31.7.06

Circles

Lila does something to amaze me every day! I have a couple of t-shirts that have one or more circles on the front. I discovered by accident several weeks ago that I had taught Lila that the things on my shirt were called circles. Since then, I have periodically made her wow small audiences by saying, "Lila, can you point to the circle on Mommy's shirt?" and then watching with pride as she did so.

I was beginning to suspect, however, that she didn't really know those were circles. I thought maybe she just knew that she was expected to point at my shirt when I asked that question. Well, *that* suspicion has been proven WRONG!

We went outside and got the mail earlier today and I let her have an Envelope of No Importance. We sat down on the sofa togther and she was examining this piece of mail. I noticed that there was a very clearly defined circle in the postmark, so I decided to test her knowledge.

"Lila, can you point to the circle?" She thought about it for several seconds and then... pointed to the circle on the envelope! How crazy is that?!? I don't care if that's perfectly normal for this age, it still blows me away!

28.7.06


Lila being saucy... if only she knew how ridiculous she looks with that bonnet on her head... Posted by Picasa

I just bought this cup for her at the grocery store and she loves it. I have no idea what the strange face is about, but it's very funny! Posted by Picasa

Daddy and Lila - tired and silly! Posted by Picasa

26.7.06

Why do we do this to ourselves?

I think it's sad how often I let Life distract me from Living. I get so caught up in all the details of what's going on around me that I forget to pay attention to what really matters! And I know that I'm not the only one... Why do we do this to ourselves? Today I felt God calling me away to a Quiet Place. Okay, so the place was just our guest bed, but the important part was the quiet.

I'd been feeling sad for a day or two and wasn't sure why. I think God just wanted me to sit down and stop filling my brain with *stuff* long enough to listen to Him. And what I heard Him saying today was that Life doesn't have to be complicated! Just take things one decision at a time and don't get lost in the details. This is what I want - I want to slow down. I want to be Fully Present in every moment!

I don't want to have times like this morning when I spent the whole time I was feeding Lila her breakfast thinking about whether or not it was a good idea to pick up lunch on my way to a friend's house rather than bringing something from home. It doesn't feel right and I know that it isn't right when I let minor decisions take control of my thoughts and my actions!

Speaking of Lila...

She has started "blowing her nose" and it's *very* cute! She's had plenty of opportunity to study this skill as I spend about 50% of my time with a head full of gunk. A couple of days ago (or maybe that was just yesterday...), she was playing with a baby wipe after some meal. She put it up to her face and blew out through her nose. It took a couple of times before we caught on to what she was doing!

We started laughing and gushing and telling her what a BIG girl she is and she just ate it up! Now, it's true that she usually holds the tissue about one inch under her nose when she's blowing, but she's got the general idea down. Besides, nothing is actually coming out when she blows... yet. Since that first time, she has started practicing her new skill on whatever is handy - wipes, burp cloths, Mommy's shirt, etc. Too cute!

Silly Lila - She likes to stick things in her mouth and then continue playing like they are not there, but this was particularly funny! :) Posted by Picasa

Yep, those are Pink Converse All-Stars! She just did NOT know what to think about socks and shoes! Posted by Picasa

Lila and her Ever-Present Tongue - photo taken while she was attacking me! Posted by Picasa

25.7.06

A Quick Note

Hello world! It's been busy times in the Peeler House. Nothing earth-shattering, just general busyness. Irene was in town for a couple of days last week and then the weekend was a full one. Things are slowing down now though. Well, really, "things" are the same as always, but I'm getting back into my regular routine, which keeps me sane.

I'm pleased to report that I have already showered/fixed my hair/etc., straightened up the living and dining rooms, made our bed, and cleaned one bathroom. That's pretty amazing for me to have done by 9:15 in the morning! Now maybe I'll be able to catch up on my over-flowing email inbox! Or maybe I just heard the first sounds of my child waking up from her nap and I won't be getting anything else done for a while...

