TGI... wtF

1) Arnold and a doll. This man is the governor of a state now. Who let that happen?
2) Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant… I wish I could make this stuff up.
3, 4) How do you think they say WTF is Oslo, Norway… I don’t think they do at all.... Here’s another, what do they call this, you think? Rapture gridlock? 5) What do you think he jams to? What's his groove?6) It is against Swiss law to dispose of a large number of urns without a commercial licence.

7) The TITANIC theme MY HEART WILL GO ON has been named the best film song of all time. – Oh come on! The best? What about Danger Zone, Footloose, Time of My Life, Summer Nights or even Circle of Life. Jeez!

Typical Night

Last night I got home at 6:00 with Laine, She was in a playful curious mood so I took her outside to run around the front yard while we waited on Erik to come home. At one point a dog barked frightening the birds in the tree and she pointed to one and said “Bur?” then flapped her arms. It was probably the cutest thing she’s ever done, and that’s a serious statement. I was breathless from the flood of adorableness I was drowning in. Erik got home right as we were going back inside, I tried to get Laine to show him where the birds were but there weren’t any out anymore. Erik was only stopping by to drop off the stroller to clear up room in his car so that he could leave right away again to go and pick up our new microwave that we ordered two weeks ago. While he was gone I heated up some gumbo for Laine’s dinner and took her for a quick stroll down the street and back up again. Laine had a great appetite last night; she ate all of her gumbo and rice, two huge handfuls of pineapple pieces and one sugar cookie and still wanted more. So I gave her a hot dog to gnaw on while I puttered around the kitchen. While she was occupied I measured out everything I need for cookies so that once she was asleep I could mix them up really quickly and get the batter chilling for tonight. I’d like to make a few with her hand prints in them if I can. Just to see what it would look like. Also I have orange and blackberry fillings to test out with my cookies as glazes. My person better be prepared for the taste test session later.
Before Erik got back I scrubbed out our microwave so that when it goes to the attic it’ll be nice and clean for whoever gets it next. Once he got home again he needed help carrying it inside and that totally racked up enough points to close out my manual labor account for the week. After I caught my breath Erik and I went outside with Laine and met up with our neighbors across the street, Amanda and Dave with their little boy Rivers. They were very interested in each other, Laine and Rivers, they were also very interested to find out that they both had belly buttons; it is defiantly a moment to remember to tell them about whenever they are older.
After we came back inside Erik finished off the rest of the gumbo and I got Laine settled down on the couch with me to watch American Idol but then I found out that it was Wednesday and not Tuesday so I turned it off. Erik had to leave again to head out to Iway to start up their servers, apparently their power had gone out and now it was back on but the servers needed to be manually turned on. I really hate that company, they take advantage of Archer in a way that no other company does. They call Erik at night on weekends and during holidays, even during our dad gum honeymoon. I really don’t like Iway.
After Erik left I got Laine to sleep around 8:15. I took myself upstairs and checked my emails and facebook account and then ran back downstairs to make the cookie batter then back upstairs to watch Tuesdays AI episode. I totally fell in love with Lee Dewyze, for serious. Once that was over I watched ANTM and was not at all impressed with the girls this season. I tried to get into Iron Chef and failed so I just gave up and went to sleep. Erik was there next to me this morning but I never heard him come home. However the coke can next to the bed still had condensation on it so it couldn’t have been too much before 5:00. Poor guy.

Wordless Wednesday

Musical Musings

I'm not just a fan of music. I’m a devoted follower of it. I feel weird, almost lost without it on at least in the background during my day. The TV is a substitute sometimes but generally I need music. Any kind will do sometimes but mostly I like to listen to what I like and I like music, not noise.
I have three places I listen to music. First is at work, I try to keep music on that will motivate me to move, to do something productive. It doesn’t always work but I at least put forth that effort. The music I listen to at the office used to have to be something that other people wouldn’t mind hearing when they come in the front door of our building since that’s where my desk is, but I recently invested in some headphones.

