to carry her around with me. We use the Baby Bjorn pretty regularly these days. For some reason she'd rather be strapped in the carrier than strapped in the stroller. And like the doting mom that I am, I oblige her whims when she screams in the store and I strap her on. I'm pretty sure she's playing me. But the Baby Bjorn is killing my shoulders because that kid is getting big and all. Kinda heavy even.

So, I'm going to evaluate some carriers. I'm going to try the Ergo, the Sherpani and the Baby Hawk. I'm going to pay for them all myself, carry Courtney around the world and stuff and return what doesn't work for us. Hopefully she won't hurl on any of them. I really want something where I can carry her in the front and in the back. But lots of back carriers I've seen don't allow the baby to see over your shoulders, which is a must for us. I like the look of the Baby Hawk, it comes in some great fabrics but it seems to have a lot of fabric to strap it on. The Sherpani came recommended from a friend but looks like it'll take up a lot of space. And the Ergo is the Ergo and people love it but we'll see how it works for me.

Oh, and whatever I decide on, Courtney can't end up on the floor while I'm trying to strap her in.

Loneliness

I love being a stay at home mom. I told Paul the other day that I thought I was born to be a mom (he laughed at me, jerk). Looking at my resume, there are a lot of jobs on there, but that's all they are. Jobs. J.O.B.S. They didn't mean much. Sure, I enjoyed working at AutoTrader, I was there for almost 8 years after all. I mean, if I didn't work there, I wouldn't have met Paul and there wouldn't be a Courtney and who knows where I would be. But those places were work and while they paid the bills, I certainly didn't like getting up every morning.

But now I've got Courtney to keep me busy every day. She's my job, my work, and I love it. Some days it's definitely work. Tiring work. Exhausting work. Confusing and overwhelming, but not as much any more. But it's still work.

Courtney isn't much for the chit chat yet. There's no office gossip. There's no water cooler chat. She has yet to invite me to happy hour. I mean, come on now kid. And I'm not really one for the phone. As a matter of fact, I kind of hate it. (I wonder if that has something to do with the thousands of hours I spent on the phone in high school and college.) So if we don't get out of the house one day, and I don't have anything planned, then I don't actually talk to anyone until Paul gets home from work. And that can get pretty lonely.

As I've mentioned before, Courtney and I keep pretty busy. We've done exercise classes and lunch with friends. Sometimes we hang out with my SIL or just run errands. But that seems to have scaled back some and if I'm not careful, I find that I haven't left the house in two days and I've spoken to no one. (At least I shower and brush my teeth though.) Maybe that's why I read so many blogs, it's my window to the world. I need to make sure that I continue to schedule things for us. It'll keep me sane and I'm pretty sure Courtney would benefit from a sane mom.

It's weird though, I try and schedule things 3-4 days a week but some weeks I feel like it's too much and some weeks I feel like it's not enough. I think part of it is that there's only so much I can do in a day before she's had enough. I mean, there's a window there and I have to respect it. I know when she gets older, our window will get larger but in the meantime, I'll keep scheduling things between naps.

And if you feel like doing something, let me know. I'd love to get together and go walking, go to lunch, or whatever strikes your fancy. Sometimes I get a little lonely.

Take that 'Roids

After last weeks nip tuck to repair my hemorrhoids, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better. I've been taking my stool softeners, drinking my Metamucil and drinking buckets of water. I was sore for several days but as of today, I feel like a million bucks. Or, like I did pre-blowout. Apparently this procedure works for 95% of people, I desperately hope I'm not one of those 5% that this doesn't work for in the long run. Oh, and so far, I don't appear to be one of those people that now leaks "fluid" and can't control their gas. There's only so much I can blame on the dog. Lucky Paul!!

Hopefully that will be the end of all chatter about my butt.

Courtney has been working on eating finger foods. It's slow going but she's getting the hang of it. She hasn't quite grasped the pincer grasp, the ability to pick food up with her fingers, so she kind of gets the food into her fist. From there she hasn't gotten the hang of getting it out of her fist and into her mouth. But then, she can't always get the food off of the tray.

To Nurse or Not to Nurse

I've been nursing my baby girl for 8 months and 1 week. Which is about 4 months and 1 week longer than I originally thought I would. I thought I'd nurse for a few months and then go to the bottle and be done with it. It turns out that I really liked nursing my beautiful girl. I loved bringing her into the bed in the morning and spending that time with her. I love the convenience of it all, I never have to lug around formula or bottles of water, and I never run out of milk. In the middle of the night, I don't have to mess with lights and stairs and mixing things and all that crap.

