Boston Lobstah

For her 6-month photos we dressed Liesel in her Halloween costume. I have to give mad props to my sister Reagan for loaning us the outfit. Lucky for us, our ward had a lobster pot from the annual clam bake which made a great accessory. I just love her coy look in the last one like she's saying, "Awwwwe come on... you wouldn't boil me, now would you? I wouldn't make a very good lobster bisque anyway. "

They got cut off a bit when they were scanned but you get the idea.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Saw it, loved it, have to share it.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Upbraideth Not

After a great day at church and a visit from the home teachers, Brent and I had a wonderfully tasty Sunday dinner. Liesel went down for a nap. Feeling spiritually enlightened and physically satisfied, we decided to relax a bit. Brent had his head in my lap and I was running my fingers through his hair.

They say men are sensitive about two things: height and hair. Brent has both of those in spades. While I love going up on tiptoe to kiss him, I'm especially partial to his hair. Seriously, Patrick Dempsey has nothing on him. It's incredibly thick and wavy and Brent grows it longer just for me. I never thought I'd fall in love with a blond and I am so very in love with this blond. When he's been playing basketball or just stepped out of the shower it really curls up and I can't stop myself from brushing the tendrils back from his forehead. Brent finds it unruly, I find it irresistibly sexy.

So we were enjoying a moment of quiet and I was contemplating how MUCH hair he had. And you know, it's actually pretty long now. Long enough in fact, that I think I could....

"ARE YOU BRAIDING MY HAIR!?!"

Oh, sorry... is that wrong? Am I not supposed to do that? If someone told me that was frowned upon I wouldn't have done it. Yeah, apparently that's bad. Kind of uhm... REALLY bad. I guess I crossed some line nobody told me about. Brent was pretty horrified and he quickly raked his fingers back and forth through my careful braid. I tried to tell him I needed to practice on someone so when Liesel's hair is lo... I didn't even get to finish that thought. I'm afraid he's going to the nearest Great Clips to have it all shaved off now. Memo to me, memo to me: don't braid Brent's hair. But for the record, I still don't see what's so wrong with that.

Cover Girl

Back by popular demand, new photos and video of Liesel:

Starting solids, peaking over Dad's shoulder, sleeping with her bunny, Pooh Bear snowsuit (it's a size 0-3 month and barely fits her anymore!), twins at church (complete coincidence... even their car seat matched), peeking over pillows when she was supposed to be sleeping, Moose Caboose, dandelion fluff (we blow-dried her hair after the bath), "running" to Mom, Gymboree giraffe sweater, apple-picking, eating pureed prunes (turns out you're only supposed to do that if they're constipated. Ooops. We paid for that during 3 days of BAD diapers) watching Dad and Victory Party at My Crib t-shirt photos.

Quick note: It wasn't until we loaded these that I realized how many photos and videos have Liesel in nothing but a diaper... looking like a WIC baby. We really do usually have her in at least a onesy but she tends to be incredibly cute just after a bath or shower.

SWAG

"Stuff. We. All. Get. I basically decorated my condo for free with all of my swag." ~Michael Scott (The Office)

I work for a non-profit. Or is it not-for-profit? Is there even a difference? Anyhoo, it's a bit more touchy-feely than your average company and we associates get a pretty consistent amount of swag which keeps morale high. They were even honored by the Boston Business Journal as one of the region's best places to work. We placed 14 out of 20 in the large business (more than 500 employees) category.

In my 6 years with the company I've received a towel, laundry bag, socks, fleece blanket, color-changing cups, canvass beach bag, Red Sox tickets (I've won 3 times!), mugs, computer bag, backpack, iPod shuffle, fleece jacket, water bottle, t-shirt, travel kit, and then the usual pens, notebooks, portfolios and food, food, food. Seriously, we get A LOT of free food. It's always nice to get a little something now and again although I have to admit I've been excited about some items more than others.

This week was Customer Service Appreciation week at work. I was extremely busy so I didn't have time to pick up my Dunkin Donuts gift card, or have any of the free pizza, or to complete any of the daily puzzles to win the big prize (I think it was an iPod or iPhone or something like that). The final email went out on Friday announcing ice cream was being served along with a give away. I wasn't all that interested in the ice cream since I'm still trying to lose the last of my baby weight. Lucky for me, my cube neighbor is eager for food at pretty much all times so he scouted it out for me and gave me a preview of the day's swag:

I'd seen these before at The Container Store (also known as my Nirvana). The top section holds cereal and the bottom section goes in the freezer. It has an orange gel inside which keeps the milk cold. There's even a collapsible spoon in the lid. It's perfect for travel. It's perfect for kids. It's ingenious. I LOVE IT!!! With 15 minutes left, I briskly walked down to the large conference room where I was met with a line that wound all the way through one division. I spied the VP of HR and asked if it was okay to slip in and snag my swag. After all, it was Customer Service Appreciation Week. I was completely jazzed to show it to Brent when he picked me up. Ahhhhh, I'm feelin' the love!