The second place I can listen to music is at home, specifically in the kitchen. I have a small CD player that sits next to the stove; I keep it there so that I have something to sing along to for Laine, so she won’t get bored watching me cook dinner or clean up. We tend to stay close to the classic rock station, mostly because I know all the words to most all the songs, new music I can’t sing along to which means that Laine gets bored with it fast. If mommy isn’t making a fool of herself I don’t think she considers it worth her time. The last place I listen to music is all my own. In my car I can experiment with changing my mood, where I can listen to it as loud or soft as I want, where I can sing in my own voice and not the goofy one I use for Laine. For the two hours a day that I am alone in my car I finally get to have my music. At my volume. Here is where Commandermander the Music Militant comes out. I typically burn a new CD every day, my moods and attitudes change so quickly that usually what I totally wanted to hear yesterday is totally giving me a headache today. I’ve always got CD’s tossed all over my car, and they don’t normally have labels, just a date. It’s fun sometimes to pick up a random CD to see what I was feeling January 8th of last year. I have a monkey head CD case that I toss some of these in and it’s like my own little Price is Right game every time I reach in. You don’t know what you’ll get, could be a can of green beans or it could be a car, you know? The other day I reached in and pulled a CD out of my monkey head and it was out of one of the middle sleeves and it had been doubled with another unlabeled CD and they stuck together a little so I knew it was old. The first song was a happy one, one that made me want to hit the repeat button but I didn’t, I let it play through, the second song was more of a bouncy one, I bounced and flounced where it was appropriate, and then the next song came on and it was THAT song. The one song that works in that moment, no other song is appropriate. It’s the song I needed to hear but didn’t know I was waiting on. It’s the up lifter, the joy bringer, it was what I needed at that exact moment, and I got that feeling in my chest, that bursting from the inside feeling that makes me need to sing, because if I don’t sing I‘ll blow up, literally implode in on myself and die. It’s intense. And every time that happens to me is different, this time it started out normal enough, almost background noise then the beat started to pull me in, the words don’t mean anything but I still want to sing them, the beat isn’t much but still I want to tap my toes, the rhythm isn’t special but I want to dance. I can feel the bass in my chest the drums in my head and the cry of the guitar in my heart so fiercely that pulling the car over and spinning wildly in the median sounds like a brilliant idea.

Nose Picking Goodness

Hey Laine are you still awake back there...

Gasp! What are you doing???

Get that finger out of your nose!!

Yeah you think your funny huh?

Please don't eat that, please don't eat that...

...

I was absolutely totally 100% floored by my sister last night; three times before 7:00 and innumerable times before 9:00. I was floored and flabbergasted and stunned, staggered, amazed and dumbfounded. This girl, I swear makes me speechless so often that around her my dad might actually get a few minutes peace from my constant jibber jabber and seriously, if I weren’t afraid she’d make his head go explody bomb I’d keep her around on my visits to my parents house.
I got a message via Facebook yesterday telling me that (and here’s #1) “We have to do this thing where we bring food for that guy shakesphere's birthday” And I’m not kidding you, that’s what she actually wrote me. That guy. Shakesphere.
I’m going to ignore for now how she butchered his name, because that could have been a simple typo. However what I cannot ignore is “that guy”. Shakespeare is not a “that guy” kind of guy. He could arguably be called the godfather of modern literature, without him we wouldn’t have the word eyeball, before him no one had heard the word obscene, he even coined the phrase ”household words” HE IS NOT THAT GUY! For cripes sake.
So of course I fumed and I prayed that one day she would get a teacher like Mr. Orteza that would teach her things that were actually important, like who is a “that guy” and who isn’t. As of right now the Friendswood School District is in the midst of the most epic FAIL of all time.
I told Kate that I would be at her house at 7:00 and that I needed her to go and buy all the stuff to make the cake balls, to go ahead and bake the cake, that I would be there later to help her form the balls and to show her how to dip and decorate them. To that I recieved special moment #2. She texted me back “I need to bake a cake for this?”