Speaking of The Child - two new discoveries:

1. She LOVES fresh blueberries! (this has led to lots of Willy Wonka jokes - "Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!")

2. She HATES pureed chicken from a jar! (i tasted it too and do not blame her at all - yuck!)

20.7.06

What Dreams May Come - LONG

I had a lot of strange and vivid dreams last night and I actually remember them today.

The first one I remember started out in Houston, at Doug's parents' house. We left from there to come back to Austin with a car full of stuff. The plan was to come home, unload, re-pack, and then go back to Houston. As we were leaving their neighborhood, I noticed something very odd happening. There were 18-wheelers (cab and trailer) falling from the sky!!!

There was some sort of craft up there - a very large one, evidently - and it was dropping these things. The part that really cracks me up is that some of there were equipped with human-sized parachutes! Anyway, they are falling to earth and crashing down around us. I told Doug to pull over because I had an idea. We grabbed Lila and ran between two houses because that seemed like a safer place.

The space between these two houses must have been huge though because we were still running around, dodging falling cabs and trailers! Then two guys jumped out of one of the fallen cabs and robbed us! Apparently they had stowed away in the cab because one of them made a comment about this being a profitable ride after all (or something like that). They threatened us and I promptly offered up Doug's wallet.

I just decided not to mention that I had my wallet too. They dug through it, took the cash and a couple of other things and then left us. Easily satisfied bandits, it would seem! Then I reached into my pocket and felt my wedding rings in there and thought it sure was a good thing I hadn't been wearing them. I think all of these dreams were connected somehow, but there's a gap between this and the next thing I remember.

Part two involved us taking Lila to some sort of institution for Special Children. In the dream, she aged very rapidly and had some sort of mental disability. Anyway, we took her there and then came back to pick her up so that we could take her to Houston with us. She got very excited when she was coming out to meet us and the guy who ran the place decided she was too rambunctious and needed to be punished.

So he said she couldn't come with us! I was very angry and started trying to get her out of there so I could bring her home. I kept going back for a week, trying to get her out... and also spent the week working on a craft project in the visiting room. Yeah, I don't know - anyway, when I saw her once, she wouldn't come to me! I was so upset because she was forgetting about me and it was their fault!

I don't remember how it all happened, but I did finally get her back. I had to go get Doug from work because we both had to sign something and we had to pay $137.50. When we finally got her, I wanted to nurse her to try and bond with her again. I was worried that my milk might have dried up during the week that we were separated though. Don't know how that turned out because there's another gap here.

The next thing I know, the three of us are heading to the car to drive to Houston. When we get to it, there are three guys standing around it and arguing. One of them tells us that this used to be his car, he has some guns hidden on it, and he wants them back. Doug says, "Go for it," and very stealthily grabs the gun that HE has hidden on the car.

The guy looks for the guns and can't find them. He assumes one of the other guys stole them and they begin arguing again. While they are distracted, we hop in the car and take off. Once we get to Houston, we open the back hatch to start unloading and there's the guy who wants his guns. He gives us some sort of admonition for leaving before he was finished with us...

...and then he steals Doug's new underwear and my new work-out shirts and leaves.

It was a peril-filled night inside my head. :o)~

19.7.06

5 a.m. Mumblings

I talk in my sleep. I have been told this by numerous roommates (including Doug). Apparently, I even went through a phase where I laughed in my sleep a lot. Usually, when you talk in your sleep, it's just mumbling and nonsense words.

At around 5 o'clock this morning, I woke up and went to the restroom. When I got back, Doug said, "So, what did you work out in your dream?"

Huh?

He told me I'd been mumbling in my sleep, when suddenly I said, very clearly, "I just needed to work that out."

Now *I* want to know what it is that I worked out? Was it important? :o)~

Actually, I tend to think that dreams are a major way that our brains process all the things that we see/hear/learn/etc. during the day. So it makes sense that I was working SOMETHING out. Maybe next time I'll say what it was!

