Currant Cream Scones

For the Record

2010-10-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

So Jack is 8 months old, and actually rather close to 9. He has been waking at short and regular intervals at night since about 5 1/2 months. In the last month or two, he's settled into a pattern: nurse to sleep at 8pm, wake up between 9-10pm, again when I head to bed (around 11), again when Jonner heads to bed (around 12), and then nurses on and off continually through the night, and ramping up around 5:30 when he seems to be unable to sleep if his mouth is not stuck on my nipple until about 7:30. It. is. exhausting.

So 5 days ago, we've started the sleep experiment. The tricky thing about sleep experiments is that not only is it not guaranteed to work, 1) it will mostly likely cause even more extreme lack of sleep, 2) it will most likely make for a lot more work and frustration in the short term, 3) the above two reasons makes it extremely difficult to stick with it for more than one bad night.

The reason I'm determined is that I think that Jack is old enough that he can really truly make it until midnight without nursing (therefore the goal is humane and not "sleep training" per se), I am starting to be so tired that I'm not being a particularly great mom during the day, and I have a partner that supports me.

Hence, I start Jack off in the crib, go to sleep on the couch downstairs, and Jonner sleeps in the basement. Before midnight, all wakings are handled by dad. Afterwards, I'm back on duty. If I can stay awake long enough, I come back down to the couch after he falls asleep.

So last night was the first breakthrough. He woke up at 10:30 as usual, but then went to sleep by himself after crying lightly only about 3 minutes. He was up again at 1:30, and again at 2:30, but then slept till 5:30 and nursed in bed till about 7:30. Still, it's progress.

I don't know if I'll really update this thread, but I just needed proof for later in case I ever forget how hard it was.

The Amazing Learning Machine

2010-04-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's my daughter's brain. I know children's brains are like sponges, but it still doesn't make it any less flabbergasting how Ruby remembers so much of what she learns.

We have a couple of books from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that have recordings of bird songs of a couple hundred species of birds in the US. Jonathon got them for Christmas because he's a bird enthusiast, but we've all been enjoying them on and off. Sometimes at mealtimes, we play bird songs and try to guess them. So granted, she's surrounded by bird nerds. But (getting on my brag box) Ruby can correctly guess probably about 40 different species by their song. And as far as identifying by sight, she can identify a whole lot more. (I'll venture a guess of about 90 species)

While I'm combing my brain, saying "um...", she's already repeated the answer a couple times. I'm sure the fact that I'm so impressed just eggs her on. But really, how crazy is it that my three year old can solidly identify the songs of a kildeer, a sora, a yellow-breasted chat, and a common yellowthroat in 10 seconds flat?

What!

2010-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

I swear, this babe is cutting teeth. At two weeks. What!

Cloth pads

2010-01-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

With the baby so close to being born, my thoughts naturally turned to the unsavory prospect of wearing horrible disposable pads, along with the ice filled diapers. The ice filled diapers aren't a big deal-- they actually feel good, and you only wear them for the first few days. The pads, however, are a curse that lasts much longer.

I discovered the diva cup a couple years ago and it's changed my life. However, it is no good to me in my post-partum situation.

Enter: cloth pads! I bought one (ONE!) at the coop for something ridiculous like $10 or $15. So my doula mercifully sent me a bunch of links to different patterns and ideas. After looking at those, I went to the fabric store and spent $13 on cotton batting, cotton flannel, some nylon, and some snaps. I've made 3 large post-partum pads with 8 inserts, and 4 regular liners with something like 10 inserts. They're adorable, soft, eco-friendly, and cost a fraction of what you would pay for pads from "Party in your Pants".

Ruby loves the colorful inserts so much, she's been calling them her "lollipops" or her "snacks". Which I find mildly disturbing.

Story

2010-01-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, I used to know camping, but I don't know it anymore. We swam all day when it was summer. When it was time to go back home, we went back to our houses and goed back into the yard and found cute little raccoons inside our nest (later she said "nets") and they were inside our house and we hugged them and hugged them and there was something to eat on the table and there was something to eat all day long. And play so much that we were tired and went to sleep... and played again and then it was morning and then we thought it was a good job to go to space and then we flew to the moon again. All again. And then we slide out the window and down the tree.

Negotiation

2010-01-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ruby has been negotiating with me a lot lately. Which is fantastic except that she's 2 years old, and wants to negotiate everything. Half of her "deal making" is reasonable. The other half is either completely ridiculous or undoable.

She'll get dressed but only after reading 2 books, and dancing to a specific song.
She'll listen to me and be good, but not upstairs, just downstairs.
She'll take another bite, but only after balancing the food on top of her glass.
She'll go pee, but first she has to grab her blanket, a book, a figurine, and her necklaces.
She'll go to school and be good, but she's going to whine and scream first.
She won't put the toy to her mouth, but she'll just touch it to her chin.

These "negotiations" are obviously delaying tactics, testing, and bossiness all rolled into one. And speaking of bossiness. Wow. "I'm not a princess, I'm a princUSS. And actually I'm not a princuss, I'm just a fairy. Now you say, 'You're my little fairy.'" I fear for her little brother.

My fantasy these days is that I'll ask her to do something, and she'll just say, "yes, mom" and do it. From what I hear, that's not going to happen for a long time.

Contemplative

2010-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

After a nap, Ruby was sitting next to me on the couch quietly with her blanket.

Me: Did you sleep well?
R: No.
Me: Did you sleep badly?
R: Yeah.
Me: Why?
R: Because, that's just the way people feel sometimes.

Pause.

Me: I'm sorry. Do you still feel bad?
R: Yeah. That's all people do sometimes. Feel bad.

She looked pretty morose until the mention of chocolate cupcake, and then she jumped off the couch yelling, "Yeah!".

Whew

2009-12-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Two craft fairs done, and now I don't have to knit for that anymore. I have some berets, some men's fingerless mitts, some headbands/earwarmers, and a couple kid bonnets left. Anybody in the market for handmade winter accessories?

The most important thing I learned was that people love knitted donuts. It puzzles people, but everyone finds them irresistible. Who knew?

Dialogue

2009-10-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ruby: What are you going to call the baby?
Me: I don't know.
Ruby: Poppy. That's a good name. Say "Come on."
Me: Come on.
Ruby: And I don't come. Say "Come on."
Me: Come on.
Ruby: And I don't come. Say "Come on."
Me: Come on.
Ruby: And I come!
Me: Why do I have to ask so many times? Why can't you come when I ask you the first time?
Ruby: Because I like to itch my cheek. I like to itch my cheek and I like to itch my leg. And then I come.
Me: Oh.

Story

2009-08-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

By the time I got to a keyboard, she had already told a good chunk of the story, but here's the last third of it:

Just then, a dragon came by. And the dragon said, "don't ever bite apples." So they didn't bite apples, but the dragon did bite apples. But the duck did. The duck said, "don't bite me, either." Just the ducks bite apples, no? Just then the ducks ate pears and stuff. Just the pears have faces and eyes. They hit them with the paper. And then they squeaked out the tree, and they heared, what kind of things they heared. There was a hedgehog. Hedgehogs, don't ever go in the fan! And the dog run up and up and up and up tried to get the fan. DON'T! They didn't hear them! Alright? They squeaked out and alright? And that's the story. Over the hills and far away, and then the duck wouldn't hear them anymore and they would hit each other. Just one duck came. Don't ever fight me up with CDs! Just over the hills. The end.

Not your problem

2009-08-05T15:20:00.001-07:00

Ruby was pushing her stroller down the sidewalk the other day, because whoever heard of a 2 year old that will just sit quietly in a stroller? She was a terrible driver, swerving into the grass left and right. Jonathon would hold the front occasionally to help keep it on the sidewalk, while being subjected to strenuous and loud objections from Ruby. Finally, she yells, "no no no! This is not your problem!"