I've been nursing my baby girl for 8 months and 1 week and I'm getting a little tired of it. I'm tired of being on call all the time. I'm tired of wearing ugly nursing bras. I'm tired of my boobs hanging to my knees. I'm tired of always having to stop what I'm doing when she's hungry. I've now flashed my boobs for most of the Greater Atlanta area and anyone else I seem to pass. I'm just kind of tired of it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests you should nurse for a year for the best health benefits for Courtney. But I think that 8 - 9 months is really pretty impressive, way more than lots of people. But I'm tired of it. Did I mention that?

So I'm thinking of weaning Courtney. I'm not sure how that's going to go. She hardly ever gets a bottle and we're actually trying to get her on to sippy cups anyway. The past couple of times she's gotten a bottle, she's just gummed it and hasn't actually drank anything from it. Formula or milk is the most important part of her diet until she's a year old so it's not like we can just quit and move her to water.

Ugh, I don't know what to do. I'm not going to do anything about it today or tomorrow but I need to make a decision on this soon. OK, I don't need to but I want to. I would miss the time we have together, just the two of us, but maybe I could get that in other ways. Maybe?

Moms and Dads

Paul is a great dad. He loves Courtney and is really good with her. He tolerates her climbing all over him during family time in the bed in the mornings (my favorite time of the day), he makes her laugh when they're together, he does the bath time/bed time routine every night, and is a bigger help than I ever could have hoped for. He even lets me sleep in some (read: many) weekend mornings when I'm too exhausted to face the day.

Paul is also a working dad. So five days a week, regardless of how we've slept the night before, he gets out of bed and goes to the office. He makes decisions, manages people, sits in endless meetings, puts up with bad decisions made by others, usually has lunch with his friends, sits in traffic and comes home to us at night.

I too work, just in a different way. I feed and care for Courtney, I make sure that she's dressed and clean, that she's stimulated, has toys to play with, doesn't stick her fingers in outlets, and survives on a daily basis. In between all that, I do laundry (which never seems to end), I grocery shop, I occasionally make dinner for us, I attempt to bathe myself, go to playgroups with my mom friends, sometimes go to the gym and other miscellaneous items every day. I do get some downtime to surf the web or read a book, maybe sew a headband or two, but I keep pretty busy.

Then there are the weekends. I'd like to do some things, like get a mani and pedi, run some errands, maybe go to the movies, on my own. In the summer, Paul would like to sit by the pool and relax or he'd like to sit inside and surf the Internet. But the parental duties don't ever go away, we still need to keep that little baby fed, clean and alive. We prefer her that way.

So how do we decide who does what and when? How do we divide pool time vs spa time vs family time and all of that? Today I proposed to Paul that we come up with a schedule of sorts. That didn't go over well. I think the minute he heard "schedule," I lost him and the conversation ended. Actually, it turned into a joke about custody and is this "his" time with Courtney vs my time. At least I think it was a joke. I didn't mean I want to schedule our weekends for the rest of the year, just as they come up (as they do every week) and there are things we want to do. So if Paul wants to sit by the pool on a Saturday, that's perfect, as long as I know I get to go to the movies on a Sunday. Or, maybe during the "long" nap of the day (whenever that may be) he can sit by the pool and I can run some errands. I dunno, I'm not really sure how this all works and know that it's easier with one kid than it will be someday with 2. So we had better learn how to coexist on this matter (no, I'm not pregnant) so when #2 does come along, we know what works.

I know that Paul needs his down time. He needs happy hours and pool time and lunches with the guys to stay sane. And I definitely appreciate that. But I need down time too. How do you make this work? How do you decide who does what and when and both keep those things that hold you together?

Another week survived

After a bunch of shots, surgery on my ass, moles removed from my body, not enough sleep, and my mortality contemplated, we've ended the week quietly.


Courtney is sporting her new, homemade headband but she's not very happy about it. I think it's adorable, she thinks it's a nuisance.

Courtney decided that she would play with the red bricks Paul bought after all. She was a little disgruntled with them though and threw up in one. Much to Paul's dismay, we only have 31 bricks left.

I know she looks like a little boy here but I figured we weren't leaving the house that day so it didn't matter what she was wearing. She looks like a little bad ass.

And here she's just cute.

Aaaaand, this is our new dining room table!! It's 9 feet long and has 8 chairs. We will be able to seat 12 though, using our kitchen chairs. Thanks to Michael at European Antique Pine for making this for us!


I'm most excited! This means we can stop using our patio furniture inside during the winter. I'm planning on hosting my first Christmas Eve at my own home this year, so we can eat at our new table (which won't be new by then). (Ellen, I'd like to host Christmas Eve, we'll discuss more later.)

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'm hoping there are naps, mani/pedi's, and some relaxation in my future.

Mommy Mortality

Ever since Courtney was born, I have a different view on mortality. Well, maybe I just have a view. I guess I never really thought much about it before. I mean, I know that someday I'm going to die and all that but it hasn't really been something I've given a ton of thought to.

