Thanksgiving/Christmas Time Is Here (alternate title: The Easy Holiday and Baby's First Flu)

Wait…who told you I was going to post once a week?  Who?  It was me, you say?  And you believed me?  Well now, there’s your problem.  Never trust my ability to accurately predict my future actions.  ESPECIALLY if those future actions will depend on any sort of time management.  I have no concept of time…except when I’m in the shower.  Thanks to the lovely, new, battery-operated, water-resistant, shower clock radio that my husband got me for Christmas, I now know EXACTLY how long it takes for me to use up every last drop of hot water in the house.  And I can do it all while listening to NPR!

So…time has passed.  And, predictably, things have happened.  Sammy’s first Thanksgiving was a success.  He looked adorable in overalls, ate real turkey/mashed potatoes/various other traditional Thanksgiving dishes, and played with his cousins.  All I had to do for Thanksgiving was show up with my family and bring a broccoli casserole and some guacamole (which I made from the first crop of avocados that my grandpa’s avocado tree – in Florida – produced).  It was the very best kind of holiday…good conversation with family, delicious food, and (since  I wasn’t hosting) no need to spend hours cooking and/or doing major detail cleaning of my house.  It was so relaxing.

Then, about a week later, Sammy got a fever, followed by a rash that started on his head and face and eventually made its way all down his body.  So, that wasn’t at all relaxing.  And it only got worse from there.  December was a whirlwind of doctor visits (thankfully Sammy’s fever and rash were nothing serious, but it did take 2 doctor visits to confirm that), decorating the house for Christmas, Christmas shopping, parties, baking (I must be crazy), cooking, gift wrapping, and cleaning…in addition to the day-to-day activities that already have me just barely hanging onto my sanity.  But I was managing.  I had already decided to take Monday and Tuesday, the 22^nd and 23^rd of December, off of work so that I could clean and prepare the house for the guests that we were expecting on Christmas Day.  I was feeling pretty confident that those two days would be all I would need to get everything done without going crazy.  And then I took the 26^th off of work, too, so that I could spend a nice day relaxing after the excitement of a having a house full of people the day before.

Here's the nice Christmas photo we took of Sammy...
after Thanksgiving and after the rash, but before...

But…on the 20^th of December, Sammy came down with a fever again.  When it didn’t get any better, I took him back to the doctor on the 22^nd, and the doctor confirmed that Sammy had the flu…poor kid.  Later that night I found out the hard way that Sammy, like his mama, is not able to stomach Tamiflu, so I cleaned up the vomit (twice) and we soldiered on sans meds.  Monday night was a living nightmare and I felt so bad for my little guy.  He did eventually get some sleep, although, most of it was only when I was holding him, so I didn’t get much rest at all.  Tuesday was a little better, but he still cried almost every time I tried to set him down…and sometimes even when I was carrying him.  So, as you might imagine, very little cleaning and preparing for Christmas happened early that week.

Evidence of Tamiflu intolerance.

Tuesday morning.  Ugh.

He looks happy...but he wasn't.

 By Christmas Eve he was doing somewhat better…Still a bit on the cranky side, but his appetite had returned and I was able to set him down with some toys for  short periods without him starting to cry as soon as I walked into another room.  We did enjoy some nice time with our family on Christmas Eve…Christmas Eve brunch with my parents and (some of) my siblings, and Christmas dinner with Hansen’s grandparents, (some) siblings, and (some) extended family. 

And somehow, Christmas Day went smoothly, too.  I’m sure it’s mostly thanks to all the help I had from Hansen with the cooking and the cleaning.   We had 10 of Hansen’s family members over for dinner, plus Hansen, Sammy and myself.  That is pretty much the maximum number of people that will fit into our dining area.  I was surprised that we all fit as well as we did in our little house.  There were no arguments, dinner was good, and there were more than 2 kinds of dessert, so we called it a success.  After most of the guests had left for the night, we finished off the day by playing a highly inappropriate game of Cards Against Humanity with a few of Hansen’s siblings.  It was nice to end the day with some good, hard laughs. 