This afternoon, she was drawing spiders. She called them "moiding spiders" or alternately, "Awkmoiding spiders". When I asked her what that meant, she said matter of factly, "Goats. That's what it means." When I pressed her further, she said that it meant that they were tickling her.

3 hours

2009-06-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

Ruby looked at some little buds along the sidewalk, crouched down, and declared that "these flowers will bloom in THREE HOURS." It's gone from narration to prophecy.

It's really interesting to see her development in terms of her sense of time. I think she understands yesterday and tomorrow, but how long that is in comparison to weeks or hours is completely wonky. It's really lovely to watch someone that is so completely in the here and now. The drama is ridiculous, but there's something really pure about someone who has no sense of perspective.

Rubber

2009-05-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

I watered down some orange juice for Ruby. I watered it down a lot. Ruby took a swig thinking it was orange soda or something, and then she put it down and declared, "It's not fizzy at all. It's just rubber."

Speaking of rubber, she's also declared that my nipples are rubber also. Thanks honey, for that.

Nibbling?

2009-04-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

Lately, after a poop, Ruby will announce with a strange smile that her "butt is nibbling." The other day, she added, "my crotch is nibbling too!" She pronounces it kind of like "niboolling" and the whole thing just puts me in stitches.

Story

2009-04-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

One of stories she told recently: Once upon a time, there was a seagull and a goose. And they landed on the water, pachoo. They met a sloth that walked like this (waving hands). Then he knitted on his own pattern. He was happy now. He was not crying either. He was happy. (Me: What are they doing now?) They're playing with toys. Once upon a time there was a moose, a seagull, and a goose. She met a guy. She holds the paper and go to the zoo. And you too go to the zoo with them and go outside! Once upon a time, there was a squirrel. He cried because he bonked his cheek on the wall.

Her stories crack me up. Actually, almost everything she says cracks me up.

How to make an apron

2009-03-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

First drink a big caramel latte. Then ask the child to pick out a fabric. Take a zillion things downstairs (sewing requires lots of crap). Put child to bed. Make the apron. (Ha, you thought I'd give you actual directions?) Crow with joy because you got it finished before she woke up. Crow some more because she LOVES it and won't take it off.

Grouse doggies

2009-03-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ruby is becoming more and more articulate by the day, but sometimes it's a race between her burgeoning verbal skills and the growing complexities of her ideas. She's starting to get the hang of clauses (!I know!) and uses words and phrases like:
"when" (When you bite it, you eat it)
"hardly" (You can hardly see the donuts!)
"because" (Ruby crying because she have tears in her eyes)
"I wonder..." (I wonder if Coco is hiding)

But on the other hand, she'll screw up simple things like:
"Touch his ball eyes" (our poor cat's eyeball)
"It be loud. It able be loud"
"Thirsty about water kefir"
"Careful be!"

Usually, she's the narrator of my life, and keeps me grounded in facts. "That is a door. You open it with a key." I have to agree.

Sometimes it's just all nonsense. "Whoa, there goes doach." Or my favorite so far, "My hat is full of grouse doggies."

The disappearer

2009-03-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ruby took my cable needle proclaiming that she was going to knit with it. I looked down for about 3 minutes to work in my gorgeous new stitch markers that came in the mail. I looked up and asked where my cable needle went, and they were gone.

She pointed me to the coffee table, then to the couch, then she just started to ask me for it, so she could knit with it again. I asked her "Did you put it in the animal box?" and she answered yes. It was not there. I asked, "Did you drop it in the doll house?" and she said yes again. Two year olds are not to be trusted! I looked under the couches, the bookshelf, the tv, the desk, the changing table (aka the thing that holds the 20 remotes we have in the house), in the dollhouse, the toy bin with small toys, and under all the couch cushions. I cleaned out my knitting bag, my needle bag, my small stuff bag, but no luck. I now have a very organized knitting bag, and a relatively dust free living room (I vacuumed in the process), but no cable needle.

Where could a cable needle go in 3 minutes? Apparently into another dimension.

Overheard

2009-03-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to make a coherent post about the various interesting things I've noted about Ruby recently, so I'm just piling them together.

Ruby holding a cat toy in one hand and a plastic egg in the other:

Egg: Would you eat this, cat toy?
Cat toy: Would you get on there, egg?
Egg: Sure cat toy.

Sitting on the toilet trying to poop, I thought she was making a profound statement on the state of our economy:

Ruby: It is hard times.

Ruby often gets self conscious when I look at her playing or singing, so I usually try not to make a big deal of watching her. But the other day she was singing Twinkle Twinkle and she was so damn cute, I was looking at her with a big smile, and she yelled, "Mama don't laugh! I'm not cute, just a big girl!" So I looked away and laughed into my sleeve.

One of her favorite songs these days is a Raffi song about picking a bale of cotton. So several times I hear, "Pick a dale a cop!"

At bedtime, she goes to her "bedcave". And she calls her bedroom "Ruby's living room". She usually likes the dark, but lately, she likes to have the light on so she can play. So as a preemptive move before going upstairs, she always makes sure to vehemently insist (about 20 times in a row-- those of you with 2 year olds know that that's an understatement), "NO TURN THE LIGHT OFF IN RUBY'S LIVING ROOM!"

Good times.

Bad Theatre

2009-03-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I went with a couple friends to see a play at the University called "Night Train to Bolina". It was horrible. I spent the entire first half waiting for the intermission that would just not come. I tried to fall asleep like a couple people I spotted, but that didn't work. The actress was far too shrill. She angrily shouted every single one of her lines to the point of comedy.

"You have a FEVER! I need to you to take you to the HOSPITAL!" She yelled into his face as she held her dying friend tenderly.

Except nobody was laughing because we were all so embarrassed for her. The other actor was actually rather charming-- if he was supposed to be mentally disabled.

We fled at intermission and happened to come across another U show that was happening at the Xperimental theatre, and thought we'd pop in. It had to at least be more hip. Well, two guys were sitting at a table, one of them was eating, and the other was pontificating and telling theatre nerd stories and inside jokes. It showed no signs of getting any more interesting than a pompous guy at a party telling a long and pointless story about his trip overseas. So after rather rudely giggling and whispering loudly in the back row, the three of us left in the middle of the show, clunking our boots loudly on the way out.

At least we bonded over beers at the Triple Rock talking about how we could have possibly spent a collective $45 on the worst night of theatre ever.

Snow

2009-02-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm sure every blogger from Minnesota will mention this today, but the snow coming down right now is ridiculous. It's coming down so fast that I can barely see the house across the street, and even though it started an hour ago, I've gone out and shoveled at least 3 inches of it. And by the time I was done, there was enough by the door to shovel again.

It's beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Yesterday was 40 degrees, so of course, under all that fluffy stuff is slick, invisible, and totally smooth black ice. I'm seeing cars slide by on the road silently, and I can't look to see how they're going to stop. I've sprinkled my steps liberally with salt, but I still worry for my mailman.

1 hour down, 11 more to go.

Giant potato cherries

2009-02-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

There is a planter on the corner of the street by our house. Last summer, there were cherry tomatoes growing in it, but of course, there's been nothing but dead leaves in it for the last 4 months at least. Yesterday we were walking by, and Ruby says, "Potato cherries all gone." I didn't even know she knew there were cherry tomatoes growing there.

Speaking of mispronunciations, today she made a request to watch a "Be Nice to Giants" video. I guess she can't make much sense of "They Might be Giants".