But now, now I think about it. And not like every day or anything but it's something that carries an awful lot of weight. I'm responsible for this little person now. I'm supposed to care for her and keep her safe and raise her to be a beautiful, smart and independent woman. She's going to need someone to talk to about boys and school and friends and books and so so much. And I need to ensure that I'm here every step of the way to hold her hand and help her grow.

I feel differently when I'm in the car, especially on my own. I am more cautious, less likely to speed up when I see a yellow light (don't act like you don't do that too). I went to the dermatologist yesterday to get some moles checked. Years and years of playing in the sun with no sunscreen was pretty dumb, now that I'm thinking about it. There were YEARS when the skin on my nose was peeling all the time from so much sun. I'm petrified of melanoma. I went for a physical a few weeks ago and had a complete blood workup done, what if I have some disease and don't even know it. (My iron is a little high but otherwise I'm fine.)

And I'm questioning everything. Why am I bruising so much? Why is the skin on my ear peeling? Why do I get these funky headaches? I don't know that I'm becoming a hypochondriac but I could be pushing the envelope. I'm pretty sure this morbid view on mortality will pass at some point but in the meantime, I'm going to keep taking my vitamins, wear my sunscreen and slow down when I'm driving.

Here it is... Hemorrhoids

One of the many joyful side effects of pregnancy are hemorrhoids. If you've been an avid reader of KC, you know that I skated through pregnancy with nary a side effect. OK, I had, and still have, wicked dandruff but that's it. (And it's pretty irritating, I have to say.) I didn't get stretch marks. I did get that line on your belly but not until way late in the game and it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. I had no morning sickness. I wasn't tired all the time. And I didn't gain some obscene amount of weight. (I did gain 30 pounds but I didn't really look like it.) I lost all my weight pretty quickly, the line in my stomach went away and I was fortunate not to have to deal with any postpartum depression. And, I was really lucky not to have any hemorrhoidal issues when I was pregnant.

I went into the hospital to be induced and ended up with a c-section. They ripped open my stomach (I could post pictures of that but will draw the line there), pulled a human out of my belly and put me back together. Like any post-surgical patient, I had to have a bowel movement before they discharged me from the hospital. And because Aetna would only pay for 3 nights in the hospital, the kind nurses and doctors pumped me full of stool softners. Let's just say that they did their job and I was sent home on time, or according to Aetna's clock, as the case may be.

Fast forward a few days, the drugs wear off and things go downhill. Fast. But, downhill they go and then they stop. Dead. At the gates to glory. And then things get backed up. Is this making sense? Are you getting what I'm trying to say? There are things that I need to do, but can't. But I can't not go for the next 40 years. So I go. And OHMYGODITHINKI'MDYING. Call an ambulance. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME TO KEEP TAKING STOOL SOFTNERS??? I almost passed out on the toilet. Seriously.

And that was almost exactly 8 months ago. And I'll never forget it, it's burned an ugly hole into my brain. And now. Things are not much better. They're so not better I've had to go to a GI doctor and a colon rectal doctor. And for the icing on the cake, I had to have a "thing" done this morning. Yeah, a "thing." Down "there." Again, do you understand where I'm talking about? And what makes no sense, they're going to cut muscles in my butt to improve the problems with my butt. I know, TMI, but such is my life.

I had two options for this little procedure: I could go in for surgery and be put under or, I could go to the doctors office for a local anesthetic and they could do this "thing" in 10 minutes. I went for option 2 so I could continue to nurse and wouldn't be all groggy and stuff. They guaranteed me it would be painless, minus the actual injection. And they weren't kidding. Holy SHIT it hurt. There wasn't just one injection, there were THREE. In my BUTT. (On a side note, who decides that for a living they want to spend their days inspecting peoples butts?)

We shall see what the rest of the day will bring.

So bring on the jokes. I can take it.

A new blog

As I've mentioned before, I read a lot of blogs. There's something about a view into another's world that is so interesting. It's a voyeuristic view, in a nonsexual kind of way. I read blogs to see what other moms are going through. I read about homemade baby food. I read about the lack of intimacy that new parents go through. I read about hemorrhoids. I read about first steps, first words, big brothers, younger sisters, fertility issues, financial woes, love, laughter and life in all it's joys and sorrows. I read about those that have lost children and those that have lost spouses. And I've only just scratched the surface. The Internet is a never ending open book on people and their lives. And a lot of what I read, I read because it's what I'm going through now as well. It's what I can relate to. Or what I hope to never have to relate to. Or what I want to learn more about. It's what my peers are living and experiencing. It's what's happening in my generation.

