Lots of Milestones

So yesterday, all in one day, before 10:30 am EST, Rose...

• ate cereal mixed with fruit (bananas) for the first time
• lifted the brim of her hat which had fallen down over her face and peeked out to see who was around
• sat up all by herself for her whole bath
• drank from a sippy cup for the first time

and on Thursday she had her first tooth appear (front left, lower gum). Tim's a little sad because he loves her big gummy smile.

and this week we switch over to the big-girl car seat since she's exploding out of the other one. I'm a little sad about that because the one she uses now is SO convenient. However, she will have a whole new view of the world which will be great for her.

Oy. Its amazing to see what happens next! She'll be crawling in no time. She gets herself into a pushup position and then doesn't quite know what to do next, but she'll figure it out soon enough.

Friday!

The sun has returned and its a beautiful sight to behold. The early spring flowers will be busting out all over this weekend. Reports of Monday reaching 80 degrees. Unthinkable. And then we'll all be complaining about being too hot.

So I've been letting my hair grow for a while and its alllllllllllmost long enough to put in a ponytail or a clip. The front pieces need to get just a teeny bit longer to make it and then I'm in business. That being said, I have two comments about my hair. First, I need bangs. I can't see and lose my depth perception. And although they're long enough to tuck behind my ear, I think I look old. I'm not sure that bangs can help with that, but I can try. Second, I'm now seeing more gray. A lot more gray. Sigh. Poor Rose has an old mother. And Tim's gonna dump me for a younger model. Just like Bridget & Giselle.

I wish you all a very lovely weekend and hope you enjoy spring weather wherever you are. I hope to do a little bit of yard cleanup and to get in a nice walk to two.

Easter

So we're hosting Easter tomorrow. I think just my side of the fam, but one never knows who we'll pick up along the way. Last year we invited Ron & Amy from church after the 4pm service. We're not going to church until tomorrow at 9 so its doubtful we'll pick up anyone from there, but you just never know.

The menu? Why let me tell you...

appetizers (TBD) made by my mother (Grace) and my brother Tim's girlfriend, Cindy. Anything Cindy makes will cause all other food items to quiver in humility.

two roast chickens with lemon, onion & thyme made by me
asparagus
new potatoes
an amazing salad made by my sister, Deirdre. Her salads are always knockouts.
cornbread
I also made chive butter so anyone can slather whatever they want.

desserts will be provided by Grace and Cindy. I think it will be brown sugar cookies and key lime pie. Sounds good to me.

and of course an Easter basket with jellybeans and coconut Hershey kisses.

Hoppy Easter to all of you!

April Fools

So Ms. Rose has been sick this weekend, and even through the throwing up, the many many many unmentionable diapers and a very runny nose she maintains her good humor. Its really amazing. At what point do we learn to be cranky when we don't feel good? She's definitely not her normal cheery self but she's also nowhere near as crabby as I would be if I had what she has.

Needless to say our laundry has been running quite steadily. Our washing machine belonged to Tim's parents and who knows when they bought it...it has an enormous capacity (yeah!) and just keeps cranking along. I mentioned to Tim today that his parents have definitely got their money's worth on that one. We bought the dryer in 1996 when we got married. How domestic. Its hung in there as well, thankfully. A few repairs/tweaks here and there, but the appliance guy says they're both still fine so we'll keep them. Even though I would love these. In orange.

We went to dinner tonight for my birthday. We've ventured out upon occasion, although mostly to more casual places, not that The Loft was all that fancy. However, we'd never been so it was an adventure on a few levels. It was delish and we had a very nice time. We even had dessert! Poor Rose had an episode shall we say and I had to change her whole outfit. They don't have a baby changing station in the restroom so it was either the floor or the sink counter. I opted for the sink counter and used the fabulous pad that came with her diaper bag so she wasn't lying in someone else's cooties. Then, you guessed it, yet another load of laundry when we got home.

They're Here...............