Quality Education

It's a little-known fact that Massachusetts has the highest cost of daycare in the entire US. That's actually a well-known fact for anyone living in Massachusetts with children. I know many people who've looked into it before they even considered having children! Brent and I were fortunate enough to find one that's only $485 a week and we were wait-listed for just a few months. I know, we could probably support hundreds of children in the tribes of third world nations with that money but believe me, in these parts it's a good deal. Other day cares charge you $100 just to get on the waiting list. Not to actually get a spot, just to BE on the waiting list, which is about a year. The money isn't a registration fee either; like I said, it's JUST to be on the list. Since enrolling Liesel we've stopped calling it 'daycare'... we call it 'college' because it's about as expensive.

It stands to reason that at such a high price the place would run like a well-oiled machine. Liesel literally doesn't take a dump without us knowing about it. It's all written down on her "Family Communication" sheet which they complete daily, in duplicate. It includes all meals, naps, diapers and even her mood for the day. There's a spot for us to fill out at the top indicating when our child woke up, when she had her last meal, who can be reached most readily at which number (home/work/cell?) and any "special requests, medications, or information we need today." What can I say? I was feeling a little cheeky this morning and quickly scribbled in "Please read her Shakespeare today- Thanks!"

When I picked Liesel up from daycare I gathered her bottles and took my copy of the Family Communication sheet which noted the following: "Today I had a good day. I enjoyed playing with new babies who've started to participate in our school. Today I also enjoyed listening to Shakespeare's songs from 'The Tempest". They made me smile." My jaw dropped. I turned to the care givers, "You guys! I was totally kidding about the Shakespeare!" One of the new mothers who had been eyeing me as I read the sheet said, "I saw that and wondered..." Yeah, wondered if I'm already gunning for my child to have a 200 IQ? Wondering what Ivy League school I'm currently making nice, fat donations to? Wondering what kind of high maintenance mother demands that her 6 month old be quoted 16th century literature? Wondering if I'm a marketing rep for Baby Einstein? Yeah, I would have wondered too.

Turns out one of the caregivers is a part-time actress who has played numerous roles in Shakespearean plays. We chatted for a while about what she's done and whether she's ever been to Shakespeare on the Common and how my mother taught British Lit as a college professor, etc. etc. Even after all this I have to admit I felt a little sheepish as I gathered my little girl in my arms and headed home. Then something came over me and I started thinking about other requests I could make:

Please explain string theory and make sure Liesel has a firm understanding of the Grand Unified Theory of Physics.

Please help Liesel memorize all past presidents of the United States.

Please make sure Liesel gets in her 10 mile run today (she's training for the Boston Marathon)

Please teach Liesel to make lace.

At the moment, I'm feeling like the sky's the limit :)

File This One Under "What Were We Thinking?"

Yesterday I came home to discover a package on my door. I love packages. No, I mean, I LOVE packages! I must've had severe mail deprivation as a child because knowing an item has been wrapped up and journeyed it's way to my front door warms my heart like a blowtorch. Turns out this one was indeed special. My dear friend Janeal had sent me a puzzle of Fenway Park for my birthday. Quite apropos considering last night the Red Sox beat the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles to advance to the next round of playoffs. Caveat-- I think that's SO lame. Don't try to tie your team name to L.A., let the Brooklyn Dodgers do that. Just call yourselves the Anaheim Angels. Be where you're at! Bloom where you're planted! It's just such a wannabe thing to be the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by Disneyland or whatever their official title is. It's like saying you're 29 when everyone knows you're 31. Give it up already.

Anyway, back to my package. Normally I would have waited to open it until my birthday but nothing on the outside indicated it was to be reserved for a special occasion. Because I'd already spoiled my surprise, I thought I'd put it to use for another special occasion: our wedding anniversary. That's right, as of yesterday Brent and I have been married for a whopping two years. It feels like just yesterday we kneeled across an altar in the Nauvoo temple and covenanted to be together for time and for all eternity. Well, feels like just yesterday until I consider the fact we have a 6-month old. THEN it feels appropriately two years. When Brent came home from work I suggested we do the puzzle for our Family Home Evening activity. How cute, I thought. We could pretend to be like a super old couple that eats dinner at 4:30 and constantly loses things and does puzzles for a rip roaring night of fun. How cute, right?

The puzzle was 500 pieces. That should have been my first clue. With intricate, tiny details (see photo). That should have been my second clue. Brent and I are both OCD. I should have factored that in as well. We didn't have a nice little evening together, we spent 2 1/2 hours painstakingly finishing this project (by then it had become one) so we could purge ourselves of the task and finally sleep at night. There was no reminiscent conversation, only mumbles about a conspiracy by the puzzle company who MUST have left out some pieces. To an outsider we probably looked like a couple with multiple personality disorder as we talked to ourselves under our breath and then shouted with glee when one of the pieces fit. At one point we put Tommy Boy on the TV in the background to help distract us because things were getting tense.