I feel like I've been doing myself a disservice. Sure, I blog 3 - 5 times a week. I post pictures of Courtney, myself, Hunter, the damn squirrels or whatever crosses our paths, day by day. I put some video up there of Courtney because she's SO cute and I know my grandmother and other's like to see her in action. But it's all awfully superficial. I mean, there has to be more to my life than the damn squirrels and the tomatoes. (Although, that drives me NUTS and causes me some serious angst.) Right? Maybe? I'd like to think so.

So from here on out, the tone of Karen Chatters is going to change a bit. I'm going to stop holding back. Yes, there will still be pictures and videos of Courtney and stories about those rodents known as squirrels. There will be an awful lot about my life as a mom, because that's who I am and part of how I define myself these days. But there will also be some of the dirty little secrets that I haven't been posting about. If my language offends you, I do apologize but I can't keep holding back on who I really am. I mean, this is Karen Chatters and it has to be more about the dog hair that's taking over my life, the mess my house has become and my exciting trips to Ikea. Right?

So for good or bad, hang in there. Because here comes more about me than you EVER wanted to know.

A window to the world

One of my favorite things so far about being a parent is seeing the world through Courtney's eyes. Everything is new. Everything is exciting. For Courtney, seeing Hunter 5 times a day is new and exciting, every time. Paul coming home from work is the best part of her day. When you go into her room after her nap, she flaps her arms in excitement and smiles with joy. It's like she hasn't seen you in years. It's amazing.

As an adult, or even as a teenager and on, we become so jaded to the world around us. As teenagers we're SO smart, we know everything and the beauty around us goes unnoticed. As a blossoming adult, we see the world as a place full of opportunity but something we can conquer, a place that owes us our next achievement. In our 20's we begin to settle into adulthood but we're still better and smarter than the big picture. And in our 30's we find our place and really come into our own. I don't know what happens in our 40's but I'm sure I'll find out with a new vision.


The world is a new place for me though. What I thought I knew isn't as it once seemed. What I thought I saw isn't as it once appeared. And I have Courtney to thank for that. I am seeing the world through her eyes. At this stage when she looks into the mirror, it's with wonder and amazement. She doesn't yet know that the baby looking back at her is an image of herself. We do things or go places and it's an entirely new experience. When was the last time you looked out the window and it was like you'd never seen a window before? Courtney will look out the window and squeal with excitement. She sees the bushes, the trees, the stupid squirrels, and it brings her joy. It takes her to a place that she's never been before. It opens her mind to possibilities that she never new existed.



I'd like to throw away the tinted glasses that cover my eyes and see the world through Courtney's rose colored glasses, for just a day or as long as she'll allow me.

Baby steps

Tomorrow marks Courtney's 8 month birthday. Can you believe it? I can't. It's hard to believe that my baby girl is 2/3 of the way to a year. It's also hard to believe that in just a month, she will have been in the outside world as long as she was in my stomach. But more on that in a month.

Courtney has been pulling herself up on everything lately. She loves to stand more than just about anything else. No matter how tired she is, she's on her feet. She'll even stand at the ottoman and put her head down on it, like she's resting. But yesterday she decided that standing wasn't going to cut it anymore. It's time to get a move on.

Of course, I didn't have the camera up when she first got going but she was moving around the room for sure!

Oh, and my baby isn't really this white trash kid who never wears shirts or pants. These were just special occasions.

In a nutshell

It's been a slow week here in the Holder household. There hasn't been enough sleep, for anyone. Teeth are causing problems. The squirrels have struck again. Shoes are yummy. And the house is a mess. That's our life in a nutshell.

I haven't been caring for my tomato plants because, well, why bother? The squirrels seem to think I'm growing the tomatoes for their benefit. But, we've had some rain over the past couple of weeks and the plants are growing more tomatoes. I would care but why bother, it's not like I'll get to eat any of them.


Courtney continues to be adorable. She's all over the place these days and I'm baby proofing on the fly. She seems to think that shoes are extra tasty so we need to keep those out of reach for sure. Those stupid teeth are making her very uncomfortable so she had her first teething biscuit yesterday and she loved it. So did the dog...

And the house is a mess. A MESS. But I'm not taking a picture of that, it's embarrassing. I don't know what to do about all the junk, it's just everywhere. And I don't mean the baby stuff, I mean the adult stuff. Crap, everywhere. I'd like to not collect clutter but I do and can't quit. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

A little bit about us

What's up doc?
Gnawing on the carrot with those sore gums.

This beautiful yellow bird was resting on my basil plant.

******************************************************************************
I did it!! I sewed my first headband today and it was a success!


After Paul made fun of my headband, he wanted to wear it.

Up close and personal with my head.

The best toys, continued

As I wrote about a few weeks ago, some of the best toys are those that aren't toys at all. The good times continue at the Holder house.

