I should be in bed...

...but I'm not! I'm blogging! Shocker. I could be up for awhile with all this chocolate milk coursing through my veins (chocolate's caffeinated, right?). I did attempt to drink a glass of cherry wine from the Traverse City Cherry Festival from last year, but I made it through, um, half a glass before my eyes could barely hold themselves open. And then my darling dearest thought the other half would accent our white carpet nicely. Oops.

In other news, Baby B slept from 11:30pm until 5am this morning. Praise God. I'm not going to count on this being an every night occurence, but it was nice to get a semi-full night's sleep. I seriously can't complain though. He usually only gets up once between 2-4am and then sleeps until B leaves for work. Sigh. He's such a precious child. Five weeks tomorrow, you know? We're working on picking out birth announcements, and have chosen the picture for it. I'm dying to post it here, but then what fun would it be if you'd already seen it before you even got the announcement?

On the homefront, the hanging of the new glass door and the installation of the new door hardware has been postponed due to our incompetence in the area of door-hanging. Who knew you actually have to, like, drill holes and such? B and his dad are going to conquer this project together sometime in the next week. I'll let you know how it goes.

Okay, I'm off to bed.

PS. Say a prayer that a part-time kindergarten position opens up at school. I'll post more about this topic later... Night!

For the love of the softie...

Baby B comes by his love of the softie (i.e. burp cloth) honestly via Aunt Aubz. Do you see it??? We miss ya Camille!!!!

No Good Title Comes to Mind

Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time.

- Will Ferrell as Frank, Old School

This quote pretty much sums up this past weekend at the M household. In fact, I think we've been to Home Depot, um, 5 days in a row. And, we're totally going back tonight. We just can't get enough. Actually, we decided to do some much needed updates to the outside of our home. We re-landscaped, and are replacing our storm door, shutters, and mailbox. I'll have to post some before and after photos eventually.

I spent Saturday and Sunday planting and mulching. This is the second time we've mulched this year. The first batch of mulch petered out to a very dull, unmulchy color about a week after we laid it. Annoying. B spent Saturday and Sunday digging a moat, I mean edging. Here he is looking super proud of his impressive moat-digging skills:

Are you going to put crocodiles in there???

Yesterday was a great day. Why? Because Starbucks was giving away FREE Vivanno Smoothies if you showed your gym membership! I love me some free, so I called my momma, Chels, and Soph and we all met up for these deliciously FREE treats. And, guess what? They're going to be FREE every Tuesday! Can't beat that.

Soph, totally thinking she's taking a picture of me. Cutiepie.

I also bought some new decorating accessories from Kirkland's for jazzing up the living room. They have great sales there. Might do some thrifting today to see if I can find some other goodies for bee-yoo-tifying the home on a budget.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Ten on Tuesday

Top Ten Favorite Time Wasters

1. Doodling. Oh, how I love a good Sharpie and a blank piece of paper. Pure. Bliss.
2. Blog stalking. I could read about other people's lives for hours upon end. I'm nosy, what can I say?
3. Walking. (or waddling...still. I don't think my hip joints are ever going to recover.)
4. Reading. Love me some good summer novels. Jane Green. Sophie Kinsella. Judy Blume. Megan McCafferty. Ann Brashares.
5. Window shopping. Any store, any time, any place. I just enjoy looking. Okay, I buy things. Sometimes.
6. Napping with Baby B.
7. Two words: Celebrity. Gossip.
8. Bake sweet things that are soooo not good for my get-back-to-pre-baby-body diet.
9. Visit with my momma and/or my sisters.
10. House hunting. No, we're not looking to move any time soon, but how fun is it to browse through all the current listings and dream? This habit combines my love of window shopping with my nosiness. He he he.

And, per request, here is the original pic of Baby B before he was Warholized. Isn't he darling?

Baby B - Warholized...

Precious, just precious. Be jealous.

One Month Onesie

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy One Month Birthday, Baby B! Happy birthday to you!

Chuck, The Protector of the Pack-n-Play

As I mentioned last week in our zoo post, B insisted that he buy our infant son a cheetah stuffed animal. The Cheetah stuffed animal? The one that is $16? I asked. Why not a $4 cheetah figurine or a book about a cheetah that might enrich his intelligence in years to come? But, no, the cheetah stuffed animal it was. So our family adopted Chuck the Cheetah, as I have fondly named him. I think that B forsees a strong bond between Baby B and Chuck. Like Chuck will be the stuffed animal that Baby B becomes attached to and drags all over the place when he's two.

Well, despite my skepticism, adopting Chuck was a wise choice. He currently resides in the Pack-n-Play where Baby B takes his daily naps, and it appears that he actually enjoys Chuck's company.

Baby B + Chuck = BFF.

