Little Baby Big Head

Annamaria had her much delayed 4 month check-up yesterday, and the stats are in. Her weight was 11 lbs. - 10th percentile, her length was 22 inches - 5th percentile, and her head circumference was 16 inches - 50th percentile. Yes, she's a Little Baby Big Head. But so was Sophia, so hopefully Annamaria will even out too. She also got three immunization shots, poor baby. I think it didn't make her feel too well, because she actually slept through the night last night. And today she had two bouts of projectile spit-up and felt unusually warm all day. Once again, poor baby. Of course the temperature here was reported to reach 99 degrees today, so that might have played a part in her warmness. The doctor has o-kayed starting her on solids now, so we've started her on mashed banana, and she loves it. Which makes me happy because she won't take a bottle, so leaving her for any length of time is tricky. But maybe she'll take a banana to carry her over. Which means a little freedom for mommy. Yea.

I really hope things settle down here soon, I don't think I can keep up this pace for too much longer. First Pat arrives, then the baptism, catered lunch on Tuesday for 20, then went out for a delayed birthday dinner with some family last night, 1st grade bake sale today (4 batches of brownies and 4 dozen cinnamon rolls), catered lunch tomorrow for 20 then going out for our Anniversary dinner, school lets out early on Friday but we have to get Sophia back to her class by 4:45 pm to start off their Fiesta fundraiser weekend. Her class is representing the South Pacific and I still have to hem her lava lava. I'm whooped. I'm going to go lie on the couch while I wait for my second load of laundry to finish drying. Then I get to dry my third load. The fun just keeps on coming.

I'd post a photo but I haven't downloaded any from the camera yet. I'll get to that someday.

Whew!

Finally some time to relax. The much awaited visit from my father-in-law was delayed a day, courtesty of Hurricane Rita. After a three hour drive to the airport, Pat ended up having to stay in Arkansas another night due to some major airline screw-ups. Way too much detail to post here. Lets just say we're glad he's finally here. And the kids are crazy about him. Our newest little addition was finally baptized this morning. And as usual, Father Jim completely mutilated her name. Repeatedly. That's o-kay though, it's kind of like his calling card. Call the kid everything but their actual name. Other than that, he really does a lovely job. Once I get some photos, I'll post them. So in preparation for the brunch following the main event this morning, last night I gathered up my remaining strength and baked blueberry scones, candied ginger scones, banana chocolate-chip muffins, and gingerbread muffins with a lemon glaze. Put together a fruit platter with a nice yogurt lime sauce to go with and my mom handled the rest. Nice time, a little too much mimosa for me. Need to go zone out for a while and recoop my strength for tomorrow.

Rolling Along

Annamaria is now rolling from her back to her tummy. A major milestone. But she doesn't really like being on her tummy, so once she rolls over, she shortly starts fussing about being there. She can roll over from her front to back, and has done so on numerous occasions, but she seems to have forgotten that.

Tomorrow my father-in-law, Pat, is arriving for a long overdue visit. We haven't seen him since our wedding, four years ago. He hasn't even met Harrison yet. That just blows me away. He was just planning to stay a couple weeks, but Vince wants him to stay at least a month, so we sent him a one-way ticket so we can work out his return at a later date. So I've been trying to get his room ready, so he has a nice comfortable place to stay. The problem is is that our extra room has been filled with Vince's tools, old office stuff, old college notes, etc., etc. So between the junk and the dust the room needs a major overhaul. Besides the face that when we moved into this house almost seven years ago, Vince ripped out the old disgusting carpet and we never got around to putting in new flooring in that room. So the last of the crap was removed just this morning. I wiped down the walls and got the room painted. I'm still waiting for Vince to come through with some sort of flooring. But it's almost 9:30 p.m., and he's still at work, so I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow. At least I got the room painted. Now we just need a floor, the bed, bedding, drapery, and some of your general bedroom comforts and we'll be all set. And I have until about 5pm tomorrow to get this all done. Oh, and finish cleaning the rest of the house in the process. Nothing like procrastination.

So while I whittle away the last hours of my countdown, I'm enjoying the season premiers of Joey and CSI. So I'm logging off to give my full attention to the new season of my shows.

And here's a picture of the kids, just for good measure. This is the classic Harrison face picture. Tells loads about him.

The Bug and a Birthday

It looks like we're sharing a bug around this house. It started with Harrison and a runny nose. Then is was Annamaria, and a stuffy nose. Now it's me with huge tonsils, a sore throat and a general feeling of yucky. Despite that I still have lunch for twenty tomorrow. And a PTG meeting tonight. PTG is the catholic school version of the PTA. Each year, as part of our obligation to the school, we have to earn 60 service points. So in an effort to acquire some service points I volunteered to bring snack for tonights meeting. Two batches of blondies, and mini chocolate ganache cupcakes. I really would just like to go back to bed.

