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Showing posts from 2008

Happy Birthday, Zane!

My darling Zane - As I write this entry, you are asleep; snugly enveloped in your beloved blanket, pacifier in your mouth, breathing (oh, how I love to hear you breathe...) steadily, and skipping happily along in dreamland. You cannot understand - or, maybe you do - that your birthday is nigh. And not just any birthday; your very first birthday on Earth, and quite a special occasion for all of us. Exactly one year ago today, God made us a family and the well of love in our hearts became bottomless. Your name means "gracious gift of God," and we chose that name for you because you are the greatest blessing in our life. I hope whenever someone asks you about the meaning of your name you will always remember that: YOU are the greatest blessing and gift in our life. As I reflect on the last year, my heart overflows with gratitude and love. Gratitude to God: He said to Pop and me, "you are to be parents; but trust in me." We did, and he gave us you. You, the love of our

The End of Infancy

Yes, Anonymous, I know I failed. See there in the sidebar to the right? I admit it. So there. Whatever. On to more important things. I have been so scattered for the last week. I know the source of my lack of focus: Zane is positively careening toward the big 0h-1! just three days from today. Try as I might, and no matter what I do to distract myself from this fact, I can't help but reflect on the last year and wallow in sentimentality, which leads to lack of focus, which leads to scatterbrained-ness and so on and so forth. I'm not the type to live in the past, forsaking the joy of today, tomorrow and the next day. But the last year - actually, the last eighteen months - has been amazing. The greatest joy I've ever known is Zane: a tiny, sleepy, snuggly, contented bundle of sweetness who has grown into the happiest, smiliest, most expressive, sweetest little boy. All of my friends who are mothers comfort my sadness by reminding me that it "just gets better." It

Catching Up

As my Anonymous Blog Stalker "politely" reminded me, I haven't kept up with this NaBloPoMo thingy very well in the last five days. Whatever! Thanks for the suggested new daily mantra, but I think I'll stick with what works for me: Recommit daily to your goals. So, getting back to business. Starting with Sunday, five days late. Cheers to all us thieves ! It may be late, but this meme is a perfect metaphor for the chaos that has reigned in my universe during the last five days. 1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? Yes, but not the creamy variety. I like blue cheese vinaigrette. 2. Favorite late night snack? Cherry Garcia, or Hash Browns scattered, smothered and covered . 3. Do you own a gun? Yes. A shotgun . 4. What’s your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop? Venti Shaken Iced Passion Tea with three Splenda instead of the classic (sugar) syrup. 5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not anymore, after bi-weekly, then weekly, OB vi

Vignette From our Home at 9:58pm Last Night

Mr. Robert P. Tracey (in a thick New Yawk accent...): "Yeah, someone from this number called PetFinders about placing two cats." Me: "Um, no we didn't." Mr. Robert P. Tracey: "Are you sure?" Me: "Um, yeah. Pretty sure." Mr. Robert P. Tracey: "Is this 239/245-2859?" Me: "No. This is 239/245-xxxx." Mr. Robert P. Tracey: "Are you absolutely sure nobody from that number called about placing the cats?" Me: (Inner dialogue: Mr. Robert P. Tracey, sir, I assure you that no one from our household called PetFinders from our home line to inquire about placing two cats. Really. I promise. Beyond the fact that we rarely use our home phone, much less at 9:58pm, and that our number isn't 239/245-2859, we are not cat people. Oh, Mr. Tracey, if you only knew just how vehemently we are not cat people...) "Yes. I am absolutely sure."

Haiku for Stalkers

A Friday haiku for my Anonymous Blog Stalker (Hi Kevin!): It is not Lupus, Silly no-name commenter. It is BRONCHITIS.

Random Things About Today

I have officially given up on this week. I spent another day meandering between the sofa and my bed, covered and uncovered (depending on my fever), watching smut on the telly. Bravo disappointed me today; but, Oh, VH1! Your Celebrity Rehab made me feel like I could run a marathon today, even in my pitiable, tired, feverish, congested, coughing-up-a-lung state. And, by the way, am I the only one who thinks it is so very, very sad that Kenicky is a chronic addict? Zane is officially 11 months old (as of yesterday), and he is now officially waving "bye bye." And so far, so good on our mission to keep him safe from invasion by the germs infecting his Mama. PG is tired. Bless his dear soul, he has been Super Papa, nurse maid and full-time employee all week. He even made homemade "junk" soup for supper last night because that was the only thing that sounded even remotely good. And it WAS good. Tylenol Cold Nighttime=good. Claritin D=no bueno. Gas prices have fallen to $1.

