Movie Review

I saw another movie last night, but this time it was not one of my late-night movie fests. I went out with a few friends for dinner and then we saw Reign Over Me. It was really good! I went into it skeptical because I was afraid it was going to be cheesy, but was the only movie playing right now that we were all somewhat interested in.

The plot: A man (Adam Sandler) who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate (Don Cheadle). Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief. (Source: IMDB)

I'm so glad that we saw it! It's a long movie - two hours, plus a few minutes - but the story was so compelling that I didn't mind. I was aware of the time, but wanted it to keep going. Adam Sandler did a great job with his character, as did the rest of the cast. It was hard to watch, but it had some funny moments and it gave me a glimpse into what it must be like to have been one of those who lost a loved one (or their entire family) that day.

I recommend seeing it as soon as you can. I know I said that last week about Meet the Robinsons too. So you can take the kids to see Meet the Robinsons and then go without them to see Reign Over Me. If you don't have kids, then celebrate that fact by watching both of them in one day! Just make sure you see Meet the Robinsons first.

Pol-len keeps falling on my head...

Have you ever noticed how the phone will not ring all day long, until you sit down to dinner, or to watch a movie, or get in the shower... and then the floodgates are opened?

This morning, the phone rang once while we were all home and available. [Okay, technically it rang twice, but Lila hung up on them the first time when she attempted to answer the phone herself, so the call-back doesn't count.] Then Doug and Lila left to go to Ikea while I stayed home to dye my hair. It was tough, letting them go to Ikea without me, but my roots were an inch and a half long and I'm going to be on stage tomorrow, so it needed to be dealt with.

Anyway, they left and I got all prepped and put the dye on my hair. And then the phone rang. I couldn't answer it without staining a phone, so I just let it go. Then there was a knock at the door. I thought about ignoring that too, but not answering felt too much like lying, so I grabbed a robe and went to see who it was. Thankfully, it was just a neighbor who wanted to use our stapler.

After I got out of the shower and was trying to watch an episode of Buffy and eat lunch (both very important activities, you understand), there was another knock at the door. This time it was the Jehovah's Witnesses with a magazine for me. (It would have made for a much better story if they had been the ones to show up while I had a purple head, but alas...)

Then the phone rang again. And again. The last time it was Doug, so I picked it up. While I was talking to him, there was another knock at the door. For crying out loud! This time it was a guy who appeared to have either a drug habit or a nervous disorder and wanted to sell me some children's books. Or some magazines. Or maybe just to mow my lawn. The best thing about him was that he hit Doug up in the driveway after he got home with a completely different story than he gave me!

Finally, Doug and Lila came home and peace returned to the house. The phone has only rung one time since they got back and no one has come to the door. Go figure.

Hedgehog Grooming

Hurley before having his feet washed and his claws trimmed.


Hurley after having his feet washed and his claws trimmed.

I don't think he enjoyed it.

This adorable little creature also found his way into my pantleg this evening and climbed up to just below my knee before I could do anything about it. I ended up having to lay in the floor and very carefully remove my jeans to get him out. The boy is obsessed with getting inside my clothes! He climbs into my shirt at every given opportunity, but that's not as bad. There are multiple ways into and out of my shirt and most of them don't involve pain.

Feeling Better

I was contemplating something today as I sweated away at the gym; walking for miles on the elliptical trainer, and yet going nowhere. I think that women, generally speaking, would be infinitely more content with their bodies, whatever the shape or number on the scale, if only they didn't jiggle.

For example, I have, through no great effort of my own, a blessedly flat stomach for someone with a young child and a slowing metabolism. However, I wouldn't dream of showing it off because, aside from the modesty issue, it wobbles. As a wise lady I once met said, "It's so cute on babies! Why isn't it cute on me?"

And furthermore, is it completely terrible that I love the song Baby Got Back?

Quickie

I feel that my posts have been lacking in style lately. Unfortunately, I am sick sicky sick today, so I won't be making up for it in this post. Instead, I offer you photos of what I did with Lila yesterday afternoon to keep us occupied - dress up! I needed something that would entertain her without requiring much effort on my part. It worked. And now I must go to bed becuase I feel YUCKY!

Nummy Goop

We're passing some sort of yuckiness around between us this week. Doug has been mildly sick for the past few days and I woke up with it this morning. It's not bad enough for me to ask Doug to stay home from work to help me... just bad enough that I don't feel like moving or opening my eyes. Oh well. Hopefully Lila won't get sick! There were, however, two things that happened this afternoon to make my day complete.

The first was Easy Reader. Last week, I bought 'The Best of The Best of The Electric Company' on DVD. I didn't really expect Lila to like it yet, but I wanted to get it for my own amusement. She does like it, however, so we watched half an episode over the weekend and the other half while we waited for Doug to get home from work today. The crowning moment was watching the Easy Reader skit. Share my joy by going here: The Electric Company.