Hilarity in Parenting

Sweet Precious Boy

So Baby B does a lot of grunting. He sounds like he's channeling the velociraptor made famous in the first Jurassic Park. Sometimes it's accompanied with little baby farts, sometimes little baby farts plus little baby poop, or sometimes he does it just for amusement of his doting parents.

Being that I am a Google freak, I Googled grunting baby and found an enlightening article about Grunting Baby Syndrome. And then I proceeded to laugh my face off. Apparently, GBS - as it's commonly referred to - occurs when a baby will "push, squeeze, grunt, change color and carry on only to produce a soft bowel movement." This is not what had me laughing, as I figured this was most likely the cause of our little grunter's issues anyway. What cracks me up is the supposed cure for GBS that involves inducing a bowel movement using a cotton swab. This results in...brace yourself...an anal wink. HA! Analwinkanalwinkanalwink. He he he. I am still giggling.

I guess we'll take a little grunter over an anal winker any day.

Big B & Lil B doing what they do best

My little peanut (shirt courtesy of Nana K)

Ummmm, I don't think it gets any cuter than this...

Ten on Tuesday

After graduating from college three years ago (gasp!), my girlfriends and I would keep in touch by sending each other Top Ten Lists via email. These lists would include the Top Ten things going on in our lives, and were very fun to create and read.

- Time out : Baby B is telling me he's ready to wake up. I swear he knows when I'm busy doing something. Wait, it might be a false alarm... Nope, not a false alarm. Guess we're going to test my blogging while breastfeeding skills. -

So, anyway, I was getting around to explaining that I'm going to start posting a Top Ten on Tuesday after being re-inspired by this blog. Fun, huh?

Here's my first Top Ten:

10 Things I'm Not Good At...

1. Emptying the dryer in a timely manner. I can't stand to sacrifice more electricity to re-run the dryer again, so I usually just fold/hang a bunch of wrinkly clothes. Fortunately by the time we're ready to wear something, the article of clothing is mostly de-wrinkled. If not, then I'll throw it in the dryer with a damp washcloth for five minutes. Guess I'm not as green as I thought I was.
2. Gift-wrapping. I'm awful at it! I just don't have to coordination or patience to cut in a straight line, and then line up the paper with the pattern, and then tape it all together before it unwraps itself. I'm more of a gift-bagger. You can't really mess up tissue paper.
3. Mailing thank-you notes. I'm a great thank-you note writer, it's just the whole putting postage on them and actually getting them mailed that I'm bad at. Mostly because I rarely have more than 2 or 3 stamps since I pay most of our bills and do most correspondence online. My intentions are good, the note might just be a month or so delayed.
4. Sharing responsibility with others (i.e. group work). I'd rather just do it myself since, in my opinion, I'd probably do it better anyway. I think this is called micro-managing. I admit, it's a fault.
5. Returning books to the library on time. I just got a notice in the mail today that I have 3 books overdue. Oops! Well, in my own defense, they were 14-day check-outs, and I did have a baby in the time I was supposed to be reading them. So, they're un-read, and now they're late too. Guess I'll be funding yet another wing of the library...
6. Acting like I like a gift that I actually hate. I can't help it. I come by it honestly - inherited from my momma. I do attempt to act like I like it, but my fake cheerleader smile will only get me so far.
7. Taking unsolicited advice. For instance, during our staycation visit to Cracker Barrel, Ms. Cashier Lady decided to enlighten us with this piece of advice in regard to Baby B, "For future reference, you really should put socks on him. I know they always say to dress a baby as you'd dress yourself, but if you don't put socks on him he's probably going to get colicky." Uh, thanks. I'm sure that the extensive research you've done regarding colic totally allows you to bestow this gem of wisdom upon me. It didn't help that she was missing teeth too.
8. Balancing my checkbook. Omigosh, I am horrible at this! I will usually get on a kick and do a great job at it for, say, three weeks. Then, by week four, I've used my debit card forty-seven times, forgot to save my receipts, and bought something I'd rather not have a written record of (ha ha, j/k) and temporarily give up until I get the checkbook balancing bug again. But, alas, the cycle will inevitably repeat itself. (Who keeps a paper copy when you can just look it up online, anyway?!)
9. Checking my voicemails.
10. Remembering to bring my re-usable bags to the grocery. I bought them before Baby B came into the world. Guess how many times I've remembered to bring them to the store? Ummmm, zero times. My attempts at being green are such a failure.

Guarantee you that's a basket of wrinkly laundry on the coffee table...

Stranded...

The poor K fam is stranded in North Carolina :( Due to severe storms last night, the airline cancelled their flight home and put them up in the Sheraton in Charlotte. They supposedly fly out around 1pm, but of course we're expecting more severe thunderstorms after noon today. THEY'RE NEVER COMING HOME!!!

To make matters worse, Chels and Matt's video camera was stolen. This is the camera where they recorded vaca events specifically for me and B to see. And, they caught the culprit red-handed carrying Chels and Soph's bags from their hotel room and they hadn't even checked out (they were at IHOP with the rest of the fam). Of course, after searching the housekeeper's car they couldn't find it and poor Chels was left in tears.