… I don’t know Kate, they are cake balls so it could be safe to assume there is cake in them. However it could also be a funny little joke I like to play on people, I call them cake balls but really they are made from pickled pigs feet and cauliflower.
So Instead of texting her back, because I knew I’d say something like that and she wouldn’t get the insult since it’s impossible to show inflection in a text message I called her. And what did I hear? My moment #3 “Hello? Oh, hi! (1…2…) OMG I have got to tell you something!...” BEEEEP. Who does that anymore??? Kate. Kate Rosendahl does that. And who falls for it?? I DO.
After that things just went downhill. Slalom style. As we waited for the cake balls to harden up in the freezer I went to check on the American Idol results and found that they were doing their AIDS program that they do every year. Here is when moments #4 to infinity came out to play. I don’t have the words or the time to adequately paint the picture of the train wreck that was Kate last night, but if I were to try to punch it all down into a nut shell this would be it. We were watching a short video about a young girl with HIV. She was around eight years old and she weighed no more than an average one year old. You could see her skull perfectly through her skin, every rib was visible, her stomach was huge and distended the poor thing was wasting away and what Kate thought to say was “Eww, that’s so gross. You know those kids would feel so much better if they just brushed their teeth.”
And there you have it. I packed up my daughter and left the house.

On Housework

I have been doing housework non stop for about eight years. And I’ll keep doing it for about 50 more years I’m sure and I’ll keep complaining about it for just as long too. Dishes and dusting and vacuuming and moping and icky crap that I hate, like laundry. I hate laundry. Laundry is a never ending job. It is the job that never ends. It goes on and on my friends. I started doing it not knowing what it was and I’ll continue doing it forever just because… It is the job that never ends. I swear one day soon all of Erik and my clothing will be thrown out and we are going to become nudists. Because seriously I hate laundry. And one day, One Day, I will stop doing it.

On Work

Erik has been working so hard for us lately. Well, he always works hard, but usually it involves him working late into the night, but lately he’s been coming home and just being with us, no work, no computer, just being with us. It’s been Heaven having him around. And I don’t just mean this weekend when he took care of Laine for me while I slept for three days, I mean it’s been Heaven having him home in time for us all to walk to the park, for him to be there when dinner comes out of the oven and to be there to eat a hot meal with us. He’s been around for bedtime more in the last month than he has been all of Laine's life, it’s been amazing.
My work has gotten a little more complicated in the past few months. It’s still the same job, just a lot more of it. This makes me stress out sometimes. And a stressful Amanda is a dyslexic Amanda. Which is amazing when the whole point of my job is to be precise.

On Cuddling

I don’t do enough of it with Erik, and I really should. I cuddle constantly with Laine. She’s the world’s best cuddling kid. She gives sweet hugs and kisses and she burrows into my neck in the way that you only see in movies that make you cry. At night she holds me as tight as I hold her and she doesn’t need me to hold her to put her to sleep but it’s almost like she knows I need to hold her to put me to sleep. Erik deserves a cuddle or two now and then, but Laine has become something of a Momma’s girl in the past few days. I feel bad that she doesn’t reach for him as much as she used to. But then again I’m almost giddy over the fact that she reaches for me more. As much as it’s not a contest I still feel like a winner when she holds her arms out to me. This past week I’ve been reaching for her and Erik both more. When I get sick I like to have extra cuddles and when Erik is watching TV at night he likes to bug me, so it evens out. I get to hug on him and he gets to make my head jostle with his chuckles.

On Growing

Laine is getting taller and thinner. I knew she would but since I’m around her all the time I thought that I’d have to look back at photo’s to see the change, but I see it everyday. Her feet are getting bigger and her face is losing that chunk I love so much; so are her thighs, she’s down to one roll on her thighs now, it’s so sad. And she’s already gotten her first hair cut. I think it makes her look like Maria from The Sound of Music, which is so totally adorable, but way too much little kid and not enough baby.