The other thing was what Lila said during dinner. We had Cheesy Cauliflower Soup, which was quite yummy. Lila usually refuses to taste anything we are eating for dinner, but this time she asked for a bite of my soup and then liked it so much that she wanted her own bowl. We set her up in her chair with a bowl of soup and I asked, "Is that yummy soup?" Her reply was, "Nummy goop!"

Movie Review

I did my monthly Late Night Movie run on Friday. After last month's lame-o movie, I was a little concerned about what I was getting myself into this time. But I went and I got a ticket to the latest show, no matter what it was, as always. This time it was 'Meet the Robinsons' - a computer-animated Disney flick. I had seen the previews for it and I wasn't too excited, especially since it is a Disney movie and I haven't liked most of the things they've put out in the past few years.

This one was really good though! It had a predictable, but fun story with loveable characters and a clear moral that I could agree with. The humor was great and did not involved farting or other such bodily functions. I give it a 10 and recommend seeing it as soon as you can. Take your kids. Take your neighbor. Take your dog!

Disclaimer: I realize that I just raved about this movie, but if you do go see it, please try to go in with no expectations. I don't want to be responsible for building the movie up in your head and then having it not live up to your expectations. I've had that happen to me too many times. Like with 'The Breakup,' for example. Everyone I talked to seemed to love it. I hated it.

The Bunny

We went to a Bunny Trail Bonanza Egg Hunt this morning with some friends and Lila had a blast. Much to my surprise, she was not afraid of this giant bunny. (I've always thought the Easter Bunny was kind of dumb - sorry! - so I didn't call him that, I just said it was a person dressed like a bunny. Honestly, I think that's got to be a less scary prospect than a giant bipedal rabbit whose face doesn't move anyway!) In fact, she wanted to stay in his lap after the picture and I had to explain that other kids wanted to sit in his lap too. :)

Stuff

I really don't have much of anything to talk about today. My daughter is still cute. So is my husband. So are my kitties. So is my hedgehog. I've been having an emotionally tumultuous time for the past few weeks, but I'm feeling alright at the moment. This evening we are doing the normal things and Doug is currently making up new lyrics to "Wheels on the Bus."

I'm still slowly working on my book, which means that I'm still conducting "interviews" with people. I'm losing momentum on that task and I'm not sure if it's just because the novelty has worn off or if I'm growing emotionally weary from all these discussions of depression. Either way, I have a few more scheduled and then I'll evaluate and decide whether to keep interviewing or start writing.

We are trying to decide where to go for a summer vacation. We might go to Santa Barbara because I have a friend who is getting married there on June 30th. However, Santa Barbara, like any place in California, is expensive! I think I'll look around at some other ideas to see if anything jumps out at us. Plus, we went to the beach last year and I'm excited for Lila to experience something new. And that is all.

Charlie's Bad Day

Poor Charlie is so mad at me right now that he won't even look at me. He already has a very difficult life, what with only being fed three times per day and not even getting to drink from the bathroom faucet on some days. And, as you can see from this photo, he suffers great injustice at the hands of Lila the Cruel. I mean, really! Charlie doesn't even look good in red!

Well, tonight's offense tops them all. He finally met Hurley, face to face, and Hurley was not remotely impressed by the cat whose head is larger than his entire body. He sniffed and went on with his exploring. Charlie was intrigued and wanted to give Hurley a little swat, but we wouldn't let him. I tried to explain that it was in the best interest of his little pink paw pads not to do such a thing, but he still thinks we were being mean.

Hurley then made it even worse by touching Charlie! What the--?!? He really didn't appreciate that. And then I let Hurley roam around the bathroom floor for a while. And THEN he wandered out into the hallway. Oh the horrors! And when he ducked behind the bathroom door, it was finally more than Charlie could take and he tried to give him The Paw again. Hehehe... I love animals!

Two Things that are Very Wrong

1. My hedgehog peed down my cleavage this evening.

Hurley has been quite the little cutie for the past couple of nights. He's licked my hand a couple of times, but I don't think that's really affection. However, he did let me scratch/rub his belly a bit last night. And this evening he crawled around my neck and shoulders and rooted around in my hair (which gave me goosebumps), then settled in and snuggled up against my neck. So sweet! But you know what's not sweet? Hurley Pee. It smells like greasy fried chicken.

2. My husband just told me that he'd rather have a back massage than sex.

Now, it's true that he spent most of Friday doing manual labor (including chopping down a tree in our backyard) and has been feeling it ever since then. "He's a lumberjack, and he's real sore!" It's also true that under normal circumstances this would not be his answer. Still, I think I should be offended.

Hurley

Here are some pictures of Hurley, hopefully more satisfying than the photo of his tush. Please observe the completely adorable feetz in the second photo. (and i believe that's a bit of his bedding in my hair) :)




P.S. - This cute hedgehog pooped in my hand this afternoon. Ew.

here, there, and everywhere

Sorry my posts have been so spotty lately. I've been very preoccupied. Today I will give you a photo of Lila mopping (gotta start 'em early!) and the lyrics to a song that I've heard a million times, but it meant a lot to me when I heard it this morning.