Follow the yellow brick road

Today was our dear friend Caroline's 30th birthday party. She had a party at a small theater with the showing of The Wizard of Oz (her favorite movie), a little gathering before and a cake after. It was a wonderful party (even if we were 45 minutes late and missed all of the gathering before) and Courtney was a real trooper. She'd never seen the movie before and I'm sure she loved every minute of it. I sang to her and everything and she didn't complain a bit!!

I attempted to make her some ruby red slippers but Karen's Craft Corner was a failure. Again. I had bought some white shoes and attempted to make them sparkly red with a little adhesive, some red glitter and some sealant, it didn't really work. I do think I know where I went wrong and may try it again for Halloween.

Courtney, of course, was the cutest girl at the party. She was really excited for the party and begged me to buy her this outfit.

A Necessary Evil

Courtney has been having a rough week. She's been a little cranky, not sleeping well and gnawing on everything. It would appear that my baby girl is getting some teeth. Not one. Not two. But three teeth at once. From what we can tell, she has 2 on the bottom and 1 on the top. It's a little hard to tell because she won't let us in there to see what's going on so we spend a lot of time trying to get her to open her mouth so we can get a peek of the action. We've been trying to use teethers, Motrin, Orajel, teething tablets, cold water, every toy in our stash - anything we can to help to ease the pain. Later today we'll try some chilled spoons and carrots. Hopefully once they break through the skin, the pain will subside a bit.

***********

I've been up since 4:20 this morning when Courtney got up to eat. I put her back to bed and then just laid there for a while. I finally got up at 6:30 because it seemed like a good time to get up on a SATURDAY. It's going to be a very long day...

Eat your fruits and veggies

I started Courtney on solids at 4 months because I was hoping they'd help her sleep through the night. I did all my reading and did what the pediatrician said, started with the cereals, then veggies and then later introduced the fruits. It was all going so well. She'd eat all kids of veggies - squash, cauliflower, avocado, sweet potatoes and so on. And she loved the fruits - mango, apples, bananas - whatever I would give to her. At some point in the past 3 months, I gave her yogurt and she LOVES it. LOVES it. And now, she won't eat her veggies to save my live and all she wants is the dumb yogurt. She looks at the veggies, snubs her nose at them, turns her head and laughs at me.

I'm still nursing so the nutritional value from the food isn't as important as the exercise in eating. But I don't want her to end up like Paul: everything she eats must be white. How do I get her back to eating her veggies? At least she's eating her fruits with her yogurt but she's going to end up with this crazy sweet tooth. I started out making her food, then switched to jarred but I still make some of it myself. I made a sweet potato the other day and she wanted nothing to do with it. I even added apple to it to sweeten it up and nada. (I ended up eating it myself, it was quite yummy.)

Anyone have any tips for me?

Her bad eating habits could have something to do with eating napkins

Or maybe because she's eating the actual jar of babyfood

However, the blueberries were quite delish

Martha Stewart I Am Not

In a frenzy of domestication the other day, I decided I was going to sew some clothes for Courtney. I find it outrageous that baby dresses are $40 or more for something my child will wear twice, if I'm lucky. So I went on Etsy.com, love me some Etsy, and bought a bunch of dress patterns and fabric. Then, I borrowed Tiffany's sewing machine (if you don't know Tiffany, she truly is giving Martha a run for her money), bought a bunch of fabric samples and decided I would "practice" my sewing.

Today was day one of "Karen's Special Kids Sewing Camp." Now, I don't mean to be un-PC or offend anyone, but man, it was ugly. I'm pretty sure Hunter, my furry little friend, would have had more luck than me with this little project. First I couldn't get the bobbin threaded properly. I had to step away from the machine, do a little Googling, get a drink, do some laundry and return to the machine to attempt moron task #1 again. Eventually I got it threaded. Then, I tried to sew something and things still weren't running the way they should be. After some soul searching, more Googling, and actually reading the manual, I realized the needle wasn't threaded properly. So I followed the instructions and, low and behold, I was able to sew a stitch.

My first day of drawing my freshman year in college (remember, I was an art student and all freshman in the art school had to take drawing), we spent the first 2 weeks of class (that's 10 hours people) drawing straight lines. The teacher would say, "NO, I SAID STRAIGHT!!!" 800 pieces of drawing paper later and one very sore arm, I probably had 2 truly straight lines. I share this warm, special moment with you because like drawing, I can't sew a straight line. Nope, no straight lines. And my curves were not so Jennifer Hudson voluptuous (that reminds me of drawing the naked lady in that same drawing class but that's another story for another time). They were more like drunk driving curvy - way off the mark. So now I'm taking yet another break, having sewed the fabric to itself (on purpose) during my own sewing 101, figured out the workings of the bobbin and the needle, and will maybe do a little Googling for some sewing tips.