Particularly nice tree this year!

Added a stocking for Sammy this year!

 On Friday, after Christmas, my mom asked me how I had enjoyed my time off and I just looked at her and said, “What time off?”  I love Christmas…and I totally think that it’s worth the effort to carry on family traditions…but man, am I exhausted!  I don’t know how my own mother has carried on all the traditions (many more than I do) that she has championed in our family for so long…with not one, but three children…and working full time for at least the last 14 years.  It amazes me.  And it’s definitely something to aspire to!

On Monday, the 29^th, I was almost headed back to work when I got a call from my mom (who was going to watch Sammy for me that day) telling me that she thought she might have strep throat, but that she was still willing to watch Sam.  Well, since he still hadn’t fully recovered from the flu, and I didn’t want to take the chance of exposing him to more illness, I ended up working from home so that my mom could stay home and rest.  I’m so glad I did, because after over a week of sickness and crankiness, Sammy finally recovered his sunny disposition on Monday.  His little smiles make me temporarily forget the fact that I’m so tired I can barely function.  And not only did he smile at me, but he crawled for the very first time!  Prior to getting sick, he had been very close to crawling for a few weeks.  He’d been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking…even started pushing himself backwards.  But on Monday afternoon, he finally put it all together and mastered forward motion.  Of course, he went straight for the Christmas tree and started grabbing at ornaments.  Soooo, now it’s time to take the tree down.  Never a dull moment.  At least we made it through Christmas.

Sammy is all smiles again!  Faith is tolerating his attention.

And now, here I am…at the very end of a great year.  It has been one of the most exciting and challenging years of my entire life.  A year that I will never forget or regret.  A year that changed my life in the very best way…forever.  And I am so grateful!  Tired…but definitely grateful.  I’m excited to see what 2015 has in store for me and my family…and hope it holds good things for you, too!  See you next year!  Happy New Year, everyone!

Jonesing...

My blog just hit 1,000 views!  I shall celebrate this rather unremarkable milestone with a new, long overdue post!

 Okay…I’m not gonna sugar coat it…although that sounds delicious…I want a cookie real bad.  And I’m not just talking the chocolate sandwich variety, which I've spoken of in the past.  No…I’d take pretty much anything at this point.  I believe they call this “jonesing”.  It is 8 AM, 9 degrees outside, I’m in my pajamas, but the thought has already crossed my mind that I should get up, get dressed enough to make myself look like a productive member of society (and not the deranged cookie consuming degenerate that I truly am), bundle up my baby, and head out to the grocery store to buy a package or two (or five). 

But I won’t do that.  At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.  See…I’m back on the wagon.  Well…more like trailing half-heartedly behind the wagon while whining, “Hey guuuuys?  Can you slow doooown?”  What does that look like, exactly?  Well, I haven’t bought a package of Oreos in about a month.  And, with no measurable degree of regularity, I've been increasing my vegetable intake.  That’s about it at this point.  Baby steps.

And before you send me recipes for some fantastic vegan, sugar-free, wheat free, ingredient free cookies that are “totally awesome”…let me just stop you by saying that I don’t consider those cookies.  I consider them food.  I might even consider them “pretty good, actually”.  But I don’t consider them cookies.  For something to be a cookie it has to be at least a little bit bad for you.

“But Amy,” you might say, “even a cookie that is high in fat and sugar can be okay if consumed in moderation within the context of a balanced and healthy diet.”  Well, if you can consume delicious cookies in moderation, bully for you.  I’m still working on that.

Why am I attempting to rein in my cravings?  I’d like to give you some explanation along the lines of, “It’s not about losing weight, I really just want to be healthier and take care of my body.”  But I’d be lying to you if I said that.  It’s totally, definitely about losing weight. Despite the fact that I’m still nursing Sam (for now…until he finally succeeds in actually biting my nipples off, as he’s been trying to do with his new chompers of late), the weight is not just effortlessly falling off.  I literally thought I was pregnant earlier this week.  My poochy tummy wasn't the only thing that had me thinking pregnancy was a possibility…I've also been really tired the last couple of weeks (my first pregnancy symptom with Sammy), and almost insatiably hungry.  Then, yesterday I was convinced that I was feeling a bit nauseous.  But I tested this morning and it was negative, so that can only mean one thing.  It’s time for a diet.