After this, I'm off to play with a hedgehog. :)

when nothing satisfies
(by jennifer knapp and margaret becker)

when it rains or it shines on this pillow of mine
i will lift up my head to the sky
so i have chance to see
where my hope has come from
know there's nothing that i can't abide

when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
hold my hand

send forth Your light Lord,
and send forth Your truth
let them guide me to Your holy place
then will i go to the altar of God
to my Joy, my Delight and my Strength

when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
hold my hand

why are you so downcast o my soul?
why so disturbed within me?
put your hope in God
my Savior, my King
my Savior, my King

when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
when nothing satisfies you
hold my hand

Hurley's Tush

So far, this is the best photo I have of Hurley. I was forgetting about that whole Nocturnal Thing when I said I'd get pictures of him during the day today. What you are seeing in this photo is his little pink tail and the backs of his hind feet. And yes, that is a little doodie by his tush. I didn't notice that before I took the picture. What can I say? He's a hedgehog, not a cat. :o)~

iii got a hedgehooog! [singsong]

I am now the very proud owner of an extremely cute hedgehog. I don't actually know if it's a boy or a girl, but, for the time being, I'm going to assume it's a boy and call it Hurley. I don't want to traumatize him with a camera flash on his first night in a new place, but I'll try to get some no-flash shots during the day tomorrow. His little snout is too cute to be believed!

Danger Baby

It's been an exciting week for Lila, so far. She's been having some kind of allergic reaction since yesterday morning that's got her all blotchy and red (see photo). The blotches will disappear in one place and reappear in another. This happened once last summer and we never figured out what she was reacting to (nothing in her environment or diet had changed). We just give her Benadryl and wait for it to work itself out.

Last night, while she was in the bath, I tried to put her eye out. There was a small plastic cup on the counter that she usually plays with in the tub. I picked it up, said, "Hey Lila! Look!", and threw it into the tub. Only my terrible aim kicked in and it hit her right at the edge of her eye. This, of course, scared her and hurt and she ended up with a red welt on her face (gone by this morning)! Good one, Mom.

This afternoon, at the end of her naptime, she attempted her first crib escape. She had been awake and talking for a while and I decided to make one last trip to the potty before I got her up. While I was "busy", she started crying. I figured she was finally tired of being in there alone and didn't worry about it. When I got in there, I discovered that she was crying because her leg was stuck in the rails!

Whew! Let's hope that tomorrow is less eventful...

Oh, she has also decided that she will only wear pajamas that have kitties on them. Seriously. She will scream if you try to put any others on her. And I had nothing to do with this! The most unfortunate part is that she only has three pair of kitty pajamas (out of about 8) and one of them is really too small.

Lila got her first haircut on Saturday. Here she is afterward, checking out a playhouse inside Toys R Us. (note: we were not even considering buying this $400 playhouse - it was just a fun diversion.)

You spin me right 'round Baby, right round...

Poor Dougie has been sick today. He woke up at 1 a.m. with fever and chills. He doesn't really have any other symptoms though. Just achiness and run down feeling. I can't remember the last time he took a sick day because he was actually sick! He usually has to stay home because I'm sick and need help with Lila.

On an unrelated note, Lila loves it when you hold her and spin. She'll say "Muh! Muh!" every time you stop. As of Sunday, she now knows how to say 'spin'. I was holding her and she said something that I didn't understand. When I asked her to say it again, she did and kind of jerked herself around to indicate spinning. It was very funny! She then insisted that I spin her until I couldn't take it anymore.

Doug took over next and this photo is a shot of them spinning together. She loves it! After Doug finally couldn't take any more spinning, she started requesting that we spin the kitties. I had never spun a cat before, so I decided to humor her. Cordy didn't care for it. Charlie was so freaked out by it that he went careening out of the room with a growl. I guess kitties don't like to spin.

Movie Review

I don't think I ever mentioned here my latest Late Night Movie Adventure. Boy, this habit of mine is really hit or miss! This past time was a definite miss. I saw The Astronaut Farmer and it was just... my apologies to anyone who has seen this movie and actually liked it but, I found it to be... stupid.

It was not remotely believable, even in a "suspend your disbelief" kind of way. It was just dumb. And it's supposed to be an inspiring, always-follow-your-dreams story, but I couldn't even appreciate that part of it. This man's pursuit of his dream is so selfish and destructive to his family that there was nothing admirable about it!

The only positive thing I can say for the movie is that it was, I suppose, well acted. That's not enough to redeem it though. My advice: Don't even rent The Astronaut Farmer (unless you have a coupon).

By the way, the above photo is of Lila reading 'The Hobbit'. What can I say? She's a genius.

Lila's Latest Stats

Weight: 22 lbs 3 oz (20th %ile)

Height: 30.5 in. (15th %ile)

Head Circumference: 47 cm. (70th %ile

Here kitty kitty kitty...

I really really really want a kitten. A stripey orange one, to be precise. I even had a dream this weekend that I'd found a kitten in a parking lot and brought it home with me. I tried to convince Doug that it was a prophetic dream, but he's not buying it.

