It's important to be warm

In personal photo news, I shot my 9999th picture with my D70. I love that camera ridiculously. As it happens, it wasn’t the best photo ever. Still, my pack-ratty/documentarian nature means I must not only make a note of the occurrence, but post it.

So without further yap and yammer:

Before and after that particular number of note, Benjamin was being thoroughly adorable at my parent’s house. He and my mom are now doing a Four-Hands routine on her piano which gets them both into giggles.

My former Babysitter and Honorary Grandmother Blanche was up from Florida visiting. She doesn’t use glasses and is as non-sequitur as ever in her comments. “You still have all your own teeth, that’s good. Your husband doesn’t hit you does he? No, that’s good. You’ve gained weight, but you look good! Yeah.” and on and on in that vein. It’s like the interrupting cow joke, only far, far weirder and occasionally in peppered in Polish and cursing, always punctuated by “Pardon my French”. Hilarious in small doses; headache-inducing after too long. She’ll be 92 next summer, though this randomness has always been her way. Like many aspects of aging, it is in sharper relief, but nothing really new to her personality.

She and Benjamin got on like thieves, of course.

Also flickr-worthy are Zig-made magnificent Baby Legwarmers, not to mention the awesome Roly-Ball, both gifted to a lucky little boy.

To finish up a completely un-well-rounded post, I had an absolutely amazing dream about a week ago. I barely remembered any of it at the time, but at the clearest part just before waking, I was spinning-around-dancing with a beloved amalgam of a few my high-school teachers on a visit to the (not realistic in any way) alma mater. There was construction going on and the floor was covered in sawdust. The dancing/spinning was very silly, the floor insanely slippery with the sawdust, and I remember laughing with that feels-like-flying loss of limb-control, just on the edge of falling.

Filed by joy at 3:40 pm under baby, crafty, dreams, life, visuals
2 Comments

For my birthday just a few short days ago, I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised. I mislike surprises, as a general rule. I am a planner, a list-maker, and a general control-type personality. Back in the Hellmark days, one of those typical suit-boys thought he’d be cute and sneak up behind me while I was chatting with co-workers in a cube. I smacked him across the face. I didn’t really mean to; it was instinct. Moral: Do Not Surprise Me. (I kinda realized half-way through and merely batted at him but of course, being the swaggery-tall-blondish-type, he made a whole dumb thing of it and was only doing it to impress the my-pretty-pony-tailed co-workers, not me in particular.)

Anyway…

(I really didn’t like that workplace.)

For my gift to myself, I ended the tyranny of the pump. The surprise here was that after all the hemming and hawing over it, I do not feel guilty. Guilt comes so easily and on some level I am denying my little baby what is best for him. However, I really loathe the damn pump and it was seriously undercutting my feeling good about nursing overall. That is by far the more heinous crime and therefore, the guilt was forced out and has officially flown the coop. I never got along well with the breastpump no matter how much milk I produce. It’s not about the pump; it’s working perfectly well and is of good quality. We just don’t get along. I sit at it, the cow at the machine, for 40+ minutes for a mere 2oz. Other moms I know get 5+oz in just 10 minutes several times a day. Oh my insufficiencies! *wrist to forehead* The pump is in the closet and all its gear is put away. A clean break. We’re working on other beverages for the boy. He loves solid food, so that’s no trouble, but he loves the mama milk and is clearly certain that neither formula nor other things we’ve tried are nearly as tasty. A regular connoisseur. Who is surprised at that?

First thing birthday morning, Ian surprised me with a gift. None was expected, we’ve been busy per usual. I told him all I wanted for my birthday was a nap. He brought me a game!. I like board and card games, but we’re picky people, and I only like a few of them. Ian even fewer. But cousin Rob introduced this one, and we like it. We’ve played it every night since. It’s good fun, and short enough that we actually finish a game while the boy is having his evening nap.