On Energy

This is something that really ties into being sick. My energy level is almost negative. I have slept for three days and I still feel like I’ve run a marathon every time I try to sit up strait. After I eat a meal I feel like I’ve just finished a competitive hot dog eating contest and I want to barf it up so bad just so that I can feel like I’ve not taken so much in. even if I’ve only just drank a glass of milk, it’s the same feeling no matter what. And the headaches are getting bad at night; one woke me up from a dead sleep on Sunday morning around 1:00, which was awesome. (Well it kind of was; I got to finally see Under the Tuscan Sun). But during the day I zone out a lot. I catch myself staring into space a lot, which is fine when I’m sick and lying in bed or on the couch, but when I’m at work it is not fine. Es no bueno mucho.
I haven’t gone to see either of my grandparents in a long time and I need to. I’d also like to take to go and see Levi and Sydney’s new home. But it feels like an ordeal just to drive the couple of blocks to mom’s house, or the half blocks it takes to drive to my person’s. The energy it takes to drive, to pack up a kid, to worry about wet diapers and empty bellies, it takes just enough out of me to always to decide to stay home instead. And that’s crap.

On Sickness

Since December Laine and I have been playing ping pong with random flu-like symptoms. She’ll get a runny nose and I’ll get a sore throat. She’ll get a fever and I’ll get a cough. We take turns at being ill and being well. For almost 5 months it seems that there is a constant cloud of sickness over out house. After Christmas I went to the doctor, for the first time in years (not counting gyno) and was told it was the flu. It made me a little angry to hear that for the first time I felt myself to be so sick that I needed professional help and it was just the flu. And I’ve been feeling that way a lot with Laine too. I keep thinking she’s getting a cold or flu or sore throat and every single time it turns out to be an ear infection. She’s been on antibiotics four times in the last 15 months. That’s scary. I’ve been on antibiotics once in 5 years. I’m not sure what exactly we are supposed to do. I can’t take her out of daycare even though I know it’s a cesspool of germy goodness. I can’t stop going to work where it seems no one washes their hands after using the restroom and the water smells like poop anyway. I’d love to be able to wall me and Laine up in our house, leaving only for the park and sno-cones but that is just plain silly. A really great idea though. I found out on Friday that I’m allergic to outside. I always told you people that fresh air burns my eyes, but everyone just laughs. Well here you go. It’s an allergy. So, yeah… harrumph.
I’ve spent a lot of time this past week on my couch. Just sitting and listening to the sounds of my house. And watching dust dance in the sunlight from the windows. And chasing honey bees with my stink eye until they finally land near me and I smoosh them with Laine’s Are You My Mother? book. And Laine has been so grumpy at night. Crying inconsolably for hours until I breakdown and make her a bottle and she finally passes out. I’m afraid that my viral infection has passed onto her. I’ve been trying to be so careful around her, I’ve limited my kisses to almost none and I haven’t let her eat from my fork and I’ve been sleeping most of the weekend so she should be fine but she’s not, she’s coughing and congested and it kills me to think I might be giving this to her.

Wordless Wednesday

Laine at the Park

Laine really is a fearless little person. There is nothing she won't try or attempt. She's amazing!

Cars Go....

Found

I found my ring.

I must have taken it off.

I think I might be going insane, finally.

I Forgot About February

Heart Sick Body Sick

I lost my ring, the pretty blue topaz ring that Erik bought for me a few years ago. It’s precious to me and I never ever take it off. Okay, once I took it off at my mom’s house so she could clean it but other than that it never leaves my finger, ever. Never ever ever. Mostly because it’s too small and it hurts to try to take it off but even if I could take it off I wouldn’t because I love wearing it, I love always having it on and seeing the gift Erik gave me any time I want. Well today I noticed it was not on my finger. Yeah,?!?!?! is what I said too. Since I never take it off and it’s too small to fall off what could possibly have happened. It’s weird and heartbreaking and I’m not at all okay about it right now. I’m hoping that in my sick and tired zombie like state I took it off and put it someplace I will see right away when I get home because, really? I never take it off; I don’t care how much cold medication is in me I never take it off. I am flipping out!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Tuesday

It’s beginning to look a lot like Tuesday
Ev’rywhere I go;
Take a look at the bruise and pain, listening once again
To the sound of my coffee then my ass hitting the flo’.
Oh, it’s beginning look a lot like Tuesday
I need to buy a rug,
But the prettiest sight to see is the snot that will be
On my Lainey’s mug.