Here we have Lila playing with a little girl who's only 2 months older than her - Caitlin. How cute! Posted by Picasa

Sweet, sleeping Lila. What a beautiful Angel! :) Posted by Picasa

What we have here - Eureka! - is a photo where my child actually looks like ME! See photo below... Posted by Picasa

This is me (Angela). Don't know how old I am in this photo... Posted by Picasa

18.7.06

Depp, 2, 3, 4!

I am on a mission to watch all of Johnny Depp's movies. He is one of my favorite actors and there is so much of his work that I haven't seen!

His first movie was 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984). (do you remember him in it? he looked so young!) Now, the first time I saw this movie, I was probably 7 or 8 years old and it scared the doodie out of me! It's the only horror movie that ever gave me nightmares. In fact, if I remember correctly, I slept underneath a mountain of stuffed animals the night that I watched it.

Anyway, that being Johnny's first movie, Doug and I rented it several weeks ago and watched it. It's *so* *bad*! I started out watching it with my hands in front of my face, but we were both laughing at it before the end. An enjoyable, if hokey, horror movie.

Note: There are some TV appearances scattered in between these movies. Mostly on shows that I've never heard of, like 'Lady Blue.'

Skip to his third movie, 'Platoon' (1986). I made the very bad decision to watch this one by myself one afternoon (doug and lila were gone to a party or something). I never actually got to see Depp act in this movie because I only made it about halfway through (if that far) before I had to turn it off. It is well done and very realistic, I think. But HORRIBLE and not something I have any desire to ever finish watching.

Johnny Depp's second movie, which we watched third because they didn't have it at Blockbuster and I had to go to I Luv Video, was 'Private Resort' (1985). We just watched this one last night and it was spectacularly bad! Plot, dialogue, acting - all bad. (except for johnny, of course - he is only slightly less perfect than my husband) And the BBPM* count was at least 12.

Boy howdy! The humble beginnings of a distinguished career. I mean, 'Nightmare' was good when it came out, but is very cheesy in retrospect. 'Platoon' was well done, but not an easy movie to watch. 'Private Resort'... there's nothing good to be said about it except that Depp was in it!

His fourth movie was 'Cry-Baby' and it's next on the list to watch. I have slightly higher hopes for this one because my mother loves it. She says she's almost worn it out because she's seen it so many times. It certainly can't get much worse... :)

BBPM = Bare Breasts Per Minute

13.7.06

Stuff

Well, for the first time in ages, I made it to the gym three times this week. That's been my goal all along, but I haven't been meeting it for quite some time. I know that my body thanks me. :)

Poor Lila had a rough time at small group last night. To start with, it was close to bedtime and she was cranky. Add to that a bunch of people who were mostly not paying any attention to her and a labyrinth of chair legs to navigate. We didn't have a babysitter and Lila was the only child, so we tried keeping her in the room with us (which has worked in the past).

This time she ended up bonking her head on the coffee table and getting "stuck" under it and a chair or two and we kept having to move things further and further away from her little grabbing hands. After her cries of frustration interrupted our discussion several times, we finally gave in and someone went off into her room to play with her and keep her (and our belongings) safe. It was a good reminder of why we dish out $10 per week for a babysitter!

11.7.06


Yes folks, that is Doug vacuuming Lila's head. She ended up with a pretty cool, punk hairdo! Posted by Picasa

This is her opinion on all green foods these days. In any meal, I can usually only get 2 bites of anything green into her - and that is difficult enough in itself! Posted by Picasa

This tongue spends a lot of time out of Lila's mouth these days. She's started blowing raspberries too! Posted by Picasa

Lunch with a Stranger

Lila and I had a little Date today. We originally had lunch plans with a friend, but they got cancelled. I checked to see if Doug was free, but he already had plans. That's okay - she and I can have fun without any help! :) I needed to pick up some more vitamins for her, so we started with a trip to Walgreens (terribly exciting). After unloading her from the car and making the quick trip into the store, I *really* didn't want to have to strap her back in only to drive 5 minutes and take her back out again.