Illness, Thy Name Is...

...severe respiratory infection and bronchitis. So, "Anonymous" thanks for suggesting it may be Kuru (what-the-shutchermouf???) or Lupus ; as if I didn't feel bad enough already. Anywhoo, it's Day Five of "not feeling so good," and Day Three of laying on the sofa watching the ever-entertaining smut on BravoTV . Until this week, I thought the powers-that-be at Bravo had really hit a low note with The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Now I understand its value: providing seriously sick mamas with a dose of indulgent, guilty pleasure between bouts of coughing up nasty green stuff. One question, though: why are they ALWAYS DRINKING on that show? Seriously! That Kim person was actually holding a full wine glass while sitting in her Porsche. I'm sure she wasn't driving but, still, open container law much? Also, my new favorite expression is "black don't crack," another Kim-ism. Throw me some love, internets, post some comments with clever uses for

Ugh.

I do not know what has infected my being but, apparently, I'm providing a nice, cozy environment and it has decided to stay for a while. I (still) feel miserable, but I'm thanking my lucky stars for several things today: PG, for skipping work to take care of me Zane, for his super-happy, contented demeanor and for his habit of sleeping through the night Miss Diana and Miss Victoria, for taking such wonderful care of Zane today (on my day off, while I was at home) Tylenol Cold Crisp, clean sheets on my bed A long, hot shower Plenty of accrued sick leave Leather sofas that are cool on a feverish body Remote control television Non-stop, smutty entertainment on BravoTV; and Wireless internet Also, I heard a story on the BBC World News this morning about a political dissident in Burma who was on the run and in hiding, and who had not seen her 7-month-old daughter since she was 4-months-old. The details of the story are hazy...I was still groggy from last night's medication. But,

Mamas Aren't Supposed to Get Sick

I cannot believe how awful I felt all day today. What started as a lingering, worsening two-day sore throat morphed over night into something resembling a flu, including all of the fun gastrointestinal issues that go along with that. Sigh. The bright side is two-fold: PG is an AWESOME nurse, and an even better father. So not only were all of my needs met today, so were Zane's. That's some good stuff, right there. Also, thank you to Karen, Aunt Laura and Lisa for the shout-outs from the fan club. Reading your comments was also a bright spot in an otherwise truly miserable day.

Making a Brave Effort

I'm no longer in the running for the NaBloPoMo booty. Heck, I don't think I was EVER in the running since I never really got around to sending my blog name to Mrs. Kennedy ; but, whatever. I digress. Given that the only two people who read my blog with any regularity were with me for supper tonight (awesomely yummy vittles, by the way, Ash...), I am taking a pass on truly thoughtful posting in favor of nursing my two-day-sore-throat-that-just-isn't-getting-any-better. I'm currently drinking Ashley's preferred remedy: two bags of Sleepytime steeped in a cup of boiling water, mixed with two TBSP each of lemon juice, honey and ( halleleuia , thank you Lord for the Hollow at Lynchburg ...) Black Jack. I'll be out in three minutes, without my $200 in Monopoly money. In other news, it was a B-E-A- YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - TEEEEEEEEE - FUL weekend in Southwest Florida, and the Gators are now #3 (or #4, depending on which poll you favor); they are #4 in the BCS poll - the

I Failed.

Amid all the merriment that was my Friday, I forgot to update my blog for NaBloPoMo. Sigh. New mantra: recommit daily to your goals.