Seriously, this day is ridiculous; this week is redi FUDGE IT! THIS MONTH IS REDICULOUS. I need a mulligan, a redo. I want to trade this month in for a new one. So far March just isn’t working out for me. I’ve been sick, Laine’s been sick, Erik hasn’t been home for two consecutive nights in weeks, I am so over it. I’M OVER THIS! I need a vacation but can’t take one because computers are sucking the life out of my husband. I’m already packed and ready to go; I’ve been packed and ready to take a vacation since my birthday (MOTHERLOVINGOCTOBER!) I hate Erik’s job. I hate my job, I hate ear infections, I hate doctors appointments and mail servers and congestion and water in the nose and rotten potatoes on my counter and pink undershirts and I hate fast food bags in my dining room and I hate diapers that fall under the bed and I hate that it’s always 61 degrees in my office and I hate the sun shining when I forget my sunglasses. I’m over it. March, you’re fired!

Wordless Wednesday

Done

Update

I think my neighbor who lives across the street from me is a serial killer. I’m watching him. Everything about him is just wrong.

I got sick this week, puked up my pancreas, pulled a muscle in my back, maybe I wasn’t very ladylike for a day or two. Yesterday evening my car began acting funny so I laughed.

Erik got mad at me this morning because he couldn't find his work pants. I didn't know what to say to that, they were in the dryer.

Laine was playing with my cell phone last night and now my screen has little fingerprints all over it and I don’t want to use it for fear that I may erase her tiny touches.

That's it.

Waffle

We've had a different couple of days lately. Our nights are routine again, we had a rough couple of days where I was learning how to feed my kid again. She's mostly eating what we do at night however she eats the leftovers the next day. She's usually hungry when we get home and dinner isn't usually ready for an hour at least, so now that I’m in the habit of putting a little bowl aside for the next day it's getting easier. Sometimes I forget and she gets a waffle and chicken patty or some cereal and milk for dinner instead. Those days I feel guilty that she isn't getting what she needs nutritionally, but then I get over it. She’s healthy and Dr. Bootin says we are doing a good job.
This is a video from Sunday morning. Laine's first waffle.

Flogging, Frank and Laine

Last night Erik and I went to the House of Blues with some family to see Flogging Molly play, I believe it’s the fifth time we’ve seen them play, (once at Fitzgerald’s, back when it was still open, twice at the Warehouse, once at Reliant and once at HoB) and each time we’ve bought a T-shirt or two so we now have seven or eight, I’m wearing one today. It got me thinking about why we feel the need to support this group, I don’t necessarily support their message or their beliefs, I mean, they are really just a bunch of angry Irishmen lamenting over wrongs done to their ancestors, but dang they can play a mean banjo. That can’t be the only reason that I feel the need to wear their merchandise, right? Awesome accordion jams? But funnily enough, I’m okay with that. My love for Flogging Molly is superficial and a little one dimensional but hey, it’s love.
Flogging Molly’s opening band Frank Turner entertained the crud out of me. His political leanings were just enough left to make me laugh and just enough right to make me agree, and his music was just good enough to keep me interested in the next song, then the next. Now I own three of his CD’s. Funny story, Frank Turner is from England, but last time he was in Texas he got a tattoo of Texas on his arm, that’s a reason to get behind a man, when someone loves you a bunch you kind of want to love them back.
For the most part Erik and I sat in our seats in the balcony and watched the show and excitement happen around us; Cassie and James would get up and dance, Patricia had her arms above her head clapping along with most every song, and everyone was singing every word, but come 10:30 Erik and I were ready to scoot out of there; Laine was waiting for us and we were getting antsy to get back to her, even though mom had sent us a text an hour before letting us know they were sleeping, it was beyond past our bedtime and we still had to pick up my car from Erik’s office and drive home, we were ready to call it a night. What happened to us? We aren’t that old are we? Ha, oh well, I don’t mind so much getting older, if it makes me remember the night before I guess it’s really a good thing. And in the words of Frank Turner “It's obvious my angry adolescent days are done, and I'm happy and I'm settled in the person I've become.”