...said Ruby

2009-02-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ruby had a bunch of animals propped up on a fake stump that I have by the door. She was sing songing stuff expressively in a very high pitch and this is what I heard:

"Please please please, draw something!" said the duck. Let's squash the duck! "Sure sure sure!" said the frog. "Sure sure sure! Sure sure sure!"

Gems from the Porcelain Throne

2009-02-07T17:25:00.001-08:00

Jonner: Once there was a badger.
Ruby: Named Baby Elephant.
Me: Oh really? That's confusing.
Ruby: A baby badger named Elephant.
Me: Oh.
(Jonner and I laugh our heads off)
Ruby: Baby badger named Elephant! (Repeat 8 times)

Lived and...

2009-02-04T21:16:00.001-08:00

Ruby was on the potty and she asked me for a story. I said, "Once upon a time, there was a..." and she said, "cat."

"A cat! This cat lived..."
"lived and CRIED."
"Oh really? But where did she live?"
"Lived and SCREAMED."
"Ok, but where did she live?"
"AAaahhh!"

Blah Blah Blah

2009-02-02T15:41:00.001-08:00

Ruby keeps up a monologue all day long. If I listen carefully, I get to hear some really funny stuff. Today, she was muttering, "You are perfect... you are gross."

Powderhorn 365

2009-01-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I haven't posted this before, but it occurred to me that people coming to my flickr site might be confused at the influx of non-knitting pictures. (Although there is about nothing more boring than knitting photos, so maybe nobody's been visiting and therefore not confused)

Anyway, I'm involved in a fun little project called Powderhorn 365. There is a group of us that will be taking a photo a day for a year of our lovely neighborhood. I like photography, but not enough that I can honestly be called an enthusiast, so this project is good for me. Once a week, I get to tromp around our neighborhood looking for a good shot. It makes me get out and get some exercise too. Yesterday I came across some wild turkeys. Turkeys, you hear?! I dragged Ruby out of the car, boldly declaring that we were "hunting turkeys". We ran across the street into someone's backyard to take photos, and then back across and into the alley to take some more. Some dude yelled from his car that he wished he had his camera too.

The funny thing is, last night Ruby was doing this strange stalking walk, kind of going sideways, bent over a little, on her tiptoes, with a huge grin, and told us she was hunting turkeys.

Hungry About

2009-01-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

Ruby is starting to tell me when she feels like eating something instead of merely responding to my offers of food.

Last night, she was sitting on the potty and talking to me (we have the best conversations on the potty), and suddenly she said, "Cheeeeese. Ruby want some cheese. Ruby hungry. Hungry about the cheese. Ruby hungry about the cheese!"

This morning, she said she was hungry about the fig newmans too.

The funniest thing about it is how she often sticks her chin out, raises her eyebrows way up, and says it really deliberately through her teeth.

Indoors

2009-01-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the whole day indoors. I usually try to make a point of leaving the house at least once a day, but today, it was just really great to chill at home. Ruby was in a great mood all day, and puttered around the house, entertaining herself and us.

Playing with playdough and rolling them into little snakes, she held them to her eyes and said, "Playdough nocklers." (Binoculars)

We did the farm puzzle together for the 332nd time. Well, I don't know the exact number, but I kid you not, that child does that puzzle 20 times a day.

We read animal guide books at great length and listened to owl sounds online.

We watched cardinals at the birdfeeder.

She ran around the house about 25 times until her face got all red. The she jumped up and down. Then she rolled around on the ground saying, "Ruby rolling on the ground!". Then jumped up and down some more, an activity made much more exciting by jumping while holding the farm puzzle so that all the pieces would go flying.

We ate lots of pasta, I knit a lot, and Jonner updated our computers. It was a good day.

Observations

2009-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

As I came up the front steps, Ruby and Jonathon were looking at me through the window. Ruby said to Jonner, "Mama getting blue stuffs. Blue hat on, blue sweater, blue..." (I had a blue coffee mug in my hand)

At lunch

2009-01-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

In an awkward high chair moment, Ruby tipped over and banged her head. I held her as she screamed, "Mee-ulk! Mee-ulk!" I didn't feel like nursing her, so I asked, "Would you like cow's milk in a glass?" And she said, "No. Mama's milk in the boob."

How does she know that?

2008-12-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

This evening, Ruby came up to me and said, "Mama's sunglasses! Where mama's sunglasses? In the car. Sunglasses in the car! How do I know that? How do I know that? How do I know that?"

Blah Blah

2008-12-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, playing out in the snow, she said, "Ruby jump. Ruby jump over moon!" This morning, Ruby was softly singing to herself, "beh deh wehddy badda ba... Ruby guitar on the back..."

She's talks all day long, mashing nursery rhymes with references to her growing repertoire of songs and books. It's really fun to listen to. Well sometimes. She was sniffing loudly this morning, breathing in and out really hard, and said, "booger in there."

Bedtime drama #1

2008-12-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

I told Ruby a story about a bunny that plays with her friend in the morning, has a snack, goes out to play some more, comes in to have lunch, pees in the potty, takes a nap, wakes up and pees in the potty again, plays some more, has another snack, plays some more, comes in to have dinner, plays with blocks, reads some books, gets her pjs on, brushes her teeth, and goes to bed.

She loves it, and wants to hear it again and again.

Which leads to a story about the other night when she refused to go to sleep. Among the many tactics she used that night, was the incessant request for the bunny story. And speaking of many tactics, she went from none (seriously easy to put to bed) to all the classics. I was completely unprepared for the hour and half it took to get her to sleep. It first started with, "No bed! Downstairs! Blankie downstairs too! Cuddle downstairs with abba (dad)!" Once upstairs, we had a nursing saga where draining me of the little milk I had just wasn't enough. "More milk! More milk!" Then it became, "Jingle bells, sing jingle bells. All the way. Jingle jingle jingle jingle." Then, "bunny story, bunny story. More. Another story." Then, it was shrieking, "pee! pee! Downstairs! Pee downstairs!" After failed pee attempt after which I was already exhausted, "More pee! Ouch! Crotch hurt! Butt hurt!" Insert huge yawn. After more wailing and squirming, "Back hurt! Waaah! Jingle. Mama, sing jingle. Aaargh! Neck hurt! Leg hurt!"

That's obviously the greatly truncated version of the story. Insert more yawns, about 20 repetitions of each sentence, lots of screaming, and lots of sighs and rolling eyes on my part, and you get a better picture.

My own little dictator

2008-12-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

It was bad enough when she was an infant. Now she has the power of words behind her demands.

Put headband on! Ruby put headband on! Now mama put it on! Take socks off! Sing goat song! Sing doeadeer song! Sing twinkle song! Sing tree song! Sing turtle song! (It turns out that the last two songs are one-- The Twelve Days of Christmas) Ruby hold it! Ruby step stool! Ruby talka grandpa! Papa hold you! (meaning "me"-- she doesn't have the pronouns down yet) Mama hold you! Papa use it! Ruby do it now! Ruby cook! Cookie cookie cookie! Watch blue monster TV! Mama hoodie on! Mama glasses on! Mama blanket downstairs!

And all those exclamation points are there for a reason.

I feel like all day long I'm either wearily obeying her shrill demands or I'm whining (yes, that makes two of us), "no I don't want to...". When I'm being a good mom, I tell her to be polite and say "please" and then whine that I don't want to do what she says. I always thought of myself as a very unsentimental and pragmatic person, and difficult to manipulate. And I tell myself this as I trot over to the kitchen to give her a second cookie.

Good Bye Bali

2008-12-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

So the new betta which we got probably a week ago, died yesterday. Or rather, I killed it. By accident-- well, actually on purpose. This is so depressing.