True, the rational part of my brain knows that it's not a good idea. The two cats we have are already convinced that we don't love them anymore because we won't get rid of Lila and re-devote our lives to their care. And I have a hard enough time keeping Lila from being rough with these guys - I shudder to think what she could do to a kitten.

I suppose it is better to wait, but they're so cuuute!

Maybe a puppy would be better. They can handle the rough treatment from Lila and they too are really cute! Unfortunately, they also grow up to be dogs, which neither of us want.

Hamster? The kitties might eat it. Guinea pig? Might bite Lila. Pot-bellied pig? Hmm... that's one to look into!

Look out!

The following things have happened in the past week:

1. Our oven died the aforementioned fiery death.

2. Our garbage disposal choked on a steak and died.

3. My keyboard began exhibiting signs of schizophrenia.

4. Our alarm clock decided it was really only interested in displaying the passing seconds.

Clearly some sort of goblin has gotten inside our house and begun to wreak havoc on our electronic devices. Either that or I've been stressed out at the signs of summer's rapid approach and my electro-magnetic field is frying things that I get close to.

Hey, it could happen! Let's not forget the three or four hard drives I went through when I first started work at HRW, the door locking mechanism in the parking garage that malfunctioned and rained down metal on me, or the garage door that broke and trapped my car in the garage a couple of years ago.

Talking to Myself and Posessed Keyboards

Here's what I've been having to tell myself a lot over the past 24 hours:

"You are not God. Also, it is not your job to make decisions for other people."

We have some friends who are going through a very tumultuous and emotional time and have some very big decisions to make. I want so badly to see things work out for the best. But I must remember that my idea of "the best" is not always the same as God's idea of it. But I can trust that, whatever decisions are made, God works all things together for the good of those who love him.

That doesn't mean that everything that happens is going to be good, but that God can use it for good in a person's life. I've seen this in my own life. Depression is not good, but God has used it to mold me into the person I am. He has given me a great faith and closeness with Him that I might not otherwise have had.

-----

On a much different note, my keyboard seems to be posessed. It keeps doing things like ignoring the letters that I am pressing and spontaneously turning on CAPS LOCK. I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating it is to try and type while this is going on!

Veruca Salt

In case you are wondering, Lila has said 'no' approximately 117 times today.

While she has recovered from her ear infections and returned to her normal personality (Thank you, God!), she is still throwing the occasional Freak-Out. Yesterday morning, when I went to pick her up from day care (after BSF), she was having a snack at the kiddie-sized picnic table with all the other toddlers. She had already finished off what was given to her and was eyeing the food of those around her.

When I told her it was time to go home, she started crying and saying [can you guess what she said? go on! guess!] 'no!' and 'dinner', which is her word for every time that you eat. I told her that she could have more food in the car, but that was not good enough. After a lot of crying and flailing, I determined that she wanted to have the rest of her snack at that little table, thankyouverymuch!

That one is not as amusing as some of the other things she's freaked out about, but you get the idea.

So it goes.

As I was starting a load of laundry earlier, I was thinking about Lila and how much I like her. I mean, we definitely have days when we aren't very fond of one another, but there are many more days when we have a lot of fun together. She is so sweet, and she is the funniest little person - I love to watch her play because you can see her learning right in front of your eyes!

Anyway, I was thinking about her and decided that she's my friend. I imagined telling someone that she's my best friend -- but that didn't feel right. As I thought about it more, I realized it's not true and I don't think it should be. She is not my best friend, or even a regular friend. She is my daugther. And that is something altogether different and more special.

I think maybe it's easy to start thinking of your child(ren) as your best friend and I'm not sure that's a good idea. A friend is someone that you lean on and turn to for support. A child is someone who leans on you and looks to you for support. You still have fun times together and, hopefully, can spend a lot of time talking, but they cannot give you the encouragement and perspective that we need our friends for.

I've only been a mother for 18 months and a wife for 4 years, so I know that I have limited understanding. But please allow me, with my limited understanding, to step up onto a soapbox for a moment. I believe that your best friend, if you are married, should be your spouse (i do recognize that takes the effort of two people and is not always possible). And, whether you are married or not, I think you should have a few close friends of the same sex.

Doug and I agree that we are best friends, but when we spend all of our time together and neglect our other friends, it begins to affect us. We need someone who can understand the part of us that only a person of the same sex can really understand. And we need an outside party sometimes to help us with perspective on problems, or just life in general.

I'm not really going anywhere with this. It's just something I was thinking about and wanted to share. And now I can hear that Lila has woken from her nap, so I guess I'll stop. :)

P.S. - Our oven died a fiery death last night. RIP

True.

My mind is a-spinnin' this evening with deep thoughts, but I'll try to keep my post coherent and under control. For starters, I'm feeling much much better this evening. I'm tired and my neck is stiff and sore, but I'm otherwise back to normal - mostly. Lila is improving too. She is still exhibiting severe symptoms of insanity, but we're beginning to see brief glimpses of the child that we remember.