Weekend Update

This weekend was busy! Friday I got off work and was able to spend a little time with my person and her family, that’s like three days in a row, or something, amazing, here’s to hoping we can keep it up. I’ve noticed however that it’s following me home now, I haven’t stopped sneezing for three days either, Haha!
I stayed up late of Friday night baking the cakes for Laine party, the actual cake came out looking like maybe Laine herself made it but my cake balls came out amazingly, I did a little chocolate cherry number this time that I hear was pretty yummy. I took a bite of one but didn’t finish it, I was tired of cake by the time I was able to try it so I didn’t enjoy it much. Erik seemed to really love them though and so did my dad and he’s the one I make them for, so I win!
Saturday was a long day, I was up around 6:15 with Laine and we started out really strong, with food and a bath and some serious playtime with the huge clean living room, then Erik joined us around 8:30 or so and I went to mom’s house to work out while I still had the time, picking up some milk on my way back home. Once home Erik and it took turns watching Laine and cleaning the house until it was time for me and Laine to go and visit Avery for her birthday, we didn’t visit for nearly as long as we should have but we all had parties to prepare for and showers to take so we left and met up with Erik again right before he headed out to get some ice and ice cream, as he was pulling away with Laine my mom showed up to help me decorate right as I was getting out of the shower. Then people started showing up and I figured that would be a good time to get dressed and fix my self up, a couple people caught me halfway through my makeup application and were frightened accordingly.
I took a bazillion pictures but my camera cord is missing so I don’t know if I can get them off my camera, the USB port is all funky. (FOUND IT!!) Laine played in her cake like a champ and ended up having to get a bath before we could do presents where she made out with a whole new wardrobe and some amazing noise makers. Jacob and Josh were holy terrors just like I like them, and Laine was totally into it too, they are the most amazing thing she’s ever seen, I love it when they get to see each other.
Sunday we made it to church early, Laines helped by picking out her own dress and I even wore a dress, I know right! Gasp, and heels too! Yeah, I looked amazing plus three to the max. We hung out at the house for lunch, Laine ate half of Erik’s soup for lunch too which was amazingly scary, it was her first big girl meal at home, Yay Laine! We had a little company too, Laine’s Great Uncle and Aunt came by again and we got to sit and be social with just the two of them for about 30 minutes which was so great, I don’t usually get one on one time with relatives who live far away, family reunions and birthdays aren’t really conducive to personal conversations, so I’m glad Aunt Kelly left her purse at my house, she should do it again sometime.
Around 5:00 we headed over to the church to eat some dinner and watch the Super Bowl. Mr. Clay made some awesome chili, I had two bowls and loved every bite and no I do not feel guilty for stuffing myself. Laine even got a couple of bites. At half time Erik and I headed back home to put Laine down to sleep and finish watching the game, Geaux Saints and whatnot.

No Boxes!

I told my mom this weekend that I didn’t want to be buried in a box when I die, I have my issues with closed in spaces and the dark so it shouldn’t be that surprising to anyone to hear that I don’t care to be buried, tiny dark places always get wet and stinky and I don’t want moss growing on me. I don’t care if I’m not in that body anymore, that’s not the point. The point is that i’m asking to not be buried, so don’t bury me. Cremate me. Use my ashes to make a pair of diamond earings, fertilize your garden with me or mix me with paint and make some art. Do not stick me in a box. I mean it. Because you never know, you’ll think I’m dead but then I might return in a few months with amnesia, marry my third husband’s murderer, have an affair with my stepson, get divorced, turn evil, and die again. Surprise! It was really my twin brother all along! You don’t want the chance of that happening do you? No. So don’t bury me, crispy fry me and mix me with some glitter then toss me someplace so that I scatter. It’ll be fun.

No Reason

Holy Hell, what does that mean? I mean I know it’s just an expletive but really what does it mean? It’s an oxymoron right? And why does Holy Hell bother me but Holy Tuna Fish Sandwiches doesn’t?