There have been some grumblings of lack of photos. I'd tried to upload photos on my last post, but something wouldn't cooperate. I'll try again.



And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my MOM. I can't believe my mom is 58 years old. She probably wouldn't appreciate me posting her age for all to see, but she doesn't seem any where near 58 years old, so take it as a complement. I'm such a horrible daughter I've done absolutely nothing for her birthday. And she's tough to buy for. So I'll have to rack my brain on how to make it up to her. She really is the best mom.

T.G.I.F.

Winding Down

I am very much looking forward to the winding down of my week. Nothing too hectic was scheduled, but I'm very much looking forward to the weekend break. Vince has ended up working late the past couple nights, so I ended up with the kids all day, and then had to get them fed and put to bed by myself. Vince usually puts the kids to bed when he's home, and I very much appreciate it. By the end of the day, I'm done. So when he's not here I feel like a single parent. And I've very glad I'm not a single parent. Aside from the financial obligations, I just don't see how they do it. So I'm sipping a Bloody Mary while awaiting my husband's return from work. It's 6:30 p.m., bedtime is at 8:00 p.m., I'm sure he'll be home in time tonight.


The Long Awaited Baptism

To the relief of my cousin Toni I'm sure, Annamaria's baptism is just one week away. Poor baby is over four months old, and has yet to be baptised. And I know Toni has been praying for her little soul. But Father Jim was on vacation the entire month of August, and we couldn't work out a feasible date with the godparents before he left. So September 25th it is. And I really think it has worked out for the best because my Father-In-Law, Pat, is coming out from Arkansas on the 23rd. See, if we had had her baptism at a reasonable date, her only grandpa would have missed it. Not that he's Catholic, but it means a lot to us anyway. And this baptism has added to my stress level. I could not find suitable invitations anywhere. It was very fustrating. All I could find was one Christening invitation. Now I'm not sure what the difference is between a baptism and a christening, but we call it a baptism and that's what I wanted on the invitation. Damn it! I ended up calling my friend Sue, who makes hand made cards and is very creative, to see if she knew of any store that might have something suitable. She had me come over and ended up designing a card herself. It's so pretty it could be a wedding invitation. So I was on my way to completion, but the invitations are square 6.5 x 6.5 and weigh less than an ounce, so I had to go to the post office today and pay special postage to get them mailed. Whatever, at least they've been mailed and I can check them off my list.


Hungry Little Piggies

I also had lunch for twenty on Tuesday and Thursday this week. On Tuesday I made chicken parmesan with a simple tomato sauce with garlic and basil, penne, and a romaine salad. Chicken parm is time consuming because each chicken breast has to be pounded, egg washed, breaded and then fried individually. So on Thursday I thought I'd take it easy on myself and make chili. Well I made the chili on Wednesday night so things would go smoothly Thursday morning. Thursday morning I was just planning to make corn bread muffins using Marie Calendar's mix, only to find I had no where near enough. So I had to find a recipe that called for ingredients I already had on hand. Done. Whipped up about two and a half dozen muffins, threw my salad together, reheated the chili and all was good. When I checked back to see how lunch went I was told everyone really liked it. I asked how many were sold, and I was told "ten". TEN!? I made enough chili for twenty people! I was told not to worry about it, their bowls are big, and people were going back for thirds. So do I make them more next time, or just not worry about it?


Another Trip to the Doctor's

So yesterday, while I was finishing up addressing the invitations to Annamaria's baptism, the phone rang. It was Sophia's school informing me that she was in an accident and her nose was bleeding, and I needed to come get her and probably get her to a doctor. So before I gather up the sleeping baby, and get Harrison to turn off Rolie Polie Olie, I call the doctor's office just to see if I could get her in to be seen. Dr. T was booked, but got her in with the doctor on-call. I get to the school, enter the office, and there is poor Sophia with tissue paper stuffed up her nose. She was playing frisbee, trying to catch the flying frisbee, not looking where she was going when she ran into another kid. I asked her if the other kid was o-kay, and she didn't even know who she ran into. She said all she saw was a white shirt and then everything went black and the next thing she knew she was knocked back on her butt. That doesn't really narrow it down since the school uniform code only allows for white or navy blue shirts. So she seemed o-kay, and in pretty good spirits considering, but I thought the one time I didn't take her to the doctor would be the time I should have, and since she had an appointment waiting anyway we headed off to Encinitas. Turned out she's fine. She later had a headache, I gave her some motrin. And very unusually the traffic wasn't terrible. Escondido to Encinitas and back can be quite grueling. God must have decided I'd had enough.