I think I’d rather be pregnant than on a diet…although dieting is definitely cheaper, since it doesn't require monthly doctor visits and a lifelong commitment to love, nurture, and protect another human life.  Plus, despite the mild to moderate case of baby fever that I've been battling for the last month or two, realistically I know that right now would be not the greatest, most convenient time to start adding to our family again.  Although…when is having a baby ever convenient?  Never.  If you decide to have a baby, you’re basically asking to be inconvenienced.  But despite that, I was still a little disappointed when I saw the single pink line on the pregnancy test this morning.  Because it’s so worth all the inconvenience…definitely, emphatically worth it.

So…it looks like I’ll be talking myself out of two things for a while: Cookies and more babies.  Hopefully, maybe 20 pounds from now, there will be a time when I can say yes to both again.  And for now I’ll enjoy what I already have…Sammy…my adorable, sweet baby boy.

And these carrot sticks…I guess.

Highlights of the last few weeks (A.K.A. the weekends of October)

Oh dear…I’m sensing a pattern here.  It’s been weeks since I’ve posted.  But the main thing is to not give up, right?  Just keep writing whenever you can.  This time I was prompted to write because my good friend Cherity linked to my blog again in one of her posts (she’s nice like that) and I didn’t want any potential visitors to show up and see that I haven’t written anything in 3 weeks!  That would just be embarrassing.  Like having a bunch of friends stop by when your counters and sinks are full of dirty dishes, your living room is stacked with baskets of laundry that haven’t yet been put away, your bed hasn’t been made,  and you haven’t cleaned the bathroom in a while.  Not that my house ever gets like that.  Unrelated side note:  If any of my friends want to hang out this weekend…let’s go to YOUR house.

Speaking of hanging out with friends, we celebrated the 5^th annual Voss chili cook-off on October 11^th.  I have looked forward to this event every year since Hansen and I started the tradition.  First…because I LOVE chili, and second…because we host the gathering on Settler’s Days weekend, which is our town’s annual fall festival…a very big deal if you’re a native to Marengo, IL, and not at all important to anyone else.  This year was extra special because it was Sammy’s first chili cook-off.  Granted, he wasn’t able sample any of the chili’s, but still…he was there…experiencing the excitement of it all! 

Unfortunately, earlier that week, Hansen was informed that he would have to work on that Saturday morning, which put us under an unexpected time crunch.  We usually work together on the morning of the cook-off to whip the house into shape before our guests arrive.  And this year, with a baby, our crazy new schedule, and the household neglect that comes along with them, the house was, indeed, in need of a good whipping.   But, in spite of Hansen’s absence in the morning, I was still able to get the house presentable.  Hansen helped out as soon as he got home, and most of our guests were over an hour late, so that helped, too (thanks, guys…you get me). 

There were about 20 people in attendance (pretty amazing in itself when you consider the size of our little house) and 6 chili’s in the running…all quite tasty, unique, and deserving of recognition.  And yet, the winner of this year’s competition was Bob…a first-timer to the cook-off who did not, in fact, bring chili, but did, nonetheless, receive the most votes.  So be it!  The people had spoken.  He walked away that night with a belly full of chili and a $25 Amazon gift card.  Sometimes it pays to just show up and be a nice guy.  Unfortunately, as per usual, I was much too busy that day to take photos.  I always regret it after the fact.  But…Hansen did take this one picture of my mom, AKA “Granny”, and two of her grandbabies at the party.