So I was told that I looked nice today by a co-worker and I was asked the occasion, silly little man. He hadn’t noticed that I’ve been dressing nicer since Christmas. I have been wearing heels to work everyday except for Tuesdays, because seriously, who wants to taunt Tuesdays by wearing heels. Tuesday’s are the kind of jerks that would catch a heel on the stairs and I’d be dead. I hate Tuesdays. Well, the occasion was going to be Jennifer’s birthday, so I would have dressed nicer anyway, which makes it even more weird that they asked today rather than yesterday or the day before which was Laine’s birthday and far more obvious, but now that Jenn’s car is busted we won’t be doing dinner tonight with the family so really I’m dressed up for no reason and I would have told them all that but I didn’t see the point, so I just said “no reason.” Well, except for now it seems like there is a reason again because Alicia is going to go and get Jenn from College Station so it’ll be late dinner, but a dinner none the less and that still makes my “no reason” make sense because I could have gone home and gotten dressed up after work so yeah, technically I’m looking nice at work for no reason.

Laine's First's

My Girl

Laine’s first birthday was yesterday.
I can’t believe that I didn’t have anything to say about it. For the last week or so I’ve had some insane writers block. On Monday I tried to write out a weekend update but I had absolutely no desire to finish once I started. Yesterday I wanted to write and epic about my love and pride for my daughter but I didn’t get any farther than “She has the greatest personal charm of any child I have ever seen. She’s lively and mischievous, tenacious and sometimes a little pigheaded. “
That’s it, that’s all I could come up with for her birthday blog. It’s pathetic. But knowing that it’s pathetic doesn’t change the fact that I still have no flowery words to truly encapsulate my feelings for her, so I’m not going to try. She knows I love her and that’s all that’s important.

So, onward I march. I got off work a little early yesterday. I was feeling so guilty for leaving Laine in daycare on her birthday but I was so busy at work that I couldn’t’ take the time off. I finally left right around 3:30 and headed strait to my mom’s to work out, then home to shower and get ready, when I was almost done getting dressed Erik came in the door with Laine so we could change her into something more comfortable before dinner. So even though I took off work to spend time with her I still didn’t’ get to see her until the normal time anyway, however my work out was done so I didn’t need to leave her again that night. Around 6:00 Erik took Laine and I over to Colleen’s house to see the baby and let Colleen give Laine her birthday card and gift. Josie and Laine played for a little bit while we visited. The more I see them together the more I think Laine needs to learn a serious lesson in sharing soon. Around 7:00 we left and had to run back to the house for my camera and then we headed out again to meet my parents, Erik’s parents, Kate and Sydney for dinner at Marina’s. We had a great time and Laine was pretty well behaved for the whole hour and a half that we were out. Considering she’d been awake since 2:00 she was awesomely alert and playful. She was given a charm bracelet from my parents from James Avery, a beautiful little thing that will grow with her as she gets older. It’s already got three charms on it, I’m pretty sure if I dislocated my thumb I could make it fit me, so Laine better watch out that I don’t take it for myself. She was given some colorful lacy socks from Erik’s mother from San Francisco. We didn’t have any lace socks much less bright yellow, green and orange ones, they are pretty awesome.
Right around 8:30 Laine started getting cranky so we packed up and handed out hugs and headed home. We thought for sure that Laine would pass out on the ride home but she didn’t. she was still wide awake and wanting to be spastically rambunctious until right around 9:30 when I was just too tired to run around after her anymore and Erik was already in bed, so I had to do the vice grip force sleep hold for not even five minutes then she was out; arms in the air snoring and drooling.
This morning I was up around 6:00, I bypassed the shower in favor for some laundry and dishes. I did a little light cleaning and then got dressed. I heard Laine rustling in her crib so I went to get her but found she was still asleep, she was just tossing and turning a lot. So I picked her up and held her for a few minutes before waking her up to change and dress her. She was so dang cute this morning that I followed her into daycare with my camera and snapped a couple of pictures before I left. I hope that out fit is clean when I pick her up; mom would like to see her toddle around in it I’m sure.

First Year!!!

Wordless Wednesday