world's bravest butterfly

Can you see him?

I bet his little tiny heart was beating out of his tiny little chest.

Monday update

No change.

Hear ye, hear ye.

I have an announcement.

Remember my series on dumb diets? 

I thought so.

Well, I've been thinking. 

I'm afraid I may be on the path 'dumb diets' part deaux.  Again.  Because I've been dieting, again.  Even though it's not an official specific diet, I have been choosing what I eat in order to lose weight, obsessing about food, trying not to eat, making it to 'weigh in day', then pigging out for a day or two, then starting all over.

So this chick is going to try something new. 

I will be copying the behaviors of the few 'naturally thin non-dieters' that I know, and seeing what happens.

I have a theory that if I 'fake' being a normal eater for long enough, it will someday become my real habit, and I will gradually reach and maintain a healthy weight.

This theory is based on a small amount of experience with another self-defeating habit.  In the past, I've always immediately criticized myself and looked for what was wrong with me when I looked in a mirror.  Of course I don't want C doing that, so since she was born, every time I look in a mirror with her, I immediately say "What a pretty baby and what a pretty mommy!"

Of course it felt weird at first, but now I find myself saying it even when she's not with me.  And it's nice.

So I'll be making changes in my eating that don't feel natural or comfortable at first, and hopefully they will soon feel right.

I'll continue to post my weight on Mondays in order to track my progress.

Meeting ejourned.

6 months, highs and lows

My little angel face cutie pie is six months old today.  This has been the best six months of my life.

(And of her life, but that's by default.)

Of course there have been ups and downs.  Lots, actually.  One day I'm feeling like a candidate for

 'world's greatest mom' because I've got laundry done, dinner made, and a happy baby in the tub.

The next day I'm just hoping not to get turned in for accidentally letting

her eat a Target receipt.

But all of that aside, being Carolyn's mom is a true pleasure.

She is a giggly, happy, peaceful girl.

Who usually has only one sock on.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Unlike today, which is an ugly day. My workout partner and I went for a long walk. She wanted to do yoga. But she's way more flexible than I am, and I'm nothing if not competitive. So we went walking instead.
We met a new neighbor, who is quite a handy man. And a LEGGY man, according to his short pants. He was fixing a leak in his mailbox. Why?

"Just in case Publisher's Clearing House shows up with my check on a rainy day!" he says.





Now the whole world knows that PCH brings those ginormous novelty checks that would never fit in a standard mailbox. And, they knock on the door and deliver the check. They don't stop by and drop it in the mailbox. Or send it by snail mail.

But I didn't go there.

After chatting with the nice mailbox repairman, we came across a glorious SO AUSTIN sight. It reminded me of this post on my workout partners' Auntie Leslie's blog.

An old Toyota, with hay in the bed. With many bumper stickers. One of which says "midwives help people out". Which makes me smile. But in combination with the other sticker, in the lower right hand corner of the back windshield, which says "HONKY", made me laugh out loud. Ahh, only in Austin would you find such a nurturing/kooky/practical combo. That's why I love this town.




Then my mind wandered to childhood memories of my sister doing a George Jefferson impression, asking "Whatchoo want, HONKY?" with gusto.

Maybe for the arrival of EngelBaby 2.0 I will hire the services of my neighborhood honky midwife. And have something to laugh with my sister about.

And no, I'm not expecting. Just daydreaming.

Monkey business

monday update

PLUS .4 this week. Sigh. I've been slacking off, folks. Don't worry, I'm ready to crank this puppy up. And by 'puppy' I mean weight loss. And by 'crank'...not sure. But stay tuned.

Spring Break, the final days

Doesn't that sound like a movie title?

The last few days are here. Boo. Carolyn has been sick. It's just a cold, but still sad to see my sweet baby not feeling good.

Spring Break day 5

Yesterday my life got easier. Can I get an 'amen'?

You see, for the past 5 months and 18 days,

I've carried Carolyn in a sling on trips to the grocery store,

like any 'attachment parent' worth her salt would do.

Well, that's not the only reason.

I have this weird paranoia that I will someday run into my chosen parenting guru,

Dr. Sears himself, at Target.

And I will have no icebreaker if I'm not wearing my baby.

Surely Dr. Sears will not judge me for taking advantage of the grocery cart seat

now that C can sit up.

Right?

Maybe I'll attach myself to the cart with some sort of tether.

Just to be safe.

Now I'm off to watch the movie 'Precious'.

Just in case I run into Oprah.