Benjamin and I went off to yoga after a relatively calm morning of gift and breakfast. It was an especially good class, not that we did much yoga, which is typical. Good moms, good babies, good conversation. At one point, Benjamin was laying on the floor, head on my crossed ankles. I brushed my fingers around his cheeks and chin and he leaned his head back further, closing his eyes, giving me a look of total and complete contentment. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, ever. I just watched, caressed him, and basked in it, my heart so full I couldn’t even speak. Benjamin gave me something I can keep when he’s fussing, squawking, and generally complaining; I can hold onto his look of bliss like a warm beach pebble in my coat pocket all winter long. I know he’s happy; he knows he’s loved. We’re doing an ok job of this parenting thing, which is by far, all I really want for my birthday for years to come.

Later that day at the gallery, Sheila brought me a couple of birthday cupcakes, which was simply above and beyond. Then I was was given a little box of Belgian chocolate. Then I came home and Ian had baked me a chocolate cake. We got wonderful take-out and split a bottle of wine.

It seems people have figured out the Addendum to The Rule: Food is always a Good Surprise.

In short, it was a marvelous birthday. Quiet, full of home and love, and one of the best I can remember. It’s going to be a really amazing year.

Filed by joy at 9:17 pm under baby, life
4 Comments

Little bean, you get more fun every day.

(and I’ve got nearly all your 7m pictures up on flickr. That’s no small accomplishment!)

Filed by joy at 4:57 pm under baby, visuals
2 Comments

It’s a palindrome birthday. More specifically, it’s my Rolling Rock birthday. Wow… 33 has quite a bit of history for a number. Alexander the Great died at 33. Apparently so did Jesus. Well, death isn’t on my “to-do” list for the year, but of course, I’m not planning on invading Asia nor doing anything which might get me crucified, even in the figurative sense.

It’s been a Good Year. Things feel right and seem to be slowly, but surely, improving. I feel mostly content, especially when I step back for the wider angle view.

It is now 3:33, so clearly, it’s time to hit the Publish button.

Filed by joy at 3:33 pm under life
4 Comments

These and more photos are up on my flickr (new links at right).

Filed by joy at 2:23 pm under baby, life
2 Comments

We’re going to have a quiet (ha!) holiday at home, but then we’re taking the plunge! Our itchy feet demand a journey, so we’ve caught the sale prices and are going to NY and Boston to see many loved ones. We’re so excited and more than a little scared of Benjamin’s potential reaction to flying. But I’ve read up on the subject and Ian and discussed whether one can justify option 5 on a 9:00 am flight. We agreed that we could. After all, the usual rules apply: if McD’s has stopped serving breakfast, you can start drinking. If you’re in the air, you can pick which timezone you’d like to be in as it really doesn’t matter.

Yep, we’re ready.

Filed by joy at 9:06 am under baby, travels
1 Comment

If you can’t drive in freezing conditions, DON’T f’ing drive. And please, for the love of my screaming baby who hates traffic, DO NOT drive near me.

Tonight it took me 1.5 HOURS to get 3.5 miles. It’s a good thing I know all the back streets and figured out various ways around all the stupid or it would have certainly taken me far, far longer. I was pissed, but Benjamin was a disaster. Poor little sad boy. If it hadn’t been so cold and windy, I seriously would’ve parked the car and walked.

*sigh*

I shall now have another cup of nursing tea (with Ginger Brandy added, thank you very much).

Filed by joy at 9:05 pm under life
5 Comments

Ian and I were watching a really great movie tonight.

Scene: a department store.
Very Serious Little Girl holding a Braun Hand Blender asks Shop Woman “Is this a Classic piece? Will it go out of style in 20 years?”
SW: “It’s a new classic. 20 years is a long time. By then, everything will be computerized.”
VSLG: “Soup won’t be computerized.”
SW: “Why not?”
VSLG: “It’s a liquid.”

*dies laughing*
*watches scene again*
*dies twice*

Unrelated, Dooce, I see your T’Pau and raise you a Bonnie Tyler. Nice batch of Daily Links today all the same.

Subject line only makes sense in context of film. Ignore it, watch the movie, or both.

Filed by joy at 12:03 am under random
2 Comments