Or, maybe I'll wake up Courtney and take her shopping for that $40 dress.

PS - Tiffany, I promise your sewing machine is in perfectly safe hands.

Music to my ears

We had a great weekend here in the Holder family. We had good weather, cookouts, dinner with friends and lots of quality baby time. Courtney was a real trooper, allowing us to drag her all over, missing naps and going to bed way past her bedtime. She's harder to manage when she's over tired, you have to hold her and try and prevent her from poking your eye out or spilling your drink in your lap. She's wiggly and squirmy and she wants to touch everything and then put it in her mouth but she's still adorable.

When Courtney is extra tired, we can keep her happy sitting on the floor and playing with her. Sunday was another long day for Courtney and we were just trying to keep her from melting down completely while we waited for her bedtime to get here. Sometimes just a little silliness on our part can result in some of our best times.




There's nothing I love more than listening to my baby girl laugh.

Who needs those stinkin' toys

Like any good parent, I've bought my child oodles and oodles of plastic toy goodness. We have blocks and rings and stacking cups and exercausers and things-I-don't-even-know-the-name-of (hopefully) BPA free fun. But of course, like a kid on Christmas all we care about is the box.

Should I be concerned that Courtney is looking forward to a life behind bars?

There was a clanging noise coming from her room the other day and when I looked at her in the monitor, she was running her pacifier back and forth against the bars. It was like she was some prison inmate getting ready for a riot or something.

What's so fascinating about the wall and should I be concerned that she's sticking her fingers in the disgusting 30 year old air vents?

Don't stick your finger in that socket

Life around here is a thrill a minute. I mean, never ending excitement. Actually, I can't complain, I love my life. Courtney and I keep busy during our days and on good days (and most of them are), I get to play on the computer and maybe even do a little reading.

Courtney and I joined the Y this week with the hope of taking some swim lessons. I was all excited to sign her up only to find out the class on Saturdays is full. I'm pretty bummed out by that but we can start after the next session. Until then, I've gone to a couple of exercise classes this week and left C in the daycare for the first time ever. She was fine with my leaving her there but both times I came to get her, she was crying. Both times I think she was over tired but since she doesn't say much, I'm not really sure. I don't think anything bad happened or anything like that but we may have to adjust our arrival time so she isn't so sleepy.

But, when we aren't exercising, or eating, or grocery shopping or doing dishes or doing laundry, we're pretty much doing what you see in the video below. It's not the most riveting of videos but I could (and do) watch Courtney do this all day. Although, it's not going to be long until I'm chasing her around the house.

As you'll see, she's fascinated by my toenails but who can blame her? Oh, and she's taken to snorting. I'm not really sure I understand what that's all about.




And just for the record, I don't let her play with the outlets every day, only on special occasions.

I'm a quitter

As some would say, "Rehab is for quitters." Others would say, "No one likes a quitter." As the little engine would say, "I think I can." But the squirrels say, "We won! You quit. Haha!" I give up. The tomatoes will go with the rodents and next year I'm planting jalapenos. I tried the chili pepper. I tried the dish soap. I even tried a net (which did nothing but mess with the dog). And there's a chance, a small little chance, that I threw a rock at a squirrel as I called it every name in the book. Those stupid squirrels (and chipmunks, I think) have had a field day with my tomatoes. There's nothing left for me. Sure, there are some tomatoes still on the plants but lets face it, they will probably magically disappear overnight, and if they don't, well, they'll never make it to ripe. So that's it, I quit. I didn't have this problem last year, I don't know why this year they're attacking me so vigorously.

If they touch my basil, I'm going to go postal.

The girl's a flirt

On Friday, Courtney and I went to one of our first official play dates at someones house. We've spent a fair bit of time around other babies but this was our first time with Courtney as a crawler (she's DEFINITELY a crawler now) and not a baby lump who just lays there. It was a riot!! Our host has twin boys, Leaf and Sam (9 months), and another friend has baby Tessie (8 months), then Courtney at 7 months and another little girl who is 4 months. Other than the 4 month old, all of those babies are on the go.

Let's just say my girl is a brute (I wonder if she's on her way to being a tomboy??) and we need to work on her social graces. First she tried to use Tessie as her stable object to pull herself to her feet. Needless to say, Tessie didn't appreciate that. Then, she grabbed Leaf's nose in a not-so-friendly manner and he cried. But Sam provided her with the most entertainment - he was a human jungle gym. She crawled all over that boy!! She'd want the toy on the other side of him so up and over him she'd go. He would be laying in front of her so she would lay on top of him. He would try to get away and she'd attempt to suck his foot. Luckily for Courtney, Sam took it all in stride and didn't balk at all of Courtney's activities.

I told Paul that he'd half to keep a close eye on his little girl, she's already after the boys and she can't even walk yet!!