Spring Break days 3 and 4

C and I are still enjoying Spring Break.

We spent last night and today at the lake with grandma and grandpa

(formerly known as 'mom and dad', but now that just causes confusion).

I forgot the camera.

Well not the camera, but the SD card.

Mommy Brain.

My dear friend Leslie got these pics on Monday

of C's new trick: the death grip.

Which is pretty funny, as long as it's not my hair that she's death gripping.

Monday update

Minus 1 this week, 17.6 in all.

Spring Break day 2

On day two of spring break

we just sat around

telling jokes,

reading books,

and making faces.

Spring Break Day 1

Spring break has finally arrived!

Day one started with my nephews' soccer game.

C got to spend time with a her very talented Grandpa,

who can entertain a baby

and cheer for/yell at 2 soccer players simultaneously.

This guy scored a goal! This was the second sports moment

I've ever been excited about.

(The first was in sixth grade when I made a free throw shot, granny style.)

The Blue team lost.

I'm not sure if they knew that, though.

Spring Break, I love you!

If you look under 'gullible' in the dictionary...

My hubby recently showed me this goat picture on his laptop while we were discussing our upcoming trip to Uganda.

He said, 'see, this is one of the goats I have back home.

If you ever need anything from the market,

you just put a basket around his neck and send him to get it.'

"WHAT?" I ask,

"How does he know what to get?"

"You put your list and your money in the basket,

and the guy at the market fills your order," he says.

"What if it doesn't all fit in the basket?" I ask.

"Then the guy sends a kid to deliver it to you," he says.

"A 'kid' like another goat, or a human?" I ask.

"A human," he says.

"How do they know who the goat belongs to?" I ask.

"Why do white people think all goats look alike?"

he says.

Then he smiles.

And I realized I've fallen for yet another goat trick.

Happy birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday.

I have the best mom in the world.

In fact, baby Carolyn goes by 'baby Carolyn' because she's not the only 'Carolyn.' We named her after my mom.

Mike and I want our daughter to grow up to be a beautiful woman

with a heart like Christ's. So we named her after one.

Happy birthday, Mom!

cat and mouse

Monday update

Minus 1 this week, 16.6 in all. Woohoo!

Bizarro World

Recently I had one of those creepy experiences where you're not dreaming, but you feel like you should be. It happened during the medical situation my little fam experienced last week.





Mike was sick on Tuesday and went to the doctor. She said it was a virus, to take Advil, and he'd be fine.





Wednesday, he kept texting me at work saying he was in a LOT of pain. His chest and throat were really bothering him.

I recently gave birth to an 8 pound 11 ounce baby with no pain meds, so I really wasn't too sympathetic.





But when I got home to check on him, he was half dead.





So we went to the after-hours clinic. And weird things kept happening.





Weird thing #1:

The doctor was Jon Gosselin's doppelganger. He seriously looked JUST like him. He was wearing a ring though. And he didn't have on an Ed Hardy shirt or Converse. And no sorority girls with him. So it wasn't him.

Weird thing #2

After Jon Gosselin diagnosed Mike with pneumonia, I went to a 24 hour pharmacy. This is where I encountered a pharmacist with a most regal birthmark. It was on his neck, a perfect brown oval, and it could have had a pony tail of it's own. I'll stop there. No graphic. You're welcome.

Weird thing #3

I spotted this new product. It is clearly intended to be yet another vice for the OCD community. I can't wait to start seeing people waving a glowing wand over the handlebar of their grocery cart. I might get the full size one and wave it over each of my students as they come in my classroom in the morning.

It reminds me of Dwight's gaydar.

Weird thing #4

Yes, it's a rectal thermometer with a fever alarm. An actual alarm that goes off, like a fire alarm.

I can just see a young adult 20 years from now, flying to therapy in their Jetsons-mobile, trying to get to the bottom of their childhood memory of an alarm going off while something is sticking out of their rear end.

One nerdy thing, one new thing

Just had to mention that today is one of my favorite days of the year because the date is a complete sentence. Did you know I'm a grammar nerd?

You must read this new blog. I love the writer, love the writing, love it all.

I'm back, blogosphere!

I've been on an unplanned blog-cation this week. Here's why:

A) I had morning doody. More on this later.

2) We had a health situation that left 2 of us temporarily displaced and one of us VERY sick. Don't worry. Two of us are back home now, and one of us is on the mend. More on this later.


Ahhh, it's good to be back.

Monday update

Minus .6 this week. That's 15.6 in all. I think I have to start exercising.