 The following day, Sammy attended his first of (hopefully) many Settler’s Days parades.  It was a beautiful day for a parade and my little guy loved it!  He practiced his new skill of sitting up all by himself on a blanket on the side of the road, with his cousins nearby raking in the parade candy like it was the last food on earth.  He only cried one time.  The beginning of the Settler’s Days parade is like 10 minutes of JUST fire engines and emergency vehicles from all over the area.  It’s my least favorite part of the whole thing.  I’m sure Sam will think it’s really cool sometime in the future, but this year all the sirens put a worried look on his little face.  Still…he held it together until the very last vehicle went by.  The siren on that one was pretty tame compared to some of the ones that had already passed by, but he’d just had enough.  Still, he didn’t cry for long.  A minute later he was a happy boy again.  We jammed out to marching bands (my favorite part of any parade) and enjoyed watching all of the floats, trucks, animals and pedestrians go by.

 The next weekend we had a bit of a break.  No major social gatherings at our house.  Hansen and I were able to get quite a bit accomplished around the house (none of which is still evident in the house's current state of chaos).  And on Sunday evening we got together with all my siblings at my parents’ house to celebrate October birthdays.  I also asked my sister to cut me some bangs because I was sick of my hairstyle again, but not ready to cut it short again yet.  So, now my look is sufficiently altered…enough to keep me satisfied for a few months, at least.

Behold my sister's handiwork...cute bangs!

Last weekend (we’re almost up to date, now) we took a trip down to Peoria, Illinois to attend a bonfire/housewarming party at my friend, Cherity ’s, llama ranch.  Thankfully we did not have a repeat of our Michigan road trip.  Sammy pretty much slept the whole time we were in the car (there was a small episode on our return journey, but nothing major…hardly worth mentioning).  It was also a much shorter trip, so that probably helped.  We had a great time at the ranch.  The property is beautiful.  And I think we made the trip at exactly the right time to experience the glorious fall colors in those parts.  Sammy also got to pet mini ponies, a llama, some horses, a dog, and see chickens for the first time, so he was really happy.  He’s very interested in animals, but our dog, Faith, is still not so sure that she wants him to touch her, so being able to actually get his hands on some critters was an exciting experience for him.

Sammy and Cherity on her ranch

Sammy meets the ponies

Sammy pets the ponies

A hike before leaving on Sunday afternoon

And then came Monday…back to the grindstone.  Hansen started work at 6 AM on Monday morning, which was a blessing, considering the busy weekend we had, but Tuesday was a 3 AM start time, and this morning it was 1:30 AM.  So I am back into “weekday mode”…which means I have no idea what’s going  on most of the time.  I just know I have to work, keep baby safe/warm/clean/dry/fed, and not expect to know when I will see my husband again until Friday night.

Speaking of Friday night…baby’s first Halloween!!!  I’m not usually a huge fan of Halloween in general (aside from the candy…O glorious candy!), but when it involves dressing up an adorable baby in a costume, which is pretty much guaranteed to increase baby adorability exponentially, that I can get enthusiastic about.  Right now Sammy has a little bear costume that we purchased for him at a resale shop.  If I have time (hahaha) to be a little creative that costume might end up actually turning into an Ewok costume, but I’m not making any promises just yet.  Either way…cute pictures are sure to follow.

Finally,  I'd just like to point out that although I'm no great fan of major league baseball (I enjoy it, but could hardly be called a fan), I did dress my son up in this Royals outfit.  It was one of the first gifts he ever received...from his Aunt Casey...before he was even born.  He has worn it twice.  And now the Royals are in the world series for the first time since 1985...the year I was born.  There's something there, I'm telling you.  Can't just be a coincidence! :)