I have felt, lately, that God is taking my ways of thinking and turning them inside out. As I said to some friends recently: The more I get to know people who are different from me, the more I realize that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did. Truth is absolute. I believe that. And you would think that if something is absolute, then it's easy to understand, right?

But that's where the inside out is happening. Truth is unchanging and yet ever-changing. Truth is so deeply... true that it's hard to keep hold of. You think you have an understanding of something and then it changes shape, just a little bit. The substance doesn't change and the source doesn't change, but the way it looks is just a bit different. It's a very mind-bendy experience.

I wish I could express this better, but it's not happening this evening. I think I'll go watch Doug play video games instead. That I can understand! :o)~

Sick and Sicker

Well, Lila is s-l-o-w-l-y getting better, but now it's my turn to be sick. Yesterday was a rough one for all of us. Everyone got up early to get ready for work and BSF and daycare... and then everything fell apart. I ended up being overcome by nausea and all that goes with it. After about 15 minutes of torture, I climbed back in bed and fell asleep.

Doug woke me up at 8:15ish to tell me that he was leaving for work and Lila was already back in bed! She had been awake for a whopping 45 minutes before she started asking for "nigh'-nigh'". So Doug left and I went back to sleep until Lila woke up again at 9 a.m. At this point, I felt a bit weary, but otherwise okay. Lila seemed to feel the same and we suffered through another 45 minutes where Lila kept demanding "up? up?!?" while I calmly explained (over and over again) that she could sit in my lap or I would rock her or I would play with her, but I was not going to walk all around the house and carry her.

She then decided that she wanted another nap! Okay, this time she goes down and stays asleep for an hour and a half. Just before she woke up, I started feeling supremely nauseauted again. I couldn't even sit upright without feeling like I was going to be sick, so I had to page Doug out of a work lunch and beg him to come home. This he did, very graciously -- I love you, Sweetie!

The rest of the day was spent with me laying ill on the couch and Doug having the same endless conversation with Lila that I'd been having with her. Ugh.

Today I felt better, but not well enough to take care of Lila (because standing up and/or moving still did not agree with me), so Doug stayed home again. The good news is that Lila followed a relatively normal waking and sleeping schedule and was actually content to play with her toys for short periods of time, rather than following Doug around, "up"ing him to death.

I really really hope and pray that tomorrow is even better and that Doug will be able to go back to the office!

Meow!

Well, Lila is still a bit pitiful and extra sleepy today, but she hasn't had a fever in about 36 hours and hasn't vomited in almost that long, so she does seem to be getting better. Hopefully she'll be okay at daycare in the morning!

The weather has been so beautiful for the past couple of days that I've had all the windows open. It feels and smells so nice to have fresh air blowing through the house! It's also making the kitties a little insane. They always get jazzed by fresh air and this is the first time they've gotten any in months!

Charlie tried to start a fight with a big orange cat through the window screen yesterday. Today, Cordy tried to attack a bird through the glass part of the window. They just get so excited sometimes... :) And while we're talking about kitties, Lila has decided that she is the Kitty Enforcer. If she sees one of them doing anything that she feels they shouldn't be doing (like sniffing her toys or breathing the wrong air), she starts saying, "No! No! No!"

I've been trying to explain to her that we don't fuss at the kitties when they aren't doing anything wrong, but that's not working because she obviously feels that they are doing something wrong. Now I've moved on to telling her that it is not her responsibility to tell the kitties 'no'. [sigh] Poor kitties...

More Update

Well, Lila's fever persisted through the night and she even threw up again at around 4:30 a.m. When she got up this morning, she was completely lethargic and I was starting to worry, so we took her to the doctor. Turns out that she has a nasty double ear infection! No wonder the poor thing doesn't feel well! She puked on her Daddy after we got home from the doctor, but after another long nap, she seems to be feeling a bit better.

Update

Poor Lila is still sick. She hasn't thrown up since last night, but she did have a yucky diaper this morning. Since then, she's just been pretty lethargic and she's had a fever all day. She slept a lot during the day and she's already in bed for the night. If she still has a fever tomorrow morning, I'll call the doctor's office. 'Cause, you know, she hasn't been there enough lately... :oI~

Sicky-poo

The Baby Bean is sick. :( She's been puny all day and she's thrown up twice now. I never knew so much yuck could come out of such a little person! The second time, she threw up all over my lap -- oh yes, and I caught some in my hand. I don't even want to talk about it.

Please pray with me that she'll sleep well tonight and wake up feeling better tomorrow!

Good Ol' Lila

I didn't want to speak too soon, but it seems safe now to say that we have our normal child back. The popular theory (among Doug and myself, at least) is that the insanity was the indirect result of the oral albuterol that Lila was taking for a few days. The pharmacist warned me that it could make her hyper and she might have trouble sleeping.

We started giving it to her last Thursday night and she seemed to sleep fine. And then, on Friday afternoon, she turned into the devil. So we think that what happened was that the albuterol was keeping her from sleeping well and she, therefore, became severely over-tired. The rest is history. She was mostly back to normal on Tuesday and by today she is the same old Lila we used to know.