We found Bali (yes, it was even named) yesterday morning with some fuzzy white stuff on his skin. I've been painstakingly feeding him one pellet of food every several hours, so I know it wasn't there before I went to bed. Well, there it was. It looked kind of harmless, but in several hours, the poor fish was practically laying on its side and refusing to eat anything. The white fuzz took over his back, gills, and tail. After staring at him forever, trying to decide what to do, I decided that he was probably going to die very soon, and I wasn't going to bother going to get antifungal solution or whatever it was that might save him. I couldn't bring myself to just flush him, and I couldn't stand to watch him slowly die. So I did what anybody who saw that deadly white stuff would want to do: I held the listless fish in my hand, and tried to rub the stuff off under running water. It was actually a lot slicker than I would have thought, and after I put him back in the bowl, he swam around a little. But most of it was still on him. He looked momentarily a little more lively, but in retrospect, it was probably just stress. Anyway, I felt just awful. Like I'd made his last moments on earth just a little more horrible. So feeling like complete shit, I ran him outside and dumped him out on the snow so he would die immediately. Which he did. But I couldn't really tell at first because it was dark and I lost him in the melted hole in the snow. So I felt around in the snow until I found his poor dead fish body, scooped him up, put him in a glass to make sure he was totally dead, and then sent him on his way. I'm sorry Bali, I wish we could have enjoyed a longer time together.

Fooming

2008-11-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ruby likes to jump off an old theatre prop onto the bed. She calls it "fooming", and she says "foom!" as she jumps onto the bed.

The funny twist? She likes to do it in the dark. Jonner was leaving the room with her, and she closed the door on him. After a few moments, he peeked in to see her crouched and ready to jump on the bed in the dark. Now she asks if she can "foom in the dark".

And in other news, Thanksgiving at grandma and grandpa's was a big hit, and she's currently in withdrawal. Mainly from having a couple more suckers to boss around. Now it's just back to one personal slave (me). There's only so many times she can demand that I put my sunglasses on before it gets boring.

Best tantrum ever

2008-11-20T18:14:00.001-08:00

This morning, I went down to the park building with Ruby for an open playgroup, which she normally enjoys immensely. We know a lot of folks that show up there, and there are kiddie bikes, soft tents, balls, and tunnels. All of which she loves.

But today, she was kind of blah about it all. She kept making a run for it out the door constantly, and she'd whine and ask to nurse, and then roll around on the floor of the gym asking for her blanket. It was weird. But the best part? When we left, she melted down in top form. In fact, it was I think the best tantrum I've seen from her so far. It was 18 degrees outside, we had a stroller, and we were both wearing large awkward puffy coats. All of which are great conditions for an excellent tantrum. Of course, she absolutely refused to sit in the stroller, push it, be carried, or just walk. After 5 minutes of offering options, I was freezing my ass off. Which meant I needed to "tuck" a giant screaming wriggling child under one arm, and push a rickety umbrella stroller with a mind of its own with the other. It worked for about 10 feet, and then I decided to risk looking like a kidnapper, and strapped her in the stroller. Besides being incredibly strong, she's gotten inconveniently tall. She kept sticking her feet behind the front wheels while arching her back (of course, screaming like a stuck pig the entire time), so I had to tip the stroller on it's back wheels and push her like a rabid alligator on a gurney. Boy it was so awesome! I even got to carry this appealing package up two sets of stairs!

The good news? She fell asleep on the couch before I could even take her shoes off.

Baking with the toddler

2008-11-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

I had Ruby "help" me make cookies this afternoon. I was inspired by a friend who lets her 1 year old daughter try everything even if it makes a huge mess. I, being a far more tight-assed person, have not had the courage to pull up that step stool to the kitchen counter till this week.

It was a good first step. I didn't even take away the container of baking soda when she repeatedly dipped her finger in it and ATE it saying "mmm" while inevitably grimacing at how disgusting it tasted. I let her keep adding more flour in the measuring cup, long after it had started spilling over, and actually got a kick out of the whole thing. She'd say "no more", put the lid on, and then about 3 seconds later say "need more", scoop more out, spill over half of it, and land a few teaspoons of it into the measuring cup, and repeat the whole thing all over again. She had fun stacking cups (she'd proudly say, "look at that!" when she was done), drinking water with measuring spoons (are you eating water? I said, and she said, no, drinking), and telling me "nice to meet you" and shaking my hand when I had the oven mitts on. She also had this thing about "petting the oven" which also cracked me up. She would actually pet the oven. You know, since ovens are completely adorable like hot giant kitties.

She had a couple bites of cookie dough, two cookies, and a big glass of milk. She was completely sugared up and very happy.

I voted today

2008-11-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

After living in the US for over 25 years, I finally managed to become a citizen this year. Today was the first presidential election I participated in, and even though my story isn't particularly remarkable, I've fought back some tears already today thinking about the ramifications of today's election, how long it's taken me to become a citizen (8 years), and the idea that I actually am an American now. (Gosh, the identity crises I've had about that... I can't even count)

I was so excited to vote, that I just couldn't stop. Every time I thought I was done, I'd obsessively look over my ballot again and again. I thought: maybe I accidentally voted for McCain. Oh god, no! I'd immediately break out in a sweat and look at the very black spot next to Obama and calm myself. The giant list of incumbent judges helped me with voting anxiety. I slowly, deliberately colored in those 36 circles, feeling like I was still voting, remembering all the standardized tests I've ever taken, taking deep breaths, thinking: Obama better win. This is my country now. I can't just say I'll head out to Korea (where it's no better anyway). I have a vested interest. I have an American baby. She can't grow up in an America where hate, ignorance, and racism rule. It's important now. I'm voter number 533 in my precinct. My vote counts. Things will change.

So Cute

2008-10-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

You would think that at some point the cuteness would let up, but it just doesn't stop!

Thank god, because every mother of a toddler knows the feeling of wanting to sell their child to the circus. This last week, I've imagined myself delivering a swift (but safe of course!) blow to the back of her neck to make her pass out while she struggled with wide-eyed jetlag in the middle of the night. I also thought about leaving her in the park while she screamed and screamed about taking off her coat (and eventually all her clothes) in 30 degree weather. She's still not getting the whole "consequences" thing. She's also been experimenting with "outdoor voices" inside, hitting me (and Jonner, and the animals, and herself), whether developing jelly legs all of a sudden will make me want to pick her up, and when I ask her if she wants another bite, how fun it is to say "yes. no. yes. no, etc."

Focus...

2008-10-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago, Ruby was looking off into space, and I waved a hand in front of her face and said, "yoo hoo, focus." She smiled and snapped out of it.

Today, I was taking pictures of her friend Anwen at our house, and Ruby came over trying to give me a little purple comb, saying "show umma (korean word for mama), show umma!" She kept pulling at my shirt and nagging, and finally said, "yoo hoo! Focus!" Of course, I did.

Jet lag has been ridiculous-- I am as sleep deprived as I was when she was an infant (and almost nursing as much). On top of it all, I have bad allergies and am constantly sneezing and stuffed up. It makes for a rather miserable time. Especially at 3 in the morning when Ruby and I are both exhausted and she's still mumbling, "no bed. books. read it."

I need a cup of coffee. And focus.

Trip update #2

2008-10-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, so where to start... first of all, it's lovely to see the folks, and it was really nice to hang out, albeit briefly, with my mom's extended family. They were all nuts about Ruby. Ruby looked a little deer-in-headlights for a while with so many new people and places, but she adjusted pretty nicely and had a great time with the relatives.