There is a new(ish) restaurant very near the Walgreens called Bear Rock Cafe, so I decided we'd just walk over there. I had just eaten there for the first time on Sunday (with Doug and the Johnsons) and LOVED it, so I had no problem going back. I even forced myself to branch out and get a different sandwich than last time. This one was good too, but not as good as the first.

Anyway, we were there in the midst of the lunch rush and we got one of the last tables. It was just Lila and I at a 4 person table and I felt a little guilty - like we were taking up more space than necessary. So... I did something I've thought about 100 times, but never done. I invited a complete stranger to join us at our table!

There was a lady waiting for her food who hadn't been able to find a seat, so I asked her to share our table and she accepted. As soon as I sat back down, I started wondering why on earth I'd done that and trying to think of something to talk about with her. Given that we had just met, the conversation was a little slow at first. But we both warmed up and had a nice chat until she had to go back to work.

Her name is Christine and she works at Freescale. I thought about getting/giving a phone number or email adddress, but I didn't. I kind of wanted it to be just a passing interaction. It seemed more adventurous that way. I don't know - maybe that's silly. But wouldn't it be great if I ran into her again somewhere? These are the kind of adventures I'm trying to be more open to every day. :)

10.7.06

Teething or Possessed by the Devil?

My poor girl is having a rough day! I think she might be teething. Either that or she just got up on the wrong side of the crib! I'm not sure how that would be possible though, since the crib can only be exited from one side. Does the wrong side of the bed actually change from day to day?!? Ooh, I'll have to ponder that one.

Anyway, Lila is napping right now, but not because she wants to be. I put her down half an hour earlier than I normally would because she was clearly tired. She woke up early this morning and has only had two short naps during the day. She's been cranky all day, but I drew the line when she had a *total* meltdown because I wouldn't let her push the buttons on the computer box. [sigh] Such a mean Mommy!

She found a way around the earlier nap time though by fighting it for 45 minutes before finally going to sleep. She then slept for only 30 minutes and woke up crying like she was injured. I took this as a sign that she was really not ready to be awake yet and (via persistent rocking and back rubbing) made her go back to sleep.

Ah, but now, 15 minutes later, she is awake again. Oh well, time to rescue her from the Crib of Desair. I'll take her out to get the mail - she enjoys that. That and a snack of fruit puffs ought to keep her satisfied until her Daddy comes home and rescues ME! :)

8.7.06

I'm feeling very introspective this evening. It is so hard to balance all the parts of your life, especially when you become a parent. I thought I was doing a good job of spending time with other women - to keep up my friendships. But somehow I still feel empty at times. I think I'm going through the motions, but not really putting my heart into it. I don't know.

New resolution: Don't just go on lunch dates. Really *be* there. Share deeply. Ask questions. Be vulnerable. There is no intimacy without vulnerability!

On a completely unrelated note, we saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest this afternoon. It was good, but wholly unsatisfying. It's the second movie in a trilogy, so, of course, it's a tease. They don't wrap this one up nicely like they did the first one. And you are left questioning the character of a couple of... characters. I don't like it when movies end in ambiguity.

It was still good though - worth seeing. Just don't take your little kids because they will be scared (like the little girl in front of us who was telling her mommy it was too scary within the first 60 seconds of the movie)!

Lila vs. Charlie

Well, we just had our first real cat vs. baby incident. No one saw exactly what happened, but Charlie scratched Lila's wrist. In his defense, he was freaked out by the vacuum cleaner and I don't think he did it on purpose (or at least, it was not premeditated). I think he was trying to escape the room and she was blocking his path and probably trying to reach for him.

Lila is fine. It was just deep enough to break the skin, but there was no profuse bleeding or anything. I put a couple of bandaids on and she is now diligently trying to remove them. She cried, I picked her up and wiped her tears, and then it was over. She forgets her troubles quickly.