That's not to say that she has entirely given up on throwing fits, but she was already doing a bit of that before The Incident. Right now, she is gleefully playing with her Daddy's belly button and chest hair. I'm waiting for the day that she decides to pull the chest hair. Mwahahahaha!

Insanity and Ghosts

Lila turned into a real toddler overnight this weekend. On Thursday, I had my normal, laidback child. On Friday, I had a crazy monkey girl who would ask for food, then not eat it and throw screaming fits over anything she didn't like. We've considered every possibility from overstimulation (things have been pretty busy lately) to teething to constipation.

Really, all those things are still possible. But it's also possible that this is just a new phase. The weekend was exhausting and tumultuous, but today has been... better. Lila is just waking up from a nap, so we'll see how snack time goes. :)

I did another of my late-night movie adventures on Saturday. This time I saw 'The Messengers.' It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I liked it. It scared me without being too gorey. In fact, it scared me so bad that I kept checking my rearview mirror all the way home from the theater because I was afraid someone was going to jump out of my backseat and grab me! If you like slightly formulaic ghost movies along the lines of Amityville Horror (only much better), then see this one.

Kronsche!

Lila bit my finger today. She bit it so hard that the whole tip of my finger was numb for half an hour! To be fair, I did stick it in her mouth...

She has been an absolute nutcase since sometime yesterday afternoon. I really think that she is teething and I was trying to get a look at her gums when this happened. She was too squirmy and tight-lipped for me to just peek in and see them, so I stuck my finger in her mouth to feel for teeth under the skin or swollen spots. I have done this many many times in her life. But that, apparently, was before she had molars.

She clamped down on my finger like a bulldog and I couldn't get it out until she let go. I still, seven hours later, have a tender red mark on the tip of my finger. OK. Lesson learned. :)

Doug and I got massages this afternoon. Instead of getting Valentine gifts for each other, that's what we did. We got a babysitter for a few hours and went out for massages and an early dinner. A very nice celebration indeed!

Potty Time

Lila has been doing some very amusing things lately related to her potty habits. The three of us were in Dallas this weekend and we went to my mom's on Sunday. My mom, my cousin, and I (or some combination of family members) were hanging out in my mom's room. Lila came wandering in with the box of baby wipes from the diaper bag. I don't remember what, if anything, she said, but I took the box away from her - she has a tendency to pull all the wipes out and fling them about - and told her she could have one wipe. So I pulled one out, gave it to her, and put the box back in the diaper bag.

A few minutes later, she comes wandering back into the room with a diaper that she has pulled out of the bag, saying, "Byepur? Byepur?" She then lay down on the bedroom floor and started trying to put the diaper on herself. When that met with very little success, she gave up and just lay limply on the floor. I, thinking that I'm just humoring her, asked her if she'd like me to change her diaper. And then I felt so bad because she had a big load in her drawers!

We had just changed her not long before and I didn't smell anything. Poor kid! She's trying, in not-so-subtle ways, to let me know that she needs a clean diaper and I'm just not getting the hint! Oh well. It made for a funny story. :)

Today, she followed me into the bathroom, as she nearly always does, and sat down on her little potty while I was on the big one. When she saw me getting toilet paper, she wanted some too [she points to the toilet paper and says 'nose' - she's a bit confused, but we get the idea] so I pulled off a couple of squares and gave them to her. She first gave her nose a quick blow and wipe and then started pretending to wipe her bottom with the paper. It was very funny!

She's been showing other signs of awareness of those functions, so she's on track for potty-training readiness. I'm not in any hurry though and have no intention of trying to potty train her for several more months (unless she just up and trains herself, which i wouldn't put past her).

Okay, I'm very sleepy and I'm not sure this is making a lot of sense, plus LOST is about to start, so I have to go now...

Behold the Mini-Grandma!

It's a bit hard to tell in these photos, but take my word for it...

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Lila has always liked to rough-house and now she's learning to ask for it. A few days ago, I was tickling her on the belly. When I stopped, she leaned back across my lap and said, "Muh?" ("more") When I said, "More what?" she started pretending to tickle her belly. She was asking me to tickle her more!

Last night, we were playing in the floor - tickling and wrestling, etc. Eventually, Lila wandered away and I went into the kitchen. She came in a few minutes later and found me, then she started pushing me toward the living room. It was the first time she'd ever done that and I had no idea what she was up to. It feels very funny to have a small person pushing you around at knee level.

Anyway, she pushed me into the living room and then started saying, "Muh?" She made some other hand motion as well, but I don't remember what it was. Anyway, she was telling me she wanted to wrestle more! Funny girl!

Oh! I've been meaning to post a couple of photos to show you who my daughter really looks like. I'll do that now...

I'm not feeling well this evening, so I offer the cuteness of my daughter in place of a real post...

Tonight I'm Feeling Pensive

Do you ever wonder why life is so complicated? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by it. Even when it may appear so from the outside, no one has a simple life. We all have emotional turmoil and difficult decisions to make and we're so afraid of other people (often with good reason).