Then we came down here to Pohang. I have to say that I panicked at first. The part of the city that my parents live in (northern suburb) is not at all suited for children. This whole place is surrounded by massive construction projects, so it's smelly, noisy, and dusty. And there are no sidewalks, traffic lights, or stop signs, so it's really dangerous to go walking or driving. Which doesn't stop us, of course, because what 19 mo old wants to stay cooped up in a miniscule apartment all day long? There were no toys at my parents' place except the few books and toys we brought for the plane ride, and not even a mall or other indoor play area nearby. And I wasn't about to have her watch TV all day either. So this whole last week, I've been riding around with my parents to find good places for her that are relatively close by. There's a beach not far from here that she loved (and I did too), and there's a couple little playgrounds in a nearby apartment complex. We also bought some toys for her so she's better about sticking around at home. The adjustment cost a little-- Ruby's been sucking her thumb a lot more, nursing more, and reacts badly to strangers. But she's still bright and happy, and is sleeping well, and eating well, so I'm pretty content.

We'll be here this week and a bit into the next and then we'll head back up to Seoul for a couple days and then back to Minnesota. More updates will be coming!

Trip update #1

2008-10-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

OK, so we're here in Pohang! The trip was as long and horrendous as we expected, but Ruby was very good. She did start getting super antsy and crabby about halfway to Korea, but then she passed out for the last 6 hours, so that was nice. We were in Seoul for a couple days and had a big family bonanza and then drove down here.

We are still battling jet lag. The last two nights have been relatively good, meaning that she hasn't been completely awake for 3-4 hours in the dead of night. But despite the regular little wakings, she drops off again pretty quickly, so I'm considering the jet lag to be mostly beaten. (Me, on the other hand... I still lay awake for hours at night. Sigh)

Jonner is set up ok for work, and he's hacking away in our little apartment (a floor up from my parents). It's really nice to have our own space.

I know this is dry and short, but I'll write a more detailed post when I can be awake while Ruby sleeps. :)

Trip

2008-09-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Korea this thursday, and although I am outwardly calm, I am freaking out inside. The details threaten to overwhelm me, and on top of everything, Ruby has a cold. It's really not bad, and it's probably going to be gone in the next couple days, but I'm still terrified that I'm going to be in a plane for 13 hours straight with a sick toddler. For those of you who haven't dealt with the phenomenon of SICK TODDLER, it is something I don't wish upon anyone. The whining, oh the whining.

On a happier note, however, Ruby has not soiled a single diaper for at least a full week now! After doing laundry every other day, this is a very nice break. She's just done stupendously with potty learning so far, and the only problem has been finding teeny tiny undies. A lovely problem. We've ended up with little boy underwear from target, but they're still pretty big. (Now whether this trip to Korea will ruin all the potty learning... we'll just have to see.)

Harvest Moon

2008-09-16T19:27:00.001-07:00

Last night, there was a gorgeous, large, peachy moon in the sky. As we walked home, I pointed it out to Ruby. It passed behind some trees, and she demanded, "another one! another one!" So I showed her the "other one" and several more moons on the way home, to her great delight.

Shut me up

2008-09-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

A boy about 6 years old was talking to Jonner at the playground today with his dad standing right there:

Boy: Yeah, we have story time and cuddle time before bed. But I'm not allowed to talk. I think it's because they want to shut me up.

Jonner: *hysterical laughter*

Ruby: (10 feet away) Shut me up, shut me up.

Green beans, I mean cheese

2008-09-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were trying to get Ruby to eat some green beans. Well, anything green, I guess. I think she would happily subsist on meat and dairy alone. At any rate, after several straight on offers were immediately and vehemently rejected, I tried a last ditch effort-- borderline lying. I held a green bean up and said loudly, "MMM green cheese!" and proceeded to roll my eyes, smack my lips, and make a general fool of myself, thinking that this would never work. (She's been onto us since she could look us in the eye) But lo and behold, my child showed a frank credulity that is rarely witnessed at the table. She grabbed one and ate it. And then asked for another. Then another. Then she stuffed about 10 of them in her mouth at once. And realized... it really wasn't cheese after all. She opened her mouth, and a disgusting blob of green beens dropped out of her mouth.

Oh well-- a good 10 beans actually made it to her tummy I think. It counts as a massive success in my book.

The greatest potty day ever

2008-09-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ruby had no accidents today and no pee in her diaper. All day long, she told me when she had to pee, albeit in all kinds of bizarre ways. She would grab her crotch and say "OUCHIE!!" or she would say "no no pee", or she'd walk on her tip toes saying "yay pee", or she'd just say "yeah yeah" when I'd ask her if she needed to pee. She peed in her little potty, in the adult toilet at the cafe, and a couple times in the grass at the park.

Sigh. What a wonderful day.

She should knit her own sweaters now...

2008-09-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

I know, lame. But I'm so proud of her anyway, in that lame mama way.

More sad

2008-09-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ruby is obsessed lately with being sad. She responds immediately to pictures of sad looking people or animals, and starts to fake cry, saying things like "moon man sad" or "bunny sad". If I try to turn the page, she turns it back frantically, saying, "more ruby sad!" It kind of goes against my instincts, but I try to just let her be sad now (I used to try so hard to tell her, no, the bunny is happy now, Ruby can be happy now, etc). Sadness is a perfectly valid emotion, after all.

Two Darks

2008-09-01T13:37:00.001-07:00

Last night, I was taking Ruby up to bed, and the stairway was dark, so she said, "ooh dark". Then we got into the room which was darker, and said, "another dark. Two darks. Wow."

My baby baby

2008-08-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

More nursing, some cormorants

2008-08-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Nursing Ruby is becoming more interesting every day. One time she commented, "milk dancing" as she pushed my shirt up and down. The other day, we were watching a youtube video of Obama speaking, as she nursed, and she stopped to say, "Obama nursing" over and over again. Occasionally, even days afterwards, she remembers it and stops what she's doing to say "Obama nursing" with an almost nostalgic look on her face.

Speaking of Obama, she seems to like watching him. She can't get enough. I went to his website, and there's a short video of him introducing the site, and whenever it's over she chants, "more Obama, more Obama".

On a different note, the highlight of my day today was watching cormorants in Powderhorn Lake. We had a new pair of binoculars with us, and watched the amazing swimming birds for a half hour. They were so cool! I still don't know exactly what kind they were-- they were black with bright yellow chins and lower beaks. It was such a treat to see them swimming and catching fish. At one point one of them dove under water and nipped at a Canadian goose. Kind of mean, I think.

Lopsided

2008-08-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

So Ruby has taken to talking to me with her mouth full of boob. It's irritating sometimes, but always amusing. Usually I can't understand her, because her mouth is full of boob, but the other day, she said quite clearly, "big one". And then she looked at the other boob and said "other one", and then back at the original and said, "big one". I guess one of them's big.

(On a side note, I never ever would have imagined this scenario as part of breastfeeding when I first started. I thought I'd be done after a year, but I'm finding that being a mom is all about eating your words. I always thought it'd be creepy to breastfeed after the child could ask for it, but you know what? It's not, and it's actually really sweet. Who would have known.)

Pain Relief

2008-08-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

This morning, Ruby told Jonathon "teeth hurt!" and proceeded to mash her face and head together in a display of pain. Jonathon decided to give her some ibuprofen, and after several minutes, she announced, "Happy now".

Night time musings

2008-08-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Ruby repeats things as she falls asleep these days. She usually fixates on something from the day, and it's always very amusing to hear what she decides to dwell on as she drifts off.

"beagle teeth, beagle teeth, beagle teeth"
"ruby ears, mama ears, abba ears, gampa ears, etc."

And last night,

"shaushage, shaushage, shaushage,..." asleep. Meaty dreams, little girl.