Screw the fact that its supposed to snow 8+ inches here tomorrow night and into the weekend. And the fact that Tim has to spend all day Saturday at a training. I'm not wild about him driving in the icky weather. Not at all. Oh well. The fabulous news is that I spotted these in the yard yesterday...

I never really realized that crocuses look like baby birds until this photo. Maybe its all the dead grass around that looks nest-esque.

Two years ago we had some deer around that ate every spring flowering plant before I caught on. I thought it was odd that the crocuses were only around for a day or two, and that the tulips never sent up flowers. Then I had the aha moment and figured it out. And fought back with Liquid Fence. It really smells horrible to humans for a couple of days, and apparently to deer for a lot longer because they never returned.

A fine kettle

I've seen recipes for fish chowder just about everywhere over the past few weeks, so I took the hint. Here's my yummy concoction...I know, I need to work on my food styling. Happily it tastes way better than it looks here. I was thrilled to be able to make a big ole pot-o-chowder! It made me feel like the old days when I would cook all sorts of funky stuff whenever the muse inspired me. Rose is doing great and entertained herself by lounging on her boppy & playing with her little horse rattle and her little feet while I cooked. We both had a nice time and enjoyed each other's company. She didn't try any of the soup.

Mid-February Already!

Sorry for the lack of presence lately! I can't rationalize it other than being lazy as hell. And the midwinter-nothing-new-really-happening syndrome.

Rose continues to grow like a cute little weed. Tim, Rose and I braved the nasty winter weather on Wednesday to go to her 4 month appointment and she did fabulously well. Height/lengthwise, she's at the 90% percentile and her other features are at the 75th. I'm so hoping she has those nice long, lean Moran genes rather than the McLaughlin thighs I sport around.

Tomorrow I'm meeting the ladies for tea at the new TajBoston, which used to be the Ritz. The sale of the Ritz rocked the city - have you read the Trumpet of the Swan? Ever gone to the swanboats? Any of the traditional Boston action always included the Ritz, so it was a sad event. I guess everything has its price but that one was a shocker.

How exciting that its already mid February! That does mean that spring is coming. Once the flower show opens then you know those crocuses are just around the corner. Last year the deer ate our crocuses after one day so hopefully the beasts will not be back. I've neglected our garden for the past two years so am really looking forward to de-shabifying it this season. And to planting a new strain of hydrangea that allegedly blooms twice a summer. Awesome! We're also going to plant a Rose of Sharon in Rose's honor to watch it grow along with her. Cute.

Crabby?

These are souvenirs from our play day in Maine. Yes, the crab is mine and is proudly perched on a pencil in my office.

You decide if the crab is a commentary on my personality.

This week's adventure: the doctor's office for Rose followed by lunch with Grams & Pops. It was quite a nice day!

Next week's adventure: Rose and my first trip to Ikea. Yay!

Play Day

So today is a play day for the Morans. We're off to the Kittery outlets to sniff out bargains, particularly at the Bass Outlet. For whatever reason, I have recently heard its siren call and must respond. Tim took the day off and Rose is also available, so we shall sally forth after the dryer repair guy comes this morning.

I have gotten the green light to engage a financial planner! Very exciting. I've wanted to do this for a while (OK, years) and was inspired by Lori. I would like to attempt living on one income and saving the other. Draconian, yes. But think of the peace of mind.

Rose is doing fantastically well at daycare. She's getting great care, is very happy at the end of the day, has taken some enormous naps and has even begun to *fill her britches* there. Ah yes, its all worth the price.

Ex-Cocoon

So I returned to work this week, and Rose started at daycare. The good news is we both did well! The bad news is we felt bad leaving her but she will enjoy the kids and have a lot of fun there, particularly once she gets mobile. So if that's our only bad news that's pretty good. Plus I'm not working Wednesdays which makes life at home more manageable (errand day instead of Saturday!) and she only goes to daycare for two-day spurts. We're very happy with that, although I'm scheduled to return to 4 days in April. I need to think about how to negotiate 4 days permanently at that point.