Is she grabbing his butt?

Courtney crawling on Sam

Courtney making a move for Sam's foot

Tessie, Courtney and Leaf all enjoying some frozen teethers

(Excuse the quality of my pix - they're from the phone)

Crawling?

Well, Courtney did it, she crawled! It may have only been a foot or two but she was on the go. Hopefully she won't realize she can crawl if she wants to, I'm not quite ready to lose my "freedom."



You be the judge, it looks like crawling to me...

Courtney in Action

Here's a little bit of Courtney attempting to be on the go. She's also started waving, it's SO cute!!

What's wrong with this picture?

Tomato Wars

I read online that chili powder and liquid dish washing soap would deter the varmints from my plants. So I did both. There's chili powder all over my yard and the next time it rains, there's going to be bubbles everywhere. Anyway, after 24 hours, my 3 (or 4) ripening tomatoes were getting redder and redder. I have been watching the plants like a hawk (when I'm home), hoping to salvage something from my plants.

Paul comes home from work tonight and comments on how I have a few red tomatoes growing and perhaps my methods are working. He then goes to take out the trash. Not 1 minute later, not ONE, I look out the window and there is this POS squirrel eating my tomatoes!!!! I couldn't believe it. I mean, there were 3 or 4 tomatoes that were just a day or so away from becoming a tomato salad, and now there's only 1 left.

That's it, game on. That squirrel is meat!

Updates

Today is our two year anniversary! We didn't go out for dinner or anything, I actually just cooked (which can be a rare occurrence these days). I've been wanting to make beer can chicken for quite some time now and decided today was a good day to give it a go and, I must say, it was excellent!! (And, it was Paul friendly!) Happy Anniversary to us!
****************************************************************************************

My baby girl at 7 months!

Courtney is ADORABLE! Today, Paul get's home from work and she raises her arms to him and just squeeeeels in delight! It was so cute. Shortly after that, Paul was sitting on the floor and Courtney just clamored up him until she was standing on her feet!! She's pulled herself up, kind of, before but this time she was up on her feet in no time at all!!

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

We returned last week from SC, having been out of town for 5 days. I was a little confused to return and have not 1 tomato on my plant that was red. When we left there were tomatoes that were turning red and 5 days later, none. The next day I find some on the ground, with little nibbles out of them! Then Saturday, I look out the window and there's this POS little rodent squirrel in my tomato plant!! Eating my tomatoes! And the thing is, they don't even like the tomatoes. They bite a hole in them, take out the juice and leave the rest of it on the ground!! I could kill the little *$()#$*@#()!*$#&*&^$#!!!

Another year older

Lounging on the couch

The first time C pulled herself onto her feet

Some of the Holder cousins

Courtney and her cousin Eric are fascinated by the shoe lace

We spent the better part of the past week with the Holder's in SC at my sister-in-laws lake house. It was a very nice week with quiet moments, relaxing moments and some moments of pure bedlam and mayhem. There was a 20 hour window where we were swarmed by some of Paul's cousins and their kids leaving us with 25 people sleeping in the house. Craziness!!

It was nice for me personally because Courtney got to spend lots of time with P's immediate family. Courtney's grandmother was there as well as her immediate cousins who range in age from 8 - 14. My nephew, who's 14, may win the prize for the cutest with Courtney. You wouldn't think that a 14 year old boy would be in the least bit interested in a 7 month baby but he was definitely interested. He held her a LOT and was even tolerant when she drooled a small pond on his shorts and even spit up on him. I just love that these kids are so interested in my baby girl. I don't know that I cared about babies when I was 14.

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

On another note, I turned another year older yesterday. I feel older although that could have something to do with the lack of sleep I got last night (and that lack of sleep had nothing to do with the baby). Every passing month Paul and I will say, "I can't believe Courtney is now X months old," it's already gone so quickly and she's only (almost) 7 months old. If Courtney's first 7 months have gone so quickly, what's that going to say/do for our ages? I mean, in 5 years I'll be saying, "I can't believe Courtney's already 5!!" but really what I'll mean is, "I can't believe I'm XX." How did I get to be in my mid to late 30's and is 37 mid or late??? Oh my. Hopefully Courtney will keep me young because getting old is for the birds.

GULP

It's amazing to watch the changes in Courtney occur before my very eyes. Not 2 weeks ago, she was a roller. She could roll all around and push herself up on her arms and have a little mobility but she basically wasn't going anywhere. She has mastered the art of the 360 turn. If you have a spot on your floor that you just can't get out, lay her down and watch her turn, turn, turn. Next thing you know, you have a VERY shiny floor and I have a very dirty baby.