Please Help

2008-08-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

One of Ruby's favorite phrases these days is "peese hep". Unfortunately, it's usually for enlisting help for doing something like climbing onto the table or obtaining pens or knives. The other day, she said "pees hep, pees hep, toes hurt!" Which was about the most useful thing she's said so far.

She loves to repeat unlikely phrases like "clay butt" or "eric coming" or "abba(dad) tooted" or "boogie night". Usually it's repeating the end of something we just said. Jonathon just said, "be careful, you'll get yourself wet". And Ruby's saying "self wet, self wet". Earlier, she heard a lady saying loudly to a dog, "you're such a loverboy!", and she was mumbling "loverboy, loverboy".

OK now she's demanding "more kitty" meaning she wants to see more youtube videos of cats.

pool

2008-06-23T19:19:00.001-07:00

Copy cat

2008-06-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

So now Ruby's too cool to point out the fish. Today, I asked her where the salmon was, and she wouldn't say anything. So I pointed to it and said, "right there". Then I asked where the muskie was, and she leaned back and said, "ight dere". ha ha.

She copies almost everything we say. The other day she was throwing a fit, and I said to Jonner, "She's just really bored." And Ruby wailed, "BOOODE!"

The fishmaster

2008-06-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of her!

Follow up

2008-06-01T05:48:00.001-07:00

So the comments got me thinking and I want to add a little more to my last post. (Another bodily functions/blood warning!)

The diva cup is available at local co-ops and probably online (I haven't checked). It comes in two sizes, and I have the larger size since I'm among those ladies who have passed a giant baby head through their hoohah and therefore things are a little looser and roomier down there.

There is a little trick to putting these things in, and it takes a little practice. If you're like me, you might get the package, get all excited and try to put it in as soon as you take it out of the box. There's one little problem. Your vaginal area changes a LOT throughout your cycle, and the feel and shape of the space between your cervix and the actual vaginal opening is pretty different before and during your period. (It's the most different when you are ovulating) So if you're struggling to put it in while you're not having your period, you may be amazed at how different it is to try putting in while you're having your period. (So don't curse it and throw it in the trash)

The directions they give are really very good. The only thing that doesn't happen with me is the "spinning easily" part. It doesn't really do that, but a little poking around usually convinces me that it's open and positioned right.

I hope women really start to put Stay Free and Tampax out of business! We deserve better.

Revolutionary

2008-05-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm going to talk about my period in some detail, so that should turn some of you away. Or maybe that will grab the attention of some of you who are easily sucked in by talk of bodily functions. Anyway, you can't say I didn't warn you.

I have to spread the word about my diva cup. Despite the horrible name (I think it's also been called a keeper too), it's so great that it makes me really angry that I haven't been using it since I was 14. It's basically a cup you insert into your vagina and it collects all the blood! Wow! It's completely eliminated pads, tampons, and even liners because the amazing thing doesn't even leak. Even tampons leak! And the stupid little string drove me nuts! This thing makes me feel like I'm not having a period at all. (Well, except for feeling a little bloated and hormonal.) Getting it in and out is pretty easy, and when you pull it out, you just dump the contents, wash it out with a little hot water and soap, and plop it back in (which I only need to do only twice a day even on the heaviest days). You can take a shower, swim, pee or poop (I don't know if it's because I was tamponically challenged, but tampons would just slip right out whenever I had to poo) without even thinking about it. Serioiusly, if it's inserted right, you can't feel it AT ALL. Another cool thing is, you can actually measure the number of ccs of blood you pass during your period, because the cup has measurements on it. Yeah, how cool is that. And the best part of course is that you can use it over and over again until the day you hit menopause, and never contribute to the landfill with sanitary napkins again. It's truly revolutionary!

And so it begins...

2008-05-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

This will soon be a blog about "the funny things my kid does that other people will not find that funny". Just so you all know.

The other day, Ruby was sitting in her high chair eating dinner, and suddenly she got a real serious look on her face and let out a giant fart. You know, one of those loud AND drawn out ones. Then with a totally deadpan look on her face, she said real quietly, "wow". Jonner and I cracked up for a good 5 minutes. She obviously didn't really understand what we were laughing about, but forced out a couple har hars to be polite.

Charmed

2008-05-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ruby has been charming the pants off of us lately. She's been back to her mellow self after some post-sickness clinginess, and she's been babbling a lot.

But the best part is sleepy time! When she starts getting tired, we'll ask her if she wants to go night-night, and her face will light up immediately. She says "nye nye, bye bye" and starts heading for the stairs. Usually she will be clutching a bunny or a puppy, and she'll wave good bye to Rimsky, Coco, and Bailey. She'll look up at me while lying down in the crib and wave, saying "bye bye mama" until I leave the room. And then it's quiet. Could I really be this lucky?

Rough Week

2008-04-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Poor Ruby has been insanely ill for 7 long and miserable days.

Both Jonner and I are worn out! Fever, vomit, screaming, more fever, more screaming... And the sleeping has been almost non-existent if you don't count the occasional passing out from the screaming.

Please, please let it end soon.

Jabber

2008-04-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ruby's talking a lot these days. Most of which is extremely creative and unintelligible, but some of which is actually coherent and meaningful.

Her words include:
hi
MORE! (along with enthusiastic signing)
kitty (interchangeable with "eow")
Coco
Rimsky (waski)
Bailey (only barely recognizable--who'd have thought that it would be harder than Rimsky?)
book (beuh)
hat
coat
socks (yockie)
shoes (shh)
hot
night night
ball
hairbrush
several Korean words including the ones for mama and papa.

I've been trying to teach her Terry Pratchett, but it's not working.

Cute poem

2008-04-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

Jonner sent this to me, and it's really the perfect thing for today's mood.

'The Common Cormorant'

The common cormorant (or shag)
Lays eggs inside a paper bag,
You follow the idea, no doubt?
It's to keep the lightning out.

But what these unobservant birds
Have never thought of, is that herds
Of wandering bears might come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs.

-- Christopher Isherwood

Anticlimactic

2008-03-19T19:25:00.001-07:00

So the oath ceremony was a bit disappointing. I woke Ruby up from a deep and peaceful nap, which felt horrendously wrong, to go with her and Jonner to the Federal building. After going through security, we all crowded into elevators (there were about 100 of us) and got off on the 15th floor where we all milled about uncertainly for almost half an hour while Ruby ran around with Jonner and I stood in a line. Soon, an officer came to check our summons form and green card. Then we waited in a long line to get the same documents checked by another officer. And then another line to have the same thing done again by a lady who took my green card (to my brief shock and horror) and called me "Joanie" (and acted shocked when I told her is was "Joanne"). Then we sat in the courtroom and watched the same immigrant video three times in a row, listened to Sousa, and a tinny version of America the Beautiful. Then the league of women voters came and helped everyone fill out their voter registration cards. The family members were let in, and we all waited in silence for about 10 minutes. This is when I started getting irate. The judge came in, we sang the Star Spangled Banner in a key so high that nobody could even sing the low parts much less the Mariah Carey bits, then took the oath which was mainly about being willing to serve in a military capacity, then the pledge of allegiance. Then the judge rambled on a bit about immigrants and our responsibilities as citizens, and then the worst part-- we had to listen to all three verses of "I'm proud to be an American". I thought I was going to die.

The certificates were handed out in an extremely inefficient manner, and then we were finally done. I handed in my voter registration card and then proceeded to nurse Ruby, which was pretty much the only thing on my mind for the past hour anyway.

So that's it. I'm an American citizen now.