Tonight I was thinking: maybe life is so complicated to remind us that life is really very simple. Two things are important: loving God and loving others as you do yourself. Everything else in life fits into those two categories. That may sound simplistic... and it is, I guess. But that's the point!

I don't mean to say that our turmoil and decisions and fears are unimportant. They are very important. But we don't have to be overwhelmed by them. I'll use my depression as an example. I get so caught up in my own thoughts and fears sometimes that it seems like an impossible situation. How can I ever make sense of my pain?

Love God. Love others. How do I love God in my depression? I pour my heart out to Him and believe in his deliverance. How do I love people in my depression? I share the things that God has taught me and use my experiences to comfort others in similar situations.

Does that make any sense? Is there something in your life that seems overwhelming? Are you willing to try thinking about it in this way? Call it an experiment...

Things that Annoy Mommy

1. Not being able to go to the bathroom by myself.

2. Hearing the same word repeated over and over again; especially when that word is a question that I can't answer because I can't figure out what the girl is saying.

3. Never making it to the end of the day without at least one smear of snot and/or food on my clothes.

4. Straightening up the living room, turning around, and discovering that a little cyclone has come along behind me and pulled all the toys back out.

5. Constantly having to rework my schedule due to ever-changing nap times.

6. Not getting to carry on an uninterrupted adult conversation with my husband until after 8:30 p.m.

7. Getting hugs and smiles from the sweetest little girl in the world -- no, wait, I like that part... :)

Things that Annoy Lila

1. Getting water in her face and Having her face wiped clean after a meal.

2. Having a Mommy and Daddy who are not psychic and can't always figure out what she wants.

3. Not being allowed to eat animal crackers for every meal and snack.

4. Being told, "Not right now," when she wants to be picked up and carried around (again).

5. When Mommy won't let her play on Mommy and Daddy's freshly made bed. (i like it to look nice for a few minutes...)

6. People, other than Mommy or Daddy, touching her without permission. This doesn't scare her, it just annoys her and is usually met by a scowl and pushing away.

7. Cold weather, because going outside just isn't fun!

Finally Back Online

Whew! The past week has been crazy. We were iced in for three days last week and then it cleared up enough that I was able to fly to New York on Thursday. I got home late on Sunday night and spent Monday and Tuesday recovering. It's taken me this long to catch up on things enough to take the time to blog. Like I said, whew!

The trip to NY was lots of fun! I missed Doug and Lila a LOT, but only moped a little. Renee and I stayed up way too late most nights and walked our tushies off during the day, so I was exhausted by the end of the trip. We ate out for nearly every meal and I discovered the best chocolate cake in the world (at Max Brenner's). I walked up 5th Avenue and stopped into Saks long enough to have some guy in mascara tell me (in a very polite and tactful way, of course) that the area around my eyes needs work and I should buy some $150 eye cream.

I attended 2/3 of a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral and bought Lila a new I [heart] New York shirt since she's just outgrown her old one. Then it was on to the half-price ticket line, followed by the NY Public Library. The show we saw was Spamalot and it was hilarious! After that we went to the top of the Empire State Building - not something I recommend doing at 11 p.m. in the middle of January!

We also did some shopping on the Upper West Side, saw a movie ('The Painted Veil' - sad, but very good - i recommend it), and had dinner at an exceedingly cool and expensive restaurant called Duvet. Their gig is that you eat on beds instead of at tables. The photo here is taken at our bed. Excuse my wind-chapped cheeks and hat hair. The place is very cool and you can check it out at www.duvetny.com.

Anyway, those were the highlights. Add in miles and miles of walking and lots and lots of eating and you've got a pretty good idea of my Solo Adventure in New York!

Snow Day

Cold cold cold. Ice ice ice. Stuck at home. Blah!

Doug, Lila, and I have been (mostly) home bound for the past couple of days and it's driving me nuts! I had lunch plans yesterday and lots of plans today, which all had to be rescheduled. The three of us did venture out to nearby restaurants for lunch both days, just to get out of the house. Lila and I both get restless if we have to stay home all day.

The fun part was that Lila got to see her first snow today. She likes looking at it through the windows and keeps saying, "'nowing. 'nowing. 'nowing." It is very cute. Before lunch, the three of us got all bundled up and walked over to the park by our house. Lila thought it was pretty cool at first, but after about 5 minutes she decided that it was a little too cool. I don't think she liked having the cold bits hitting her face (it was more like sleet than snow at that point).

The kitties are just confused because Doug has been home for four days in a row and all of the blinds in the house are closed. Cordy was making mad runs around the house earlier to express her displeasure at not being able to see outside.

Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

It's mid-afternoon and Lila and I are sitting at a table outside Border's. The weather is beautiful; mid-sixties and mostly sunny. Lila is eating her first ever grilled cheese sandwich (on whole wheat) and playing with a plastic fork. I'm sipping on my soda, watching the breeze ruffle my baby's hair and enjoying the peace of the moment.