For me, work is work. SSDD. But that's OK for now. I'm looking for a better opportunity, either 3 or 4 days per week, preferably closer to home. I got a great tip from Lily's mom at the daycare (apparently no one remembers the parent's names) about taking the train. I used to take the one from Reading, but that schedule doesn't work for my new hours so I've driven in this week. That is fraught with parking issues in addition to traffic issues. However, if I take the train from Woooooooooooo-burn, the schedule works and there are tons more trains -- who knew? -- so there's a lot more flexibility. I'll try it this week to see how it goes. Sure beats driving and I could actually read a book! Or work, but I'd rather read a book. It's been a long, long time since I did that. Thanks Lily's mom!

Progress!

Its been a while since I did a construction update, which is partially because I forgot and partially because the builders took an unannounced and unplanned hiatus for about 6 weeks. Sigh. So the front entrance & driveway improvement portion of the project won't happen until the spring. However, the deck is coming along nicely now. We just need railings, real treads on the stairs, a gate and the pergola.

December 18

Rose is growing by leaps and bounds, and is now chatting up a storm. Its very cute, especially when punctuated by that big toothless smile. It's just so amazing to see delight cross her face when we have a conversation. Tim is loving her and really enjoys spending time with her. She's now grabbing and swatting at things, which is a new feat this week. She's slept through the night five times in December, so that's encouraging. Especially when you get a night like last night where she woke every three hours for something to eat. She's definitely in a little growth spurt right now as she was really sleepy today too.

I'm staring down the face of my return to work, but now I'm thinking it will actually be OK. Although it will lend structure and routine to our lives, it will definitely take some getting used to.

A Preview

I had to go to a work event this week, which certainly gave me a preview of what lies ahead once I return to work. Specifically. a very early wake-up. And a pretty scheduled morning (and I guess evening too) routine, none of which is all that appealing. I'm trying to work out a four day week for as long as possible, but I know my boss will be a weasel in the end. He's already started and I still have four weeks before I go back. Sigh. I really need to change jobs, which I had naively thought I could accomplish while on my maternity leave. I'm lucky if I get laundry from the washer to the dryer at 0this point. What was I thinking/smoking/sniffing?

However, those are all worries for another time. I trust that things will work out in the long run. I do think that getting back to work will be good for my mental health - feeling competent rather than this long learning curve I'm currently on will be a nice experience.

To sleep, perchance to dream...

Oy. Just when you think you might get a nice li'l uninterrupted stretch of 6 hours of sleep, Rose pulls out her whammy gun and instead you get up every two and a half hours. Not just one night, but two in a row. Needless to say the dark circles are back under my eyes. However, the good news is she's sleeping much better during the day this week. As I say, baby steps. Pun intended.

We will be making the big move upstairs from our guest room/bassinet arrangment to OUR OWN BED (!!!!) and Rose to her crib. Hooray! I think it will either be tomorrow or Friday night. I'm so excited, I can't believe it. I haven't spent a night up there since October 1. Tim had two nights there while I was in the hospital, lucky guy. We've basically only used the room for a closet since Rose came home. It will be nice to get that slice-o-normal back, when so much is not normal anymore...I have to learn to embrace the new normal. Its the new black.

Little Bits

So while we adjust to having Rose as part of our happy little trio of Tim, Maxwell and I, its nice to see that there are snippets of our old life surfacing every now and then. Like last night. Tim stopped at Barnes & Noble on his way home (good!) and brought me a present (better!). Its the current Rolling Stone with Jon Stewart & Steven Colbert on the cover (best!). We heartily enjoy both of them, as does most of America I imagine.

Rose had her first photo shoot today. OK, so it was at Target, but it was still a photo shoot. She did remarkably well and is so cute. Once the pictures arrive, I'll post one here for all to admire.