Mini Me

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When Zane was born the refrain sounded, "he looks Just. Like. His father." He still does look a lot like PG, and that is a good thing; PG is smokin' hot. As he gets older, though, he is starting to look like me, too (finally...) Useppa Island Club - September 2008 Labor Day 2008

It Is Morning in America Again

Today feels like "It is morning in America again." Yes, that is a reference to Ronald Reagan. And yes, I am connecting President-elect Barack Obama to Ronald Reagan. I am a Republican, but I am weary - let me capitalize and properly punctuate that: WEARY!!! - of the nastiness that has pervaded our political system during the last 14 years. It IS time for a change. Not just a change from one party to another, but a departure from hatefulness; negativity; rudeness; acrimony; bureaucratic inertia; stale ideas; political zealots; dogged ideology; dittoheads who don't think for themselves; and antipathy. We've had too much of it, for too many years, and it's time for it stop. It is past time for Americans to start thinking for themselves again, to engage, and to become part of the solution by actually participating in their democracy. While I may not agree with all of President-elect Obama's policy ideas, I believe in his core values and I am praying for his streng

Awesomeness

For Epiphany . Here is how I was awesome today . I: got up at 6:45am (on time for once...) made bottles, lunch and snacks for daycare finished loading the dishwasher with dishes in the sink from last night (yuck!) washed other dishes that cannot be cleaned in the dishwasher ate breakfast (re-committing to do that every day...) played with my son (PG takes the morning shift of feeding the morning bottle, changing diapers and dressing Zane for school...I get the fun part of just snuggling, kissing and playing with him...) took a shower (and actually shaved my legs!) brushed AND flossed my teeth (normally I have to floss before bedtime because I am too rushed to do it in the morning...I know...eewwwww...) actually blew my hair dry AND styled it! applied makeup, including lip gloss selected an outfit I liked, on the first try remembered my dress shoes for work (I always wear flip-flops until I arrive there...) took Zane to daycare communicated clearly and effectively with the daycare direc

New Things About Zane

We are 39 days away from the big OH!-1 and little changes are appearing daily. Sweet little nuances that make our Zane the precious boy he is. Here are 7 new things since our last update: Zane has always been ticklish; but, now he is AWARE of his tickle spots (ribs, knees and neck). When PG and I get anywhere near those spots, he starts laughing before we can even make skin-to-skin contact. His current favorite food is a lentil & brown rice recipe that I make for him. But we still have great success with sweet potatoes, squash, peas and all fruits. Except prunes. The Z-man thinks prunes are definitely no bueno. He regularly pulls himself to a standing position - using a table, a chair, his high chair, or his parents' legs for support - and, while standing, he frequently pushes up to his tippy toes and balances there with a pseudo-dancing motion. First steps are coming any day now...we just know it! In the mornings, as I take my shower, Zane loves to play peek-a-boo with the sho

A Little Black Cat Crossed My Path...

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Given that he is only 10-1/2 months old, PG and I were understandably more excited than Zane about his First Hallowe'en. Energized by the first true cold snap of the year, I spent all of last week creating the Hallowe'en I remember from my own childhood: a visit to the pumpkin patch; a carved Jack 'o Lantern; roasted pumpkin seeds; my mother's oatmeal cookies; homemade caramel apples; costumes created from scratch based on imagination, ingenuity and a few inexpensive craft supplies; a ginormous bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters; and fun with my family. Still, Zane was a good sport about the whole thing, even after I drew a kitty's nose and whiskers onto his sweet face, and topped his fuzzy little head with ears made of pipe cleaners and felt. "Laverne" joined us for an early supper of chicken & yellow rice (complete with sangria!) because it is important to have a good supper before trick-or-treating...(especially if you plan to join your fun next-do

Ewwwwwwwww...

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Recently, my friend Karen posted about mold. I am extraordinarily impressed, though, with her husband, Chris, who "was impressed early on by [her] ability to grow mold on things he didn't know would mold..." I am just a tad OCD about my fridge (a story that requires a LOT more sobriety than I am able to muster after enjoying many Heinekens and Jell-O shots during UF's butt-whoopin' of UGA); so, in keeping with the "wow, I didn't know THAT would grow mold" I present the moldy peppers. Yuck!
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Even though an arctic blast chilled the evening, there's something a bit odd about a pumpkin patch that is surrounded by palm trees. But that's the way of our world here in Southwest Florida This was what I did last year for Hallowe'en. And this year: Zane was not very fond of climbing around on the pumpkins, to my disappointment. We visited the patch during his usual catnap time. The upside-down Jack-o-Lantern.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

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This week we reached a record low temperarture for October in Fort Myers. 43 degrees. That's pretty chilly for Southwest Florida. This is what Zane chose to wear for school that day.