Guest Post: Galena by almostfarmgirl...AKA...my friend Cherity

Well folks, you may or may not have noticed that I have, yet again, failed to post every week.  My excuse this time is that I've been busy.  Well, really that's my excuse every time, but I'm serious.  The last couple of weekends (which seem to be my only time to write) have been jam-packed with activities, chores, etc.  On one of those busy weekends, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Galena with some friends from college.  Cherity, the talented and amusing writer of the blog www.almostfarmgirl.com, is one of those friends.  I've always enjoyed her writing...and her sense of humor.  It was as I was reading some of her blog posts that I became inspired to start my own blog.  She's very good.  She even has followers...like...people she's never actually met that consistently read what she writes.  I'm sort of in awe of that.  So, when she approached me with the idea of doing guest posts on each other's blogs about our weekend trip, I was honored and excited.  Below is Cherity's take on our trip.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you do, too.  And lest you think that I've been lazy and haven't written anything lately, check out my take on the weekend by visiting Cherity's blog.  And while you're there read some more of Cherity's stuff...it's fantastic!

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I think we all have that one group of friends, or I hope we all do: the group with strong ties to your past that somehow manages to be relevant in your present.  These are the people who you can go without seeing for a year and still chat with like you saw each other yesterday. 

The girls in this photo?  They are those people for me.

Left to Right:  Kristen, Katie, Myself, Amy (Apologies to Kristen as she doesn't like this photo.  It's the only one I can find of ALL of us at the same time...)

Once upon a time, we travelled Europe together with two other girls (Joni and Karen), mutually bonding over our collective roles as outcasts in the larger group.  Turns out, being an outcast isn’t so bad if you get to be outcast together. 

During the Fall/Winter of 2005, the four (actually six) of us were together almost constantly.  And, at the end of three months, we still liked each other!  Flash forward to today, and these three girls are still among my closest friends.  We live farther apart than we would like (not as far as Joni and Karen who are probably 1000 miles away…) and only manage to see each other on occasion.  I see each of these ladies individually several times a year…and Katie pretty much literally lives in my backyard, so sometimes I see her several times a day…but, once college ended and real life commenced, we almost never all got together at the same time. 

So we decided to do something about it. 

Last year, we got together in July for our first annual “girls’ weekend” (I use quotes because it’s such a novel idea…and trademarked…we were the first ones to think of this…).  Meeting up in Galena, IL, a town just far enough away to be equally inconvenient for all of us, we began what I hope will be a tradition for a very long time. 

Last year, Amy was pregnant.  Katie and I had food poisoning.  Kristen was transitioning to a vegan diet…I’m just saying we had our challenges.  Yet, somehow, we all had a blast. 

This year, fewer challenges for everyone except Amy…but you can read about that on www.almostfarmgirl.com …  Regardless of challenges, in whatever form they might take, I always have a ton of fun when I’m with these ladies.

So, this trip…

Have you ever been to Switzerland?  If so, well, that’s actually a lot more exciting than Galena, but Galena puts me a bit in the mind of Switzerland…without the Alps…or the chocolate…there is some really good cheese though.   I know that when most of you think of Illinois, you probably think of flat farmland and Chicago (or as one merchant in Greece once said to me,  “Ah, Chicago.  Bang. Bang.  Dead”), but there’s a lot more to it than that.  Galena sits in one of the unglaciated regions of the state.  (Unglaciated is a word.  I checked. )  The landscape, rolling hills dotted with dairy farms and small towns with church steeples, looks more fitted for Europe than upstate Illinois.   

  

The town is known for its rich history.  (No joke, 85% of its buildings are registered historic buildings.)  Once upon a time, it was one of the most important cities in our state.  It was home to a lead mine that produced about 80% of the lead in the country.  (I’m not sure why lead was that important, but apparently it was a pretty big deal…)  It was also a steamboat hub between the cities of St. Paul and St. Louis.  The DeSoto House Hotel, first opened in 1855, is the oldest operating hotel in Illinois and is a prominent feature of Galena’s main thoroughfare.  (Also, just FYI, it’s also one of the only places on the main street that has a public restroom.  The lack of places to pee also remind me of Europe…)

For such a small town, Galena has a disproportionate number of things to do.  Day spas, and shopping, and wineries, some of the best restaurants you’ll find about anywhere.  There are historic homes…and I’m not just talking about “hey, look, this house is old” kind of historic.  Rather, Galena boasts the home of General (then President) Ulysses S. Grant.  During the Civil War, Galena sent not only Grant, but eight other Generals, as well as a whole host of soldiers.  The town is positively steeped in Civil War history, probably more than any other Midwestern city that I can think of.  There is also horseback riding, canoeing…  The list goes on and on and on…

With all that there is to do in Galena, I must say that we probably overdid it last year.  Activities were a bit packed in, and the trip was a lot of fun, but not terribly relaxing.  This year, we were all far more chill about it.  (I have my suspicions that it is mostly because we were all a lot poorer than last year.)