Doug chased Charlie down and squirted him excessively with the water bottle. I'm afraid, if I had not been here, there would have been some kitty spanking going on. I reminded Doug of the bottle though. Charlie is totally freaked out and you can tell that he knows what he did was wrong. I made him come over to where I was sitting with Lila and "tell her he was sorry". I also let her pet him a little.

Peace is restored and soon Doug will stop threatening to shave Charlie. :)

7.7.06

The Mind of a Cat

I love our cats so much and a large part of my appreciation for them is due to how strange they are. For example, a cat can never take the easy path to their destination. If Charlie is going to join Doug and I on the couch, he'll jump up over the arm and walk across one of us to squeeze in between us. Why couldn't he just jump up there from the floor? Who knows!

My favorite example of this is something that Cordy does *every* night. Actually, she does it multiple times per night, but I'm only aware of it at bedtime. While we are going through our nighttime routine, she'll lay in the floor on Doug's side of the bed (pouting, of course) and wait for us. Once we are both in bed, with the lights out and not talking, she'll finally make her move. She walks on the floor from Doug's side around to my side and then jumps up onto the bed. She then walks across both of us and up to the spot next to Doug's pillow, on the very edge of his side of the bed, where she sleeps. I would love to know what goes on inside that little kitty mind that tells her that is a better option than just jumping from the floor to that spot. :)

6.7.06

My Little Helper

Lila is quite the little helper when it comes to laundry. The doors are temporarily off the cabinets in our hallway, which includes her laundry hamper. So, a couple of days ago, she was pulling all her dirty laundry out and "sorting" it. She was taking her task very seriously and she did a fabulous job. I tried to get it on video, but as soon as I turned the camera on... she stopped.

Yesterday she was helping me fold her clothes and put them away. She would pull a piece of clothing out of the laundry basket and wave it around in the air for a while. I think this is her technique for shaking out any wrinkles. Once she was satisfied, she'd toss the piece of clothing behind her and I would pick it up and fold it.

However, this activity started getting more and more frantic. Toward the end, it turned into pulling handfulls of clothing out of the hamper and throwing them around. It was like she was getting exasperated, saying, "My goodness, is there no end to this laundry?!?"

My sentiments exactly, Love. My sentiments exactly. :o)~

5.7.06


Today we have some Lila and Daddy photos. I love the look on her face in this one! :) Posted by Picasa

Baby Hugs! How cute can you get? Posted by Picasa

Chubby Wet Lila with her Daddy Posted by Picasa

Love Bug

Lila has turned into a major Lover over the past week! She gives out hugs like crazy, though the kisses are still infrequent. She hugs her Daddy the most! Other recipients of the hugs: Mommy, the kitties, stuffed animals, other toys, burp cloths, and her high chair. She has even stopped nursing a couple of times to give me a hug and a kiss. I love it!

She is having a cow because she wants to type, so here's her contribution to this post:

hfthujjgdt mn cccccmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmmmmm mmmmmassssssssssdasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxdssszcccccccm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gggggggggggggggggggg

3.7.06

Movie Review

Doug and I watched 'Wedding Crashers' (with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson) on Friday night. My personal opinion: Don't bother! I went into it with no expectations (this is my general approach to movies and usually helps me appreciate them more) and I was still disappointed. In addition the overabundance of sexual humor and utter depravity... it was kind of boring! I guess not everything these guys do can be great. :)

'Nacho Libre' was definitely better than this one!

2.7.06

Poop in the Potty - Poop goes in the Potty...

Well, it finally happened. My child pooped in the bathtub. Guh-rosss!!! She'd been making bubbles during the bath and then right before it was time to get out... icky! Doug and I had a very mature debate over who should clean it up. I won with the following excuse:

"Sorry, but I'm about to spend time with God. God trumps poop!"

:)

Lila having her first beer. At least we started her off with Lite! :o)~ Posted by Picasa

I cut my hair off! I cut my hair off! Hee hee hee hee hee! I love it! Posted by Picasa

It's a bird.. It's a plane.. It's... the ceiling?!? Posted by Picasa