Third Generation Baby Gator

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College football, Gator football, has always been part of my life. On the night that my mother went into labor with me, my father was with my Uncle Lenny in Jacksonville for the Florida-Duke football game. The story goes that my dad and Uncle Lenny made it home to Clearwater in 3-1/2 hours and, as soon as he arrived, I was born at 7:16am. That was in 1970. By the 1971 season, my dad and mom had season tickets - three to be exact - and our Saturday afternoons were spent in Section 15, Row 71, Seats 10, 11 and 12 at Florida Field. That was well before Ben Hill Griffin gave the UAA a boatload of cash for upgrades and naming rights. It was also well before the first Glory Years of Gator Football (1983-1985), before Emmitt Smith, before the second coming of Steve Spurrier, and before most everything that now defines Gator Football. Back then, we sat through day games, in dress clothes, and suffered 0-10-1 and 0-11 seasons. We ate Original Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes

175 Years

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What do you get when you add one 85th birthday, one 65th wedding anniversary and one 90th birthday?... A GREAT BIG OLE' PARTY! Ever since I can remember, summertime meant "Grandmama's house." Ashley and I didn't go to camp; we spent six weeks at Grandmama's in rural Alabama. Our grandparents hail from large, tight-knit families - as do most folks their age, in that part of the country - and they created a large, tight-knit family with six children. When grandchildren started arriving, close relationships with the new members of the clan were forgone conclusions. The challenge was creating those close relationships, since all of the Top 5 Grands lived far away from Fort Deposit. My grandmama is a strong woman, and she loves her grandchilden, and she wanted us for the summer. Think about that statement for a moment: she wanted us - all five of us - for the summer. There was no question of where would we all sleep, or bathe, or what would we eat, or however would

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

In one of my recent posts here, I said I wished that time would just STOP for a while so I can memorize every small, changing detail of my sweet and beautiful baby as he careens toward the one-year-old mark. In much the same way that time moves faster in the fourth quarter of a football game, it seems like time is moving at warp speed in these last two months before Zane turns one whole year old. Where monthly updates were sufficient during the first seven months of his life, it seems weekly - or even daily - updates are not only warranted but necessary . So, here's what is new in the last week : He has five teeth now. Desi has joined Lucy & Ricky on the top choppers. Fred & Ethel are still enjoying their alone time on the bottom choppers. Zane has been officially crawling for about three weeks. Until last week, however, he was content to "crawl in place," never leaving one room for adventures in the great beyond. Now he CRUISES! He may start in the office with P

Two Months to One

Three months ago I posted the Seven Month Update about our Zane. Three months! It is a truism that infants change by the minute; but it is also true that, as time passes, and if you pay close attention, babies become less a mystery. The more things change, the more they stay the same... So, here is what is still true about our little man - three months later: He is still the happiest and smiliest child I have ever known. He still LOVES people. He still has 100 different variations of his smile, and I love that his face is so expressive. His fingernails still grow faster than mine. Blowing raspberries still cracks him up. He is still a very good eater. He will eat most anything we prepare for him, but his favorites are lentils/brown rice, yogurt, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, peaches, applesauce, bananas and apples with any other mix-in. We have not tried the prunes again (no need) and we do not push the green beans (there is plenty of time for him to learn to love the

Status Report - Friday

One of my favorite bloggers used a very clever device to update her blog on Monday. Joy explains that her writer's block is a result of lack of time to express herself, or at least lack of time to express it well . I feel the same way. So often I will compose a witty, cogent, topical blog entry in my head and then, before I can either commit the words to paper or reach my keyboard, poof! it's gone. And I'm back to the mundane. One thing I've learned during my foray into blogging is, internet thievery is sort of okay as long as you properly attribute the source. So here, now, is what's current in my world: I'm: Sitting ...at my desk at work, spending the last 20 minutes of the work week composing a blog entry. This week has been tough because I've had to carry 90% of the parenthood load - including the entire morning routine - all week, AND still arrive at work at a reasonable time, ready to give my "110%," only to re-trace my steps in the afterno

Bath Time

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Yes, we still bathe him in the kitchen sink. But, our kitchen sink is large enough to bath a 5-year-old, so this practice does not qualify me for Worst Mama points . Besides, see that kid-stuff drainboard in the background that is chock-full of bath toys? Yeah, he loves them. Zane at 8-1/2 months. The bath toys are great, Pop, but what I REALLY want is that camera! He has a crooked smile like his Mama. Such a sweet face!

SOOOOOOOOO Big!

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A longer update about our Z is in order, but these shots can't wait for my writer's block to subside. These are some of my favorite current pictures of my baby: Sitting up like a big boy, playing with his favorite toy. Oh, please don't ever stop doing this... Silly Mama Silly Baby Adapt-a-Baby asleep in the rented infant seat traveling through Canada

Marathon!

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When Ashley and I were growing up, we spent a lot of time in the Florida Keys. Our dad spent his high school years in Homestead and loved everything about the Keys: boating, fishing, spearfishing, snorkeling, diving, lobstering, drinking green-bottled beer after a great day on the water, everything. Our mom fell in love with the Keys, too, after going there with our dad. Our parents are really cool people. They took us pretty much everywhere, including most vacations. Every summer, after returning from our annual 6-week stay with Grandmama and Grandaddy in Fort Deposit, we headed to Marathon for three weeks of swimming with angel fish and sargent majors; tickling lobsters from their lairs; eating cuban crackers topped with squeeze cheese; drinking ice-cold Chek-brand flavored soda from Winn-Dixie; boating; lots of sun; fish, dirty rice and beans for supper; one day-trip to Key West; and always one night at Pizza Hut. Until our parents built the house at Quiet Water in 1985, we spent

Summer Farewell

I don't buy into the idea that summer ends on Labor Day. It must be a by-product of living in Southwest Florida where daily high temperatures remain solidly in the 90's until mid-October. Even so, tomorrow is the autumnal equinox (the forecast high in Fort Myers is 90 degrees...) that marks the official end of "summer." This summer has been really special for me because I vowed to do nothing this summer except spend time with Zane and PG. It was a lesson in letting go. Pre-baby and, to a great extent, during Zane's third - fifth months, my life was a whirlwind of Junior League, work, Session, travel...Always more "stuff" and always go-go-go. Last summer and fall, despite being pregnant, I worked my tail off. I kept a regular schedule at work, and I filled every spare minute with coordinating the largest fundraiser of the year for the Junior League. I was managing everything pretty well, but I was not spending any time on ME, or basking in the wondrous pr

Adventures in Eating Solid Food

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One of the most fun adventures of the summer was getting Zane to eat. Compared to stories we had heard, we think he is a very good eater. However, at first, we tried very, um, creative , strategies for getting food into his mouth (read: using a pacifier as a spoon) In these photos, Zane was soooooooo tired and he was a hot mess; but, he ate!

First Father's Day

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PG's first OFFICIAL Father's Day This photograph makes me smile. Zane at 6 months. PG at 42 years.

First Mother's Day

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My first OFFICIAL Mother's Day* PG and Zane treated me to the most excellent Mother's Day ever. PG let me sleep in while he and Zane made my favorite blueberry pancakes for breakfast in bed. We spent the remainder of the day chilling on our back porch and enjoying the pool and jacuzzi. Mother's Day 2008 was also Zane's 5-month birthday. After we enjoyed blueberry pancakes, Zane wowed us with his rice-cereal-eating prowess. He ate like a champion from the very first bite of solid food! Zane at five months. Paige at 37 years. *( yeah, we're not going there about last year...when I didn't KNOW I was pregnant...and was recovering from bronchitis...and enjoying MANY pina coladas with Myers floaters at the pool at Useppa...no, no, we're not going there...)

Our Little Skater Boy

PG and I are still laughing over this video clip we shot yesterday. Poor Baby Z, I'm sure he had NO idea what he was getting into when he chose us as his parents: No actual children were harmed in the making of this film.

Oh, Internet, However Did You Know?

I've been tagged. To this point in my blogging tenure, I have resisted posting memes - even when writer's block causes the blog to grow stale and moldy. But Lisa just couldn't help herself this morning, excited as she was over the "needs" meme and, I suspect, pleased with her internet thievery, and tagged creation before it tagged her. So here's the drill: Google your first name with the word "needs" behind it and post the results. The internets spit out 3,250 results for me in Google. A paltry showing, but them's the breaks when your name is not at the top of the 10 Most Popular Names list for any year. Even so, the results are hilarity in hyperlinks; especially since I chose to create my list from the pages inmediately preceding the results that are all porn-related. That Haley Paige sure is something... And since it's my very first meme ever, I am breaking from the standard set by Mimi and listing all of the results that made Diet Coke