So, we all got in on Friday night.  Much to her surprise, Amy was the first to arrive.  Kristen showed up a bit later.  Katie and I drove together….and we were like two hours later than we had planned.  Absolutely no one was on time because that’s how we roll. 

(Side note, Amy said that all of us showing up later than her is why we are all friends.  I told her that I’m pretty sure Katie and I are friends because our fathers once shared a uterus.  I mean, brothers, not twins, but that still seems to bond people.)

We stay at the Farmer’s Guest House, which is probably the most perfect B&B on the planet…or at least in town. 

The innkeepers are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.  They are unbelievably helpful (and accommodating…two of us, ahem *Kristen and I* show up with the most bizarre food restrictions and they go way out of their way to make sure our breakfast is lovely and tasty regardless). 

The rooms are welcoming.  There is a wall of clocks, which appeals to Kristen’s sense of order.../OCD. 

Also, bottomless cookie jar.  And wine time every evening.  (Even without everything else, they pretty much have my heart at wine time.) 

So, with all of Galena at our feet, we stayed inside on the first night, painted our toenails, and watched “Mickey Blue Eyes” on DVD…

And we had a particularly deep and meaningful conversation about the “this little piggy” nursery rhyme after I thought way too hard about Amy’s Piggly Wiggly shopping bag:

Me: “So…guys…this little piggy went to market…Anyone else ever consider how messed up that is?  Because, if you’re a pig, going to market is a really bad thing…”
Kristen: “And what about  this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home?  What is that even about?
Amy: “Urinary incontinence.”

(Contrary to Amy’s earlier statement, I’m pretty sure conversations like these are why all of us are friends.)

The next day, after a breakfast that was basically apple pie (which is totally ok, because vacation!), we ran to the store to purchase a picnic lunch, then headed towards one of Galena’s beautiful bike trails.  Kristen and Amy brought their own bikes.  Katie and I rented mountain bikes….

…Guys, they really weren’t mountain bikes.

…I’m not even sure they were bikes, because, I’ll have you know, it was basically like riding a thong.  I rented a wheeled thong. 

The ride was stunning.  I could have biked all day, but after an hour or so, my butt started protesting.

Also, for the record, our lunch was probably the healthiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.  I was thoroughly impressed with us. 

(Ignore the tootsie pops…they are merely an illusion.  Look!  Celery!)

And our picnic spot was idyllic.

There is nothing quite like a bike ride on an Autumn afternoon…

After returning the bikes, we spent our day exploring the downtown.  We shopped, meandered about a wine cellar, and ate.  (By the way, there wasn’t a bad meal during the entire trip.  I pretty much felt like a cow by the time I got home.)

Mostly though?  I got to spend time in amazing company.  I love every trip I take with these ladies, and I truly cannot wait for next year. 

***Check out  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galena,_Illinois for more information on Galena’s history.  I checked multiple sources, but this has the most information available on one page.***

6 key essentials to working from home (with a baby)...

I haven't been doing this for long, but in my admittedly limited experience, I do feel that I've gained some wisdom that might benefit other work-from-home mothers.  Or maybe not.  But in either case, here they are...my 6 key essentials to working from home (with a baby)...