So one of the first days that we were home with Rose, Ellen DeGeneres had a hip-hop guy on her show. His name is Chingy. Unexplicably, that has become our nickname for Rose. Its kinda catchy and she doesn't seem to mind. I think she thinks it gives her cred.

Progress on our deck project has screeched to a halt. Its literally been a month since the team has been here to do any work on it. Aggravating. Just freakin' finish it for the lovvagawd. We have approval from the Conservation Commission to do the front entrance project, but I fear that they'll start that and never finish it either and we'll be stuck hiking through snow & darkness with Chingy in tow to the back door for the whole f-in winter. I will not be a happy camper, needless to say.

Surfacing...

It's been a long time since September 30, Rose's official due date. However, she didn't arrive until October 6. For four days we were at the hospital being induced, induced and induced. She finally burst onto the scene at 12:44am on 10/6, and I do mean burst. The labor nurse was panicked as she didn't do delivery, and the med student said he'd never seen anything like it. The good news is she's just so cute, healthy and happy. Love that! We're getting on well for week 3, and are anticipating the growth of her little tummy to hold enough food to tide her overnight. Allegedly that happens around 10 lbs, and she was 8.2 last Wednesday, so hopefully she's continuing to grow like a little weed and we'll get there!

Sleepy Saturday

We had a lovely visit today from my brother, Drew, his wife Suzanne and their little guy, Liam. Liam is all of three weeks and three days old. I'm amazed at how much they've all learned about each other in that short time. The initial oh-my-God-he's-crying response has been morphed into knowing what the cries mean (9 out of 10 times anyway) and knowing pretty much how to resolve the issue of the moment. They also have a calm demeanor about them, which I'm sure helps keep Liam calm too. I'm hoping we make as much progress in three weeks as those three have.

Today was a rainy day, which is always a good time to cook something good. We roasted a turkey this afternoon, and it was ready for pickin' around 4:00. Simply stuffed with fresh parsley, cracked garlic cloves and a chopped up onion, then rubbed on the outside with world-famous Bell's poultry seasoning from the cute cardboard box with the turkey on it. It was amazingly aromatic after only about 10 minutes in the oven, and tasted sweet and juicy. Nice. Paired with the amazingly delish chocolate biscotti recipe I have stashed away, it was a yummy little combo for whatever people wanted to nibble upon.

Progress...one step at a time

Our contractor for the home improvement project came by tonight with a sample of the deck flooring and with the plans for the driveway drainage system. Woo hoo! Although he only brought the tan floor sample and wants us to choose it...I don't call that a choice. Tomorrow he drops off the grey. We nixed the faux redwood and the pale beige, but I'd like to see the grey. Its what we have now, the foundation of the house is grey, and it flows nicely. I'm not sure about the introduction of a third color into the palette.

The good news is he thinks he'll have his guys here next week (although he told us that 10 days ago about this week...) and it should take them 3 days to frame the deck. The race is on...will they still be here when TPTBNL arrives? Let's hope not. I'll be one cranky petoot if they keep me up during those scant moments when Li'l Junior sleeps. If Mama ain't happy ain't no one happy. They'd best remember that.

Late Bloomer

So I missed the whole Sex and the City buzz for all those seasons it was on HBO. We didn't subscribe, and I figured why get hooked on a TV show, blah, blah, blah. Well, I have found out now what I was missing then! The cleaned-up versions are shown a couple of times a week and I just can't get enough! The situations are so real and the writing is very clever. However, I have to say that I don't like Charlotte at all. She's too uptight and I find it hard to believe that the others would be friends with her in real life. I can only imagine how good the show is with all its original language. Something tells me I'll be renting the DVDs this fall...

The Pleasure of a Pedicure

OK, so its been at least 10 days since I had my latest pedicure, but it still looks great and I'm still loving this color. Its called La Paz-itively Pink. Usually I go with a red or a brownish but something spoke to me of hot pink and this was the hottest pink I could find.

My previous pedi was in May and I had a French finish, which I did like but really, can delicately pale pink compete with La Paz? I didn't think so.