Spring

2008-03-19T10:04:00.001-07:00

It's almost spring. It's a lovely day outside, and we took a walk with my neighbor and her kid up to the Mercado and had an early lunch. I'm going to be taking the oath later today, and I've managed to find something to wear other than t shirt and jeans.

Ruby's taller now, and she says "OWwoowh" all day long. A high pitched long "ow" for cat, and a soft muffled "woowh" for dog. It's the first thing she says in the morning and the last thing she says at night. (She also says ooh ooh for monkey, and aahm for lion)

Here's a video of her dancing. (That first "ow" is because she saw a cat on the screen)

Plodding along

2008-03-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

It's almost spring, and we're sick yet again. Jonner's almost better, but Ruby's stomach bug has been hanging around. She won't nurse. She won't eat. She's had diarrhea and vomiting. And she whines like crazy. Poor thing. She's napping now, and I hope she feels better soon. I am also feeling rather queasy, so I hope I can stay well enough to take care of her.

Nothing new. Just checking in.

Yay

2008-02-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

So I guess all I had to do was blog about it. I got the letter in the mail yesterday that I will be attending the Oath Ceremony at the US district court on March 19 to become a US citizen.

I'm so glad I'll be able to vote now!

In other news, Ruby is the cutest child in the entire world. And the smartest. And the cutest. Did I say that already? Lately she walks around with her arms held out behind her. It cracks me up.

Samurai Jack

2008-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Can I just tell everyone how much I am enjoying the cartoon series, "Samurai Jack"? It's so GORgeous-- the eye candy simply does not let up until the credits roll, and it's so cinematic. The story is told so simply by sound and visuals. And the little dialogue there is, is spare, to the point, and often hilarious. And I am in love with Aku's accent. (Aku is the evil lord of darkness, of course)

I want to vote!

2008-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

So I've been despairing that I won't get to vote this year. It drives me nuts.

So I wrote an email to my congressman Keith Ellison, and then went to check out the FBI.

I talked to a moron at the Minneapolis branch. I said that my name check has been delayed for 2 years and I want to know who to talk to, to figure out why it's taking so long. The guy says, "oh yeah, there's an email address you can write to to ask them about that." And then puts me on hold for about 15 minutes, every 5 minutes saying, "well...I'm having trouble here... I usually am able to find it on the website..." And at the end told me that he couldn't find the email to the national office on their own website, so I should go on the site and look for it myself. I go on the website, and it says that the FBI branch in Washington handles the national name checks, and that it is closed to the public. Undeterred, I called the Minneapolis branch again and talked to an older lady, who said I could talk to the office in West Virginia and gave me their number. It was the "FBI criminal justice information services division and biometric services section customer services group". That cracked me up. The menu was full of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and I finally got to someone who curtly told me that "inquiries into the national name check statuses are not allowed and it can take up to 5 years, ma'am."

I hope Ellison can do something for me, although this is what I found on the FBI website:

Because each customer agency determines which name checks are expedited, contacting Congressional representatives, the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs, or the NNCP will only further tie up vital resources and will not contribute to the expediting of a name check.

So I guess that's it. The powers that be don't want me to take part in this "democracy" that I've been living in for 24 years.

First Word

2008-01-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

NO.

Today she toddled over to the dog saying, "no no oh no oh no no no."

First Steps

2008-01-04T13:56:00.001-08:00

She took her first steps over the Christmas break! It's just amazing. Every day she blows my mind.

Shower drama

2007-12-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

So here's the story of my shower with Ruby:

Originally plan to take a shower while Ruby plays in the bathroom
Vacuum out the bathroom
Close the toilet lid
secure cabinet doors with elastic
blockade the trashcan with laundry basket with toys
doesn't work, so I put a large box in front
blockade the other trash can with the potty
doesn't work, so I put the small trash can in the large trash can
she's still climbing over the potty to reach for the toilet cleaner and vinegar
put an empty kitty litter container on top of potty
ok, now I undress
put clothes on sink and on top of toilet where she can't get it
ruby screams and screams and won't let go of my legs
in moment of desperation, I decide to take her in the shower with me
I run out naked to get a new diaper
pull out a towel for her
pull off her clothes as she screams bloody murder
give her a rubber ducky
climb into the shower and bring her in
she yells for the first while, rubbing the water out of her eyes
I reach for the shower head which is about 9 feet off the ground (why oh why is it so high?), and I jump for it and push it several inches to the left
I wash my face and hair
shampoo the baby's hair
conditioner in my hair
soap up the babe's armpits and crotch
pick her up to rinse her and almost drop the now extremely slippery baby
we are all rinsed and washed
climb out and wrap her in a towel
put her down and dry myself
pick her up and find a large suspicious pool of "water" on the floor
sniff it numerous times but can't tell if it's pee
wipe it up
trying to get dressed but ruby is clutching my leg, sucking her thumb and reaching for my pubic hair
manage to get her head and arm stuck in my underwear as I try to pull it up
ok underwear and bra on, so now I dress her amid major squirming and screaming
want the night light honey? the hair dryer cord? don't throw it!
leave her on the floor screaming (but she's DRESSED!)
get dressed myself the rest of the way while ignoring the fact that she's sitting among the towels that mopped up the what-might-be-pee
run upstairs with her while she's doing the back dive out of my arms, get her bunny, nurse her, and she goes to sleep.
Go downstairs and do damage control.

Lordy. Never again.

Cat games

2007-12-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

My kitties were sitting on their back legs facing each other and slowly taking turns pushing each other. Rimsky would push Coco, and Coco would almost lose his balance. Then Coco would push Rimsky and Rimsky would almost lose his balance. It looked like it took a lot of concentration.

Sick again

2007-12-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

Yup! Sick again. And probably only a matter of time before Ruby has it. Deep breath, Joanne. You can do it.

Oh, and did I tell you Ruby is cute? Look at that ridiculous smile.

Oh, and in other news, we finally got rid of Bailey's chair. I bought the seafoam green lazy boy from Prof Geels for 10 dollars about 10 years ago. It was a great chair, but slowly got taken over by Bailey. Now it has been exclusively hers for probably 5 of those years. And the things she's done on it over the years! (Namely, lick her butt for hours on end.) So it's gone. The trash picked it up this morning. Enjoy your new fancy schmancy LL Bean bed, Bailey! At least that's washable.

Reading with the grandpa

2007-11-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Another road trip, another stupid injury

2007-11-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

We're off to Sioux Center for Thanksgiving again!

Yesterday I got the tip of my finger in the doorway as I slammed the door on it. I nearly took the whole pad of my finger off. It was hanging like a gruesome chad. (That's what they're called, right?) I thought I might need stitches, but they just derma-bonded it. The thing that really surprised me was how nauseous I felt after it happened. I saw all the blood and I quick held it above my head with a tissue around it and walked around the house panicked. Then I called Jonner and as I was talking to him, everything swam and turned black and I thought I was going to puke. I was nauseous for a good half hour, and I lay on the floor while Ruby whined and climbed on my legs. Am I developing a weak stomach for gore and pain? I don't know.

Much too optimistic

2007-11-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

That last post was much too optimistic. While she did improve briefly, I got horribly sick, and then when I started getting better, she got sick again, and now I'm trying desperately not to get sick while she rubs snot into my face for the 5th (?) day in a row. Right now, I also have another clogged duct, and I'm feeling like we're just going to have to deal with being sick as the norm and being healthy as a just a blessed but fleeting break.

Finally

2007-11-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

For 4 days our household was kind of on emergency standby. Ruby had teething issues and a nasty bug, which kept her awake and screaming much of the past week (night and day).