1).  Chocolate sandwich cookies.  Until recently, I would have said Oreos...accept no substitutes!  But Hansen went shopping at Aldi earlier this week, and I find that their off-brand variety, which boldly claims itself to be "Original," is quite satisfactory for the guy or gal on a budget.  If you're not in the habit of consuming these treats, and are wondering how they could possibly be included in a list of "key essentials," then I have to seriously question your ability to do anything at all.  These babies are key to daily function...period.  If you're not properly fueling your body with these miraculous munchies, you're doing yourself a great disservice.

2).  An Adorable Baby.  Yes...that's right...you cannot work from home with a baby if you do not, in fact, have a baby.  This is pretty basic stuff.  Technically, the "adorable" part is optional, but it helps.  And if the baby is yours, it's kind of a given that you'll find him or her adorable.  Most of the time.

3).  A Ferocious Guard Dog to bark incessantly at protect you and Adorable Baby from things like:  mail coming through the mail slot, cars driving down the street, imaginary noises.

4).  A healthy tolerance for crying, screeching, and/or barking (because of the two essentials listed above).  I actually think I tolerate these things better than the sports banter that can be overheard on a daily basis in the office.  At least crying and barking serve some sort of purpose.  Adorable Baby cries because he needs something, Ferocious Guard Dog barks (presumably) because someone or something made a noise without her permission.  But talking about sports?  I just don't get it.  Not that I don't enjoy watching sports on occasion.  I do.  But when the game is over...it's over, man.  Let it go.

5).  Silence.  Even if you have the aforementioned tolerance for Adorable Baby and/or Ferocious Guard Dog related noises, there's going to come a time (or several times) throughout the day when you just need some peace and quiet in which to think.  This silence can be hard to come by, but without it, you will likely get absolutely nothing accomplished.  Which is why I'm a strong advocate for...

6).  Naps.  Not for you.  You're supposed to be working.  For Adorable Baby.  Plus, studies have shown that naps can increase baby adorability (that's a word now...because I say so) by as much as 14%*.  Bonus for you!

Note:  There is a symbiotic relationship between silence and naps.  Silence fosters an ideal atmosphere in which to nap.  Naps, then, guarantee an additional period of silence, though for how long, you can never be sure.  So, work with it while you have it, and just pray that the mail doesn't come.

Mail delivery invariably shatters the blessed silence by stimulating barking, which can and often does, terminate the nap so violently that Adorable Baby is launched from peaceful slumber into panicked and wide-awake fits of crying faster than you can click "save" on that spreadsheet you've been crafting.  In such instances you'll likely have no other choice but to reach for key essential #1...the chocolate sandwich cookie.  Not for feeding Adorable Baby.  He's still nursing.  For you.  Seriously.  Eat it.  You'll feel better.

*I made that up.

My Excuse...

Well, it has been over a week since I’ve written.  So…my goal to post at least once a week…already failed.  And yet I soldier on.  I had every intention of writing last weekend, but here’s why that never happened… 

Last Friday was my and Hansen’s five year wedding anniversary.  We celebrated by going out to Shogun, in Rockford, IL, for some sushi and hibachi-grilled teriyaki chicken.  Nothing quite says “romance” like raw fish and a guy in a chef’s hat tossing spatulas in the air and shrimp in your mouth.  Not to brag, but I was the only one at the table that was able to actually catch the shrimp.  I really try not to waste seafood.  Or any food.  We were both incredibly tired after getting up around 3 AM and then working all day, but five years is a legitimate milestone and we weren’t about to let it go unnoticed.   

I was going to stop and get him a card on the way home from work, but I was running late (story of my life) and didn’t want to make us lose our dinner reservations.  I also was going to get him a little gift, but when I Googled traditional five year anniversary gifts on my lunch break earlier that day, I was informed that the traditional gifts are either wood or silverware.  I was tempted to cover both of those bases and get him a wooden spoon, but…nah.    Hansen told me that he got me a card and some Werther’s candies, but I’ve yet to see either of those things, so I don't feel so bad for not getting him anything (yet).  Am I painting a good picture of our romantic evening together for you?  I’m not complaining.  It was great!  Sammy was with Granny and Poupon (grandma and grandpa).  We had a couple of hours to ourselves and some good food.  It didn't involve leaking diapers or spit-up.  But it wasn’t a lingering, peaceful evening of wine and candle light, either.  Truth be told, we were kind of in a rush all night.  Partially because of me being late in getting home from work, and partially because we had to get up early the next morning. 