The Big Bake Sale

Sophia's 1st grade class is hosting the St. Mary's bake sale this month, on the 28th. Last year for her kindergarten class I made two dozen cinnamon rolls and two dozen cupcakes. The cinnamon rolls sold out by 9:30 a.m. So our class mom asked if I'd be willing to make more this year. Sure, I said, I was planning on making four dozen this year and just skip the cupcakes. Then she asked if I would be willing to take special orders and sell them by the dozen or half-dozen. O-kaaaaaaayyyyyy, sure. So the plan now is to make four dozen for the actual bake sale on the 28th, to be sold individually, at which time they'll have order sheets for those who want to order a half-dozen to be delivered the following week. What have I gotten myself into?

Enjoy your weekend!

Or, Maybe I'm A Gryffindor?

You belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart."

O-kay, you know how sometimes when taking a multiple choice test, you've eliminated the answers you know are not right, and have narrowed it down to two possible choices? So if I go with my other possible answers, apparently I could also be a Gryffindor. Kind of like when Harry Potter was put into the Gryffindor house, but the sorting hat thought he'd be great in the Slytherin house too. I feel a little better now.

I'm A Hufflepuff

"You belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid to toil."

I'm actually a little dissapointed. I'm mean, who wouldn't want to be in Harry Potter's house? But Hufflepuff's are good guys too, they just seem a little wimpy to me. You can go to sorting-hat.com to see in which house you belong.

The Passing of the Torch

Tonight the 2005-2006 board for The Women of St. Timothy's is being installed. That means I get to hand off my oversized green file folder box to the new treasurer . . . and wish her well. I've held this position for the past two years, and I'm not sorry to see it go. I was actually asked if I would be interested in being President for the next two years. Are these people crazy? Especially with the addition of a third child, my plate is full. I do intend to help out where I can, but it will be so nice to not be actually responsible for anything anymore. Especially since the board ends up doing all the work of the entire organization, mostly anyway. And that really sucks, since five people pull the weight for over eighty. We jokingly called us "The Five Women of St. Timothy's". It will be interesting to see how this new group of women do, especially since they're all pretty much new to the organization and have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. We did manage to raise over $11,000 for St. Clare's Home this year, and over $10,000 for our other project last year. Let's see if they can keep up. It will be entertaining at the least.

So the baby is fussing, and I've got to go get ready to go. My checkbook is updated, and my spreadsheet for the year is complete. There will be a great feeling of relief when this is all over I'm sure.

I'm Still Full

Yesterday I had a very nice birthday. My day started out like any other day, catering, running errands, picking up Sophia from school. But my dear husband arrived home early from work, and sent me off for a birthday massage before taking me out for dinner. The massage was great, just what I needed. Seriously, I think I could have a massage every day. If I was rich, I would. Anyway, when I got home, my mom was already at our house. She watched the kids for us. And Sunday she gave me the newest Best of Gourmet book, new recipes to drool over. Thank you mom. We got in the car and headed down town. Vince surprised me with dinner at Bertrand's at Mr. A's. Best view in town. And the food isn't too shabby either. We arrived early and sat at the bar while I enjoyed at Ketel One Martini. I haven't had a good martini since giving birth. Since getting pregnant actually. It was so good I ordered a second with dinner. Soft shell crab with sweet corn risotto to start. Vince had seared rare ahi. Both very good. I need to get adventurous and give soft shell crab a try in my own kitchen. Vince had bouillabaisse for dinner. Also very yummy. While looking over the menu he was going to have the veal, because it was served with a morel cream sauce. Then he saw the veal with served with sweetbreads too, and backed out. My husband is very skittish about eating organs. Muscles are fine, but no organs for him. I thought he was being ridiculous, they are a delicacy afterall. So I ordered the veal. Now, I usually don't eat veal, just on principle. Yes, as a small child I was raised on veal cutlets by my grandma, but that was before I knew how veal was procured. And while I do love it, I just can't bring myself to enjoy it. But I decided to stop being such a puss and go for the gold. And it was very good. The veal, the sweetbreads, the morel cream sauce. Actually, I think the morel cream sauce was the best part. Oh, the sauce and the truffeled spatzle. Can't forgot the truffeled spatzle. It was all so good I was too full for dessert. Of course the fact that it looked like I actually licked my plate- not a morsel was left, added to my fullness I'm sure. And even though it was my birthday, I passed on dessert. But they brought out a plate with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate on it, and piled with little miniature cookies and desserts. A chocolate cup filled with cream and a blackberry, and mini peanut butter mousse tart, a couple mini snickerdoodles, and macaroon, and a almond something or another. And the best . . . a divinity type thingy filled with hazelnuts and flavored of honey. Very yummy. And even though I was very full, I managed to try each kind. Pig that I am. So yesterday was a very happy birthday. And Saturday I'm being sent to the day spa for a few hours. The gifts just keep on giving.

The Dark Side of Thirty

I am quickly sliding down that slippery slope towards forty. Today I am 36 years old. Thirty-four didn't bother me, and I pretty much managed to ignore 35, but 36 is sinking in. And other things about me are sinking too, I think gravity is catching up. If I could only loose some of the baby weight, perhaps I wouldn't feel so old. But I'm feeling old and pudged. And I don't usually enjoy exercising, but back to the YMCA I must go. I put myself back on Weight Watchers last week in an attempt to remedy this pudgy situation, and even though I get 10 extra points a day for breast feeding, I still feel hungry and deprived. It's not fair to not be able to eat what ever I want. Especially when one enjoys food as much as I do. And it's not like I'm a junk food junky. Sure, I enjoy the occasional deep fried snack, but not even on a daily basis. Or weekly basis for that matter. I'm sure it's all about portion control. I've always been able to pack it away. And my thighs are my storage units. But tonight my dear husband is taking me somewhere for dinner, and the size of my thighs will not deter my enjoyment tonight.

So lunch for twenty is nearly complete. Off to deliver lunch. Stop by the church to finish up some old treasurer duties before handing off the check book next week to the new treasurer. One stop at the grocery store for Thursdays lunch, and back home to await my much anticipated birthday dinner. And according to Dora the Explorer this morning, it was Boots special day today too. He got to wear a banana crown, ride a fire truck and a roller coaster. I think my birthday will be low key by comparison. But good for Boots, that monkey knows how to party.

Spammed . . . AGAIN!

This just proves my theory that the world is full of idiots. Under my last post, titled "Spammed!", I received a comment. Yes, another spam comment. Ironic? This time for a work at home site. "If I shared all my secrets with you, you wouldn't buy my book." Please, these are just as bad as diet pill sites. Unethical peoples way of getting money from the guilible. So now, in order to leave a comment for me, you have to do a word verification. Apparently these spam comments are sent out automatically by a computer, and the verification should help stop that. Sorry for the inconvenience to my friends who actually have something to say.

Spammed!

I feel so violated. After my last post, I received an anonymous comment, and basically it was a link to a weight loss sight. I started my blog as a way to communicate with my friends who I hardly ever get to see or speak to. And comments from people I don't know, but have something legitimate to say are welcome too. But to spam me to sell your weight loss drugs? Come on, how sleazy. So I've gone from "feeling blue", to "seeing red"! Ugh, the world is filled with idiots!

Feeling Blue

Today I was driving down 15 S. to deliver lunch, while listening to NPR. For the past couple of days they've been talking about the destruction hurricane Katrina has left behind, and I haven't really been paying attention. I don't watch the news on purpose, too depressing. But yesterday I was looking at some photos of the hurricane aftermath online and today listening to NPR and it just hit me. It's all just really sad. All those people stuck in the area in New Orleans. No electricity, overflowing toilets, no running water (other than the toilets), and hot humid conditions. And I think the part that really struck it home for me was this reporter talking about a women she saw there cradling her two week old baby. Now I know they're the survivors, and I should be happy for them. Afterall, think of all those who didn't survive, but the image of this woman holding her newborn in her arms, displaced and scared just really upsets me. They also had a man call in who said he and his wife were discussing it, and they have room in their home for four more people, and would be willing to bring some of these people into their home until they could get back on their feet. And he said he was sure there are other people out there willing to house people, and was there any organization out there who could help him. All the radio host could tell him was to contact his local Red Cross Organization. That just seemed so lame to me. Here we have people willing to help, but unable to get the word out. Is it the bureaucracy? It angered me. Also, I love New Orleans. Yes it's seedy and dirty, but the architecture of the French Quarter buildings are fabulous. Or, they used to be anyway. I've had some of my best meals in the French Quarter, and anyone who knows me well knows that's a major decision on whether I like someplace or not. And the history of it. That city has survived more than this. Wars, yellow fever, etc. I wonder how long it will take to recover. I also have fond memories of Biloxi. I spent a few days sunning on the gulf one summer. I remember visiting Andrew Jackson's home. Seeing all the old artifacts and reading about the history of the home. Beachfront in the South. How the house was layed out so every room could get a coastal breeze. I wonder how that historic location fared. Not since 9/11 have I felt this way. Possibly the fact that my baby is on day two of running a fever has added to my sadness. She's not extra crabby or anything. She's just sleeping a little more than usual, and I have to keep Tylenol in her to keep her fever down. If it doesn't break by tomorrow I'm taking her in to see the doctor. Oh, and on Tuesday I'll be turning 36. That can't be helping my attitude any either.