I lean toward Lila and rest one arm on the table.

"Lila, can I tell you something?"

She turns her attention away from her snack and looks me in the eye, waiting.

"I love you."

Lila leans forward, sandwich in one hand and fork in the other, and gives me a kiss.

She understood what I meant. And, though she doesn't have the words yet to return the sentiment, she told me, without question, that she feels the same way. I lean back in my chair, basking in my child's love, and hope that someone nearby saw what just took place.

One moment like this can make an entire day like Tuesday just disappear.

Crazy in the Head

Behold this photo of my little prodigy, writing her own name! . . . Okay, maybe not. But that's certainly the way it looks, isn't it? What you are actually viewing is Lila's decoration of her name, which I had written on the paper earlier in the day.

Today has been another tumultuous one for us. For example, I just asked Lila if she was hungry (naptime is soon, so i want to give her a snack now) and she said, with delight in her face, "Nih-nih?" That's 'dinner' - her generic word for any meal. I said, "Let's go have a snack!" She obviously approved of this idea because she followed me into the kitchen saying, "'nack! 'nack! 'nack!"

When we got there, I asked her if she wanted a cereal bar. She just grinned and chuckled. I wanted to make sure this was really what she wanted, so I kept asking until she said, "Bar bar bar?" (that's 'cereal bar') Great! I pulled out the bar and started to open it. She scowled and said, "No." "You don't want the cereal bar?" I asked. When I started to put it back in the pantry, she looked even more distressed and reached for it.

I unwrapped the bar, and handed it to her. She held it in her hand, pointed at the refrigerator, and started saying, "Nih-nih? Nih-nih? Nih-nih?" When I told her that it was not time for dinner, but she could have the cereal bar and some milk, she disolved into tears. Not willing to participate in the theatrics, I left the room. So now she is wandering aimlessly around the kitchen, wailing.

This is the way it's been for most of the day. No wonder we all think our mothers are crazy. They are! And we're the ones who made them that way!

Monday Monday

Well, Lila handled her Daddy's absence on Thursday and Friday very well. I was quite pleasantly surprised. However, she's pulling the freakout routine this morning. Right now, she's sitting in the floor, screaming because I won't pick her up. The problem is, she won't be any happier if I do pick her up. I was carrying her around earlier and she was just grunting and pointing me in the direction of various things she can't do right now (like go outside, where it's only 39 degrees and i'm still in my jammies), then getting hostile when I told her no. We've had the Use-Your-Words-Please "discussion" many times already. Naptime may have to come a little early this morning...

At least we had a good weekend. There was enough going on to keep us from being bored, but not enough to make us feel busy. The only bummer was not being able to find a babysitter so that we could go to a friend's birthday party on Saturday night. I always dread trying to find a babysitter. We have some very generous friends who cheerfully babysit for us and we are so grateful! The problem is that everyone seems to schedule parties for the same night. At least half of our babysitting list already had a party to go to themselves on Saturday. It's nutty!

Chopsticks and Rocket Launchers

This is a photo of Lila eating baby food with a chopstick. We were all having lunch together and Mommy and Daddy were using chopsticks. So, naturally, she wanted to do the same. She actually had much more success than you might think, but got tired of it after a while and went back to her spoon. Silly girl!

I was planning on one of my surprise late movies again last night, but ended up staying home. I looked at which movie I'd be seeing before I left, which was a mistake. It was one I'd never heard of and I wasn't that excited about it. Now, it might have been a very funny movie, but since I was skeptical, I chickened out. We ended up watching the last half of 'Commando' instead. That was really quite fun though because it's a terrible movie and we had a blast making fun of it. There's not much dialogue, so Doug and I filled in our own - complete with bad Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions.

We then stayed up later than Doug really wanted to because we got sucked into watching 'Carrie'. I decided that I'm definitely a better mother than Margaret White.

Lila's Busy Day

What I didn't get to tell you yesterday, because I ran out of time, was how helpful Lila was while we were getting our new living room furniture set up. She wanted nothing more than to help her Daddy assemble the new end tables, as you can see in this photo. Unforunately, her idea of helping involved climbing and generally getting in the way, which led to repeated relocations by Doug.

When she finally got tired of being turned away from that task, she moved on to exploring the area behind the sofas that had previously been inaccessible. I had already moved the bowls of cat food from the floor onto a low table, but I was much mistaken if I thought that would somehow keep Lila away from them. She promptly found the food bowls and then spilled Charlie's food all over the floor.

I got out the vacuum, cleaned up the mess, and left the room with the bowls, in search of a new home for them. While I was out of the room, Lila moved on to playing with the jar of pens that had been set on the windowsill. Playing with the pens was fine, but playing with the ceramic jar (in the shape of Woodstock's head) -- not so much. While I was out of the room and Doug was occupied with the end tables, she dropped the jar on the floor where it broke. I thought Doug was going to cry.

After getting the vacuum out again and cleaning up the shards of ceramic, we decided to just keep it handy for the rest of the day.