By 9 AM on Saturday morning, we were up, showered, dressed, packed, and in the car headed to Michigan.  I had been asked to do special music at a women's Bible study kickoff event at my friend's church in Fruitport.  And Hansen, being the wonderful husband that he is, agreed to accompany me, both with his presence on the trip, and with his guitar during the special music.  Commence family road trip!

We have taken family road trips in the past.  Even with Sammy.  Just this past June we drove to St. Louis and back for a wedding.  And Sammy did great.  Maybe 30 minutes of crying total for the whole round-trip.  Sadly, we did not get a repeat of that blissful trip this time around.  I planned to start writing my next blog post in the car (maybe about something sweet...like how much I love my husband...because I do).  It was, after all, supposed to be a four and a half hour trip.  What else would I do with all those peaceful hours of driving, right?  And the plan might have worked, had I started writing sooner.

Just to expedite the whole process of relaying the weekend's events, I'll give you a quick summary of the next couple of days from that point on (completely devoid of appropriate grammar):

Driving (this is when I should have started writing, but, alas, I did not), driving , fussing, lunch (Wendy's...Spicy Chicken Sandwich combo with fresh lemonade...Large...Deal with it!), diaper change for Sammy.  Driving, fussing, change seats to be next to baby.  Driving, fussing, FUSSING, stop in random parking lot to nurse baby.  Driving, fussing, FUSSING, SCREAMING, stop in random parking lot to walk baby around the perimeter.  Driving, Chinese fire drill driver change.  Driving, FUSSING, SCREAMING, SCREEEEAMING, stop in random parking lot to walk baby around the perimeter (the kid loves parking lots...who knew?).  Driving FUSSING, SCREAMING, SCREEEEEEAMING, SCREAMING, fussing, baby falls asleep.  Pull into town where we'll be staying for the rest of the weekend two minutes later.

Visit briefly with friends, eat dinner (Wendy's again...don't judge...same meal, only small...because I'm not completely without virtue!), sing at women's Bible study event (lovely...there was chocolate...even lovelier), visit briefly with friends, sleep.  Wake, nurse baby, sleep.  Wake, nurse baby, sleep.  Wake, shower, church, sing, lunch (Qdoba...not Chipotle, but it'll do in a pinch.  At least they have guac), visit briefly with friends, pack up the car, drive home.  Driving, driving, driving, fussing, stop for dinner (Panera...Mmmm.  Also, baby's first experience with squash soup. Success!), diaper change for Sammy.  Driving, driving, driving, fussing, fussing, FUSSING, FUSSING, SCREAMING, SCREEEEEAMING, SCREEEEEEAMING, stop at Walgreens in hopes of finding miracle cure for teething fussiness.  Failure.  Driving, driving, pick up dog at Granny and Poupon's house, eat second dinner (because I never turn down BLT's), drive home, unpack the car, put Sammy to bed, and finally, finally, finally get to bed ourselves.

So...that is my excuse for not writing last week.  It was so great to see my friends this past weekend.  I love them dearly and hate that it had been 5 years since we'd last spent time together.  I wish we'd had a little more time to just hang out together, but I was still so grateful, not only for the opportunity to visit with them (and meet their children for the first time), but also to sing and lead worship for the Bible study event, and at their church service the next day.  However, that being said, I will think twice before ever again scheduling a road trip while I have a teething baby on my hands. 

Note:  Almost all of the fussing, screaming, and SCREEEAMING were courtesy of our dear little Sammy, though it's possible that mom and/or dad may have joined in briefly at some point.  But, just to prove to you that he's not always as crabby as this post makes him sound, here's an adorable video of Sammy giving fist-bumps to his daddy: