It worked! It worked!!!!

The wonderful, giving, amazing Cali is PREGNANT!!!! Congratulations a million times over!

Merry merry

Ah, I had the best intentions of posting on christmas day, but it clearly didn't happen. We spent a lovely xmas eve with H&M and M's mom. The food was spectacular, the company even better, and Logan was very busy chasing the poor cats around. We forgot his booster seat, so he ate at the table on a bar stool secured by a bike tire tube and some pillows. It actually worked out surprisingly well. Don and I wrapped most of the presents christmas eve, and we were totally wiped out when we went to bed. Luckily, I had assembled L's big present on Sunday, so we didn't have to stay up late doing that. And the tool provided for set up broke practically the second I tried to use it, so we would have been really up a creek if we waited.

The day was good and BOTH of my parents were able to come out! Hooray! My dad has to leave early, but we are so grateful that he is able to join us for the week. Logan is producing enough snot to keep us busy chasing after him to wipe his nose so all the pictures aren't filled with sparkly mustaches (ewwww!). He still has presents under the tree to unwrap, he was totally overwhelmed with the volume. And sidetracked with the playing.

Today at 12 I am coasting into a 5 day weekend. Woot! What a rough life. Tomorrow we will do fun stuff and Saturday night we are headed out for couple time. OVERNIGHT couple time! What? I know, a big step. We are so very excited to see a movie and sleep in together. Hooray for Grammy!

The shrieking no

So we have hit a shrieking stage that has apparently dovetailed nicely (?) with a NO! stage. Wow. It is loud. And aggressive. And if you are within 20 feet he could easily pierce your eardrums. Or at least make you lose your train of thought, and I really don't need any additional help with... wait, what was I talking about? Har har...

We put our tree up last night and it looks cute. I heard the greatest idea for tree decorating with a toddler in the house--to punch holes in all your holiday cards, tie a ribbon though them, and hang them on your tree as ornaments. We tried it and it looks very cute. Logan woke up this morning (while I was at an evil big-box store buying clear storage tubs, an annoying adventure to say the least), ran into the living room, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the tree and said WOW! I would say the tree is a hit. And, as I suspected, Logan has spent much of the morning pointing at the picture cards saying "baby!"

Here is our tree...



We have a neighborhood grocery store in walking distance that we love. Last night they had an "elf" (aka slightly strange woman) doing balloon hats and face painting for the kids. Logan and I waited in a deceivingly long line to get a snowflake painted on his cheek. This is the best shot I could get...



And last, here he is being silly with my hat. Gosh he just melts my heart.

Sentence

Last night Logan said his first full sentence... "Where is the big dog?" There is a house with a large boxer/mutt that looks very much like my Aunt P's dog Amber. We call her Amber-dog. Original, eh? Anyway, the dog wasn't stalking us around her fence like normal, and Logan missed her. It was cute.

Sorry for the lack of posting. To say that this last week has been a roller coaster just really does not do the emotional swings justice. Please continue to keep my Grampa in your thoughts, he is having a hard time and we love him so very much.

PS--Grammy, Logan will only wear YOUR hat. No other hat will do, thanks so much for knitting it for him!

Well.

Please keep my grandfather in your thoughts. He is having a difficult time adjusting to a new environment and many things are up in the air right now. I think I have mentioned how difficult it is to be so far away from family when things are not going smoothly. Yeah, it sucks.

What the...?

Ok, something is seriously amiss. We moved 6.5 miles east of our condo and now I get ICE on my car??????? I seriously had to scrape ICE off my windshield this morning. (Alright, I wiped it off with a random bag, but still!) I guess it could be considered frost, but regardless, I have NEVER had to do this in the 8+ years I have lived here. ICE people.

In Logan news, he is fine. The cold is almost totally gone and he is being quite cute. If I do something funny or silly to him he laughs and says "mama," like he is developing a real sense of humor. He is also extremely picky about which books I read to him at bedtime. Apparently Don does not get the same literary critique. Go figure. Right now I Love You Stinky Face is #1, followed closely by Bear Snores On and One, Two, Three. I am totally thrilled other books that I am not so fond of are no longer dominating our story times.

Oh, and he has a favorite stuffy now. Kitty. Nana gave it to him last winter when we were in Palm Springs. I think we may have to find another one in case we lose it. That would be a tragedy.

Two dozen?

Eggs for Cali!!!! These are wearing sweaters since it is so cold where she is having her very exciting egg retrieval for her even more exciting IVF. Of course I am sure she will have 7+ times as many as this picture. We are thinking of you lady! *smooch*

Wading back in...

I know it has been a harsh switch to go from every day posting to a whole week (+) off. Sorry about that. I needed a break though, and life seemed too boring to post about. To catch everyone up with the goings-on in the M/B household I shall employ a bulleted list...

• We have colds. Logan had a hacking cough that is starting to sound a *little* bit better. Can't be too bad because his demeanor and appetite are totally unaffected. I am just coming down with it, but so far it is just my nose. I feel fine otherwise. Don is also suffering from the illness. Though I must say, so far he handling it much better than normal. I totally just jinxed it.
• Rain! We have had two weekends of the wet stuff and it is raining and cold again today. While this might not be noteworthy for some geographical regions, it's downright mythic here. (As in, what the heck is that stuff falling from the sky? and Wait, I forgot how to drive!) I honestly can't remember the last time it rained this much. Certainly not since last winter.
• We do not have a leak in our ceiling! Hooray!
• Christmas presents have been sent, cards are mostly out, and stuff is arriving at a furious pace. As I posted before, our outside lights are up, but inside is not decorated. Except for a spectacular rudolph christmas village. It is awesome.
• Hey, let's play the guess what has lead game! Christmas lights? Check. Artificial christmas trees? Check. Random toys from 1,000 recalls? Check. PLLLBBBT! We are getting a brand spanking new lead-free artificial tree (allergies won't tolerate a real one) this year. What a bummer that everything we are used to seems to be toxic.
• Did you know that "hot" is an all-purpose word? If you are hurt, something is an extreme temperature (or even just warm), or you simply feel like blabbering, hot is the word for you. Or Logan. Mostly just Logan.
• I took matters into my own hands and trimmed the boy's hair. It looks good. Ms. T noticed first thing and think he looks very handsome. I don't think it is that much different. Now it can grow out forever, a la Crystal Gail.
• I have a post mulling around my head about exuberant, slightly self-absorbed women who get pregnant the first time they try to conceive. As it so happens, one of these mildly exasperating types got pregnant her first try on a message board where I lurk regularly. I am not even personally trying for another child right now, but my annoyance at her luck and naivety is overwhelming, especially given what other members of this group have endured and/or are currently undergoing. Anyway, many did not acknowledge her good fortune and I don't think I would/could have either. If you can't say anything nice...

Mama!

It started yesterday, this new phase. Daddy is UNACCEPTABLE! Mama only! He will only let me feed him, put him down for a nap, change him, hold him, put his shoes on, and look at him. (That last one is only sort of a joke.) He went through a Daddy phase a little while ago, but it was never this dramatic. Don is taking it in stride, but I must admit, if it were me (and when it is my turn again), I would be hurt. I know it is totally normal, to be expected behavior, but that doesn't make it any less sad when you are the parent on the outs.

Oops

So I missed the last day of NaBloPoMo yesterday. Dang. In my defense, it was a rough day. I was totally overtired and it wasn't going as well as I would have hoped. Oh well.

To make up for my miss, I give you a video! Of body parts! And words! My voice is really loud, sorry about that...