Then last week (Thursday, June 4th to be exact), I turned on the baby monitor and there she was, just sitting up. It was like she'd been doing it all her life. (She then fell over and hit her head and cried but still - SITTING up.) I thought she'd used the bumpers in her crib to pull herself up but now I'm thinking that's not the case. As if sitting up wasn't a major milestone last week, she has also started to "wave." If you wave at her (by folding your fingers in and out), she will kind of wave back. Although, her hand is facing in so she's basically waving to herself but STILL! Waving!!

But now there are motions, steps, movements that all lead to crawling. YES. CRAWLING. She gets up on her hands and knees and she thinks. She thinks really hard. And then she lays down in exhaustion. Then she'll do it again. And then she lays down and scoots backwards around the room. I find if I put her down and leave the room, when I return she isn't necessarily where I left her. All of this movement is going to make my life exponentially harder. What do you do when you need to go to the restroom? Or how will I get the laundry folded if I have to chase her around the house?

Add to all this movement and waving the looming introduction of teeth. I do believe my little baby girl is getting some choppers. She's been waking in the middle of the night (she never does that), she's drooling gallons of saliva a day (as opposed to the liters she was drooling before), and she's very irritable (she's never like that). Every time I try to take a look in her mouth or stick my finger in there, she jerks her head away and screams. And lets just say there's some biting going on and it's not all that comfy.

I can't believe my itty bitty baby girl has SO much going on in her ever evolving life. Before I know it she's going to be walking and then what will we do???

Tomat's

I love tomatoes. In my humble opinion, the best tomatoes in the world come from New Jersey. I think it has something to do with all the radioactive trash that's up and down the NJ turnpike and is seeping into the soil. Man, are those some incredible tomatoes. I love tomatoes all kinds of ways. A tomato sandwich with mayo on toast with salt and pepper. A caprese salad - tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and basil. Salsa. Gazpacho. Plain with salt and pepper. It's all good to me.

That's why things here are getting very exciting. I planted these a couple of months ago and my tomatoes are starting to turn red. I can't wait to enjoy the fruit of my labors. OK, I didn't work that hard at all but yum, they're going to be so good.

Time's are changing

We've had a very nice weekend here in the Holder house. Friday night we had dear friends over for dinner and had a chance to catch up over dinner on our deck. It was nice to see everyone but in days gone by, we'd hang out, visit and drink wine until at least 11 or 12. Nowadays, everyone was GONE by 10 and I think I was in bed at 10:30 on a Friday night.

Saturday Courtney and I went for what one would call a "run." Well, I'll call it a run and the rest of you can call it a "pathetic attempt at jogging, while pushing Courtney along and having a 6 month old laugh at you." Pathetic. I was beet red by the time it was done and I'd only run maybe a mile of the 4 mile stint. Pathetic. I guess I got out there though, that has to count for something.

But then, Paul, Courtney and I went to the Honda dealership where I got a new car!! It started out by our heading to the dealership and on the way, a rock falls from the sky, hits my windshield and puts a crack in it!! I mean, what??? I'm on my way to trade the car in and WHAM!! CRACK!! Anyway, I get my new car and all is right in the world until this morning, after my trip to Publix, not even 24 hours after purchasing it, I get REAR ENDED on the way home!! By a cab driver!! I mean, really???? I think the car Gods are trying to tell me something. I couldn't believe it. I was livid. And, said cab driver, Pedro says, "Oh, it's not a big deal" and in the next breath he says, "I don't know why my brakes are making that noise." Perhaps because they DON'T WORK PEDRO!!! Really, he just scratched the bumper but the bumper is NEW and it's plastic and I'm not so sure it's going to buff out. But that's Pedro's problem, not mine.

My pretty new Honda Pilot
My pretty Honda's new scratch and dent.

Courtney got a new toy from her favorite Aunt Ellen this weekend too.

Courtney's new doll house but we don't have any dolls...

Today we had some of our new friends over for lunch and swimming. I've met a bunch of new moms and their kids (mostly girls) in my exercise classes over the past few months. I've really enjoyed getting to know these women and to experience all the same baby adventures at roughly the same time. So today we had them all over, as well as their husbands, so we could get to know one another better without having to "exercise" to do it. So we had 3 families over and had a really nice time. One of my mommy friends has a 6 year old who was just precious. She was very chatty, loved the pool and the dog and I think she may have had a good time. Except for the fact that this fabulous doll house has no dolls, no furniture, no nothing. Doll houses without actual dolls aren't much fun, or so I've been told. (So, if anyone has any dolls/furniture they're looking to get rid of, I'm here for you.) It was a really nice afternoon and Courtney fell asleep tonight before her dad even shut the bedroom door!

Anyway, we've had a great weekend. And Courtney continues to be a true love.

Does this remind anyone else of a monstrous turkey leg??
Nom nom nom nom nom nom goooood.