You would think seeing the finished puzzle would have given us a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and perhaps togetherness? Not so much. It was more like a compulsive release that the puzzle was finally in it's proper order. What a horrible idea! I took a hot shower to release the knots from my neck and shoulders and we pretty much fell into bed. Romantic, huh? The silver lining is that this morning as we prepped ourselves for the day we both walked by the completed puzzle and were appropriately impressed with ourselves. In a way it's what I'd always hoped for in a marriage, someone who would stick by me until the very end. I love you Brent!

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

The economy is a mess. It's such a debacle of epic proportions I'm not even sure where to direct my outrage. Bush? Wall Street? Congress? Unscrupulous lenders? Liquidity-hoarding banks? The French? If I think about it too much I just start hating everyone. Lately I've noticed NPR's pleas for donations have hit a fevered pitch. "It's more important than EVER to give what you can so we can continue to bring you the news you count on! Just a dollar a month... or year will help and it's tax deductible!" Even Spare Change who regularly panhandles by the State House seems more desperate than usual. For those who live outside the Boston area, Spare Change is a homeless guy with a really husky voice and he just asks over and over "Do you have any spare change?" He probably had a proper name once (similar to Gollum who was much like a hobbit once) but even the local news stations call him Spare Change. Anyway, my point is that everyone is feeling the pinch. The election is looming near and I'm no closer to choosing a candidate than I am to choosing between dying by fire or ice. Obama wants to eliminate my entire industry soooooo he'd put me out of a job but John McCain has a really wrinkled neck. Seriously, he looks like the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and I don't know how qualified the scarecrow would have been to run a country with no brain and all. Plus McCain's Scottish. Since I'm also Scottish it's probably a safe bet our ancestors were in opposing clans and my forebears might just roll over in their graves if I voted for the progeny of their foes. Then there's always Nader. Hmmmm, November will definitely be a difficult decision for me. Recent projections state that heating costs are going to go up this winter, no matter what type of system you use. Brent and I have our budget so tight I don't know where we'll squeeze the extra funds from. We use public transportation, take our lunches to work, only shop from coupons and a well thought-out grocery list, etc. Ayede mi! Really, it's a mess.

In spite of that grim picture, I awoke yesterday morning absolutely giddy with anticipation. At long last, it's OCTOBER!!! I'm not one of those vitamin D-addicted sun worshipers who mourns the passing of a hot, humid summer with its sweat stains, body odor and TMI scanty clothing. I much prefer to celebrate the cool, crisp sweater-weather and brilliant colors of fall. I love the prelude to hunkering down during the bitter winter when staying in with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book are ideal. Ooooh yes, the beginning of October means that fall has officially arrived. I started off the 1st by getting "rabbits" which means I finally beat Brent to the punch and I'll have luck for the month. Liesel's 6 month birthday is today and well, I have to admit I'm proud I haven't done any irreversible damage yet. She's alive and what's more, she seems happy! *pats self on back* I must be doing something right. Later this month is my birthday and while it might be childish, I can't help but be excited for that too. Not that I expect outlandish gifts (although that Coach bag I've been crushing on for a month would be nice Brent) but it's SUCH a great day for me. On my birthday friends and family call, email, text and just make me feel more loved and cherished than on any other day of the year. I'm already thrilled to my toes about it. As of this posting, the Red Sox are up 4 to 1 against Anaheim. Call me crazy, but baseball is just better in October... especially for a Red Sox fan. Especially when the Yankees didn't even make it to the playoffs. Especially when we got along just swimmingly without Manny. I hope he's happy with his tiara collection there in LA.

With the fall comes some of my favorite outdoor activities like apple-picking and the maize maze. Halloween is at the end of the month and I can't remember EVER being so revved up for it! My sister Reagan sent me a costume she used for her girl last year and it is SO. DANG. CUTE! Liesel's going to be a Boston lobster for Halloween. The outfit is freaking adorable with her red hair. I seriously have to contain myself when she's in it or I'd hug her to death... "Ooooooh my sweet little baby lobster!" Did I mention Reagan also gave me her Gymbucks which are to be spent between October 2 and 12th? I can add them to my Gymbucks and voila, I have $50 of free baby clothing from my favorite baby clothing store. That's like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank! Dunkin Donuts is bringing back their pumpkin glazed doughnut and pumpkin muffin. They both taste like all that's good in the world, baked into a delicious treat, covered in happiness, with a hint of ginger and bliss, then served with joy. Oh I almost forgot! We have daylight savings this month so I get to sleep in!!! No wait, or do we lose an hour? Hmmmm, and I think maybe Bush moved it to November? Okay, scratch that. Maybe I'll write that in as an issue on my ballot when I vote. I want daylight savings back in October. Anyway, my point is not to Pollyanna out on all you. I'm just saying that with the gallon of acid there's a pinch of sugar here and there. Oh how sweet it is!