It's funny how standards change when you've got a sick, irritable baby. The dishes and laundry were the first to go. Then it was showers and teeth brushing. Then it was pottying and cloth diapers (you can get away with changing disposables a lot less, and considering how much she would scream during changes, I decided even one less change was a great thing). And I expected no naps and screaming wakings every half hour at night. On a normal night, I was distressed if she happened to go to bed after 7:30 or wake before midnight. This week I was ecstatic if she went to sleep at all, and if she stayed asleep for longer than 15 minutes.

Anyway, the good news is, she's getting better! Last night, there were a few wakings, but no wailings, and she's down for a morning nap already. Mmmmm.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's really more me freaking out about how cute she is than anything else, but here's what Ruby is for Halloween.

Haha

2007-10-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

I came out of the bathroom and found Ruby french kissing the table leg, smacking loudly. Better that than my shoes.

So for record keeping sake, I made a list of all the things I've knitted in the past year (I started in earnest about this time last year), and I think knitting definitely qualifies as one of my recent obsessions. I've made:

6 baby sweaters
3 baby hats
1 pair of booties
1 pair of baby shoes
2 pairs of leg warmers
5 pairs of hand warmers (1 men's)
8 knit dolls (10-12 in high)
1 men's sweater
1 women's sweater (an abject failure)
4 pairs of women's socks
2 pairs of knee high women's socks
1 pair men's socks
1 adult hat
1 cowl
1 sweater for a stuffed animal named Max

As I've mentioned, there was only one failed project, and that was a sweater for me. Stupid pattern. It was way too big, and I've never seen anything so misshapen. Oh well. One strike in a year's worth of knitting isn't too bad.

Dirt

2007-10-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm amused and dismayed by Ruby's penchant for eating dirt. Every chance she gets, she's standing by the ficus plant shoveling dirt into her mouth. Her lips are brown and grainy, she's coughing on the bits she's inhaled, and her fingernails are black. How is she so fast?

Another pair of socks

2007-10-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Made from corn fiber yarn. No I didn't spin the yarn myself.

Sometimes we feel this way

2007-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Mouth games

2007-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

She's learned to make an "o" with her mouth and whistle through it. And she does fish lips.

Still in Shock

2007-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I borrowed a book about being diaper free. It seemed to make sense, but it also seemed like a ton of work. So at the book's suggestion, I thought I'd take it slow and just try to hold Ruby over a little potty when she first woke up in the morning and just see what happened. I was really quite skeptical.

Well, I switched the light on and held her over the baby potty next to our bed, (just for fun, you know) and she started to cry. So I pulled her up a little and I hear two plop plops. Wha!!?? She had pooped and peed in the potty. Well, I put diapers on her and decided not to try again until tomorrow (and I was probably just really lucky this morning anyway...) so I put her down for a nap. While she was napping I decided it couldn't hurt to hold her over a potty after she got up again, so I did, and she pooped yet again. I just can't believe it.

(Later: She did it a third time after her 2nd nap! Peed and pooed. Amazing.)

On more child related things-- she just won't sit down. She won't bend her waist. She always wants to be standing or walking. She can crawl, but she wants me to hold her hands while she walks to whatever she wants. So bending (literally) to her every whim, I am her little chauffeur. Oochie my back.

Not a present

2007-10-10T08:25:00.001-07:00

So my parents are getting me a birthday gift, but it's really a gift for them. You know those? Heh. It's a camcorder. It's a sweet camcorder. It can take videos underwater. My mom is acting like this camera is going to be the way to get me to document every minute of Ruby's life. The RUBY SHOW. Oh well. There are worse things than having to tape my darling little girl, I suppose.

She's there

2007-10-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ruby started properly crawling yesterday. I thought this whole mobile baby thing would be more gradual, but no, it happens in a day. Now that she can crawl, the whole house is her oyster. No place is safe from the drooling child. As I type, she is trying to climb the stairs. AAAHHH!

Finally

2007-10-04T10:44:00.001-07:00

After 5 months of trying to get the sewer dudes to come out here, they are finally here.

I always forget how midwesterners say "root". I remember when the talkative sewer guy came out in April and he kept talking about turrets. I had to admit to him that I did not know what turrets were, and he looked at me like I was crazy. I finally understood that he meant tree roots. Oops.

Ick

2007-10-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Coco left me a lovely wet hairball at the end of the bed last night. It was disgusting and wet as I scooted off the bed to get Ruby. I thought it was poo, but thankfully, it was not. But still gross.

I started baking again at the May Day. Today, I couldn't finish in time, so Jonner took off for work, and I finished my shift with her on my back. It was actually better than when I was pregnant-- at least the weight was behind me and she wasn't in my way.

Wah!

2007-10-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you all. There is nothing quite so shocking as waking up to get your baby in the middle of the night, and seeing her standing in her crib for the first time.

A massage for Rimsky in the dead of night

2007-09-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I opened my eyes after nursing Ruby and saw her massaging Rimsky. Rimsky was purring and loving it. I was afraid that Ruby would get really excited and wake up, so I looked at her to check. She was fast asleep. I guess sometimes she waves her arms and massages cats in her sleep.

First kinda dirty day

2007-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

So after 6 months of a rather spotless existence, Ruby is finally getting dirty. And loving every bit of it. She got to sit on the sidewalk today and chew a variety of sticks with neighbor baby friend Oliver. Then she got to pull hair out of a variety of cats and dogs and put it in her mouth. Then we went over to Oliver's house and she slithered around on the floor and tasted all his toys.

When she came home, despite my constant wiping, her white onesie was gray and hairy, and her chin had sand on it, and her fingers and toes were full of lint, dog hair, and sand.

I've gotta let go a little. I like to think I'm being pretty easy going about the dirtiness, but the truth is, I really like clean Ruby. I mean, really really like clean Ruby. I can't even abide the boogers or a little snot. I've been wiping her nose religiously, and if she could, she'd strangle me.

She's almost there

2007-09-17T08:49:00.001-07:00

Oy

2007-09-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

So the last couple days, Ruby has been throwing what looks eerily close to tantrums. I don't know what happened, but she's awfully close to crawling and is always wanting to do things she can't. I know, the story of a baby's life. But it's driving her (and me) nuts! The back arching, the screaming, the hitting of the back of her head, more screaming...

Yesterday was particularly rough. She was rocking on all fours and her heavy little anchor head fell and hit the floor. She cut her lip on her sharp little top teeth and there was blood everywhere. She was fine after a little crying, but I was not. I was staring in shock at her sleeve turning all red, her mouth and fingers all covered in blood... why so much blood??? I was still freaking out while Ruby had moved on to happily chewing her new flap of skin.

Groan. She's up after sleeping a measly half hour.

It really helps that she's so cute, and she's mine.

Sleep sleep sleep

2007-09-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

So I have the sniffles again. I've been pretty healthy since I had Ruby, but when the sleep deprivation builds up, a cold seems to be inevitable. And considering that I haven't had an unbroken night's sleep in 6 months, I guess a couple mild colds are nothing. Of course, what really sucks is that it's almost impossible not to pass it on to Ruby. Oh well.

Camping was great except the mosquitoes. They were nuclear grade and out to kill. We couldn't stop talking about them and in a day the scales tipped from really annoying to unbearable. My fellow campers even had 100% Deet on them, and it didn't help. Fortunately, they seemed to be unable to get through Ruby's thick layer of fat and so she didn't get bit as much as the adults. We stayed both nights, but pretty much fled the campsite on Monday morning. We all had visions of swarms of mosquitoes following our cars out of the park.

We went on to Milwaukee and Chicago, and we visited the Aquarium. It was a great trip and Ruby couldn't have been better, but I never got enough sleep. To catch up, I slept for 12 hours last night (thanks to jonner), and I could easily do it again.