Aubs said the whole ordeal turning into a regular old made-for-TV-movie at this point. Sounds like it to me...

Guess we've had a pretty tame staycation in comparison. Which, might I add, is over now. B went back to work this morning, much to mine and Baby B's displeasure. I keep begging him to change careers and become a teacher with me so we both can have summers off, but I don't think that's going to happen. I think Baby B and our nieces are are the only children he can tolerate for an extended time period.

Well, pending the weather, the highlight of my day is supposed to be meeting the fam at the airport today along with my trusty sidekick (Baby B). The sky is already clouding up though, so we'll see if they depart as scheduled. Say a prayer!

I'll leave you with the latest pic of my trusty sidekick (I'm such a poet). Isn't he the cutest?!

Staycation Day 7

Celebrating Baby B's 3 week birthday with dinner at Cheesecake Factory on Friday. Mmmmmmm!

Whoaaaa...momma needs to do some bicep curls! Does my arm really look like that?!

Life, Liberty, Beaches, & Pie OR Why My Husband is Awesome!

Yesterday, after a luxurious meal at Cracker Barrel (because what's a vacation without going to Cracker Barrel?!), B gave me a wonderful surprise - two boxes of gifts he had shipped from Cherry Republic! This included two bottles of cherry wine (red and sangria), chocolate covered cherries, cherry trailmix, cherry candies, dried cherries, and cherry gummies. How ironic is it that I just mentioned in yesterday's post how much I missed visiting Cherry Republic?

B and Baby B testing out a rocker at Cracker Barrel

B also surprised me with a gift for Baby B - a Redwings layette! This included a Wings outfit, booties, hat, and NHL bear. What's with the Michigan-themed gifts, you ask? B said, and I quote, "If we couldn't go to Michigan, I wanted to bring Michigan to you..."

All together now: "awwwwwwwwww...."

Isn't he great?! (He actually tried to get me a bag from Haystacks and a picture from Mary Frey too, but couldn't get them to email him back.)

A New Generation

Yesterday, the S Family, my mom's side of the family, welcomed a new little one into the world. My cousin, Kris, had a little baby girl - Maleah. This is the third second-cousin added to the brood in the past three months! Now there are four - Soph, Paisley, Baby B, and Maleah. Baby B's a little outnumbered, as you can see. And I truly think the fifth addition (coming January 2009) will likely be a girl too!

I can't wait for Baby B to meet his new cousins in August. A church full of babies is surely not what Dylan and Annie bargained for when they planned their wedding though! We'll apologize now for the pew pacing we'll be doing during your vows...

And can you imagine our G-burg vacation next year?!?! It's going to be overrun with toddlers!!!

Anyway, congrats Kris (and Liba, Beba, Aunt Heather, Uncle Brad, and Aunt Bre!).

Missing Michigan

This time last year, you wouldn't have found the entire K crew cruisin' the Carribbean - instead you would have found us walking the streets of Glen Arbor, Leland, Suttons Bay, and Traverse City. We'd be poolside at The Homestead or sipping icy cold cherry lemonade at Cherry Republic. Dinner on Sunday would have been at The Bluebird with Aunt Ann and Uncle Chris. B and I would venture into the studio of Mary Frey in Leland looking for another painting to add to our collection. We'd shop Fishtown looking for souvenirs sporting the tugboat emblem. And if it were 5-o-clock, you would find Gramma and Papa situated in "their" chairs, drinks in hand, awaiting for the rest of the family to trickle in from the beach to join them for cocktail hour at the Giza. Excursions to Pyramid Point would be planned, and we'd debate whether or not we'd be eating at Boonedock's on Friday night. And then it'd be Saturday and we'd all be wondering where the week went.

Our trips Up North have been a staple in my life since I was a little older than Baby B. It's so strange not to be there this week, seeing family that I usually only see once a year. And while Staycation 2008 really has been a blessing for our new family, I will anticipate our return to our Up North summer home in July 2009, and the new memories we will make with Baby B as we stroll around the beachtowns with him.

Until then, I will reminisce with these pics taken last year...

Staycation Day 5

Nothing too interesting to blog about today, so here's what we did on Staycation Day 5...

Since Baby B's umbilical cord finally made it's grand exit (amen), we were finally able to bathe him in the big blue tubby. No more sponge baths for you Baby Boy! As the pictures attest, he HATED bathtime. Can't say that I blame him considering he was probably a bit chilly since he wasn't fully submerged. Though we may have had PBJs and Pringles for dinner last night, our dessert was pretty spectacular. Betcha can't find Graeter's in the middle of the Carribbean, now can ya??? Baby B insisted that I have a Peachberry Sundae, and who am I to argue with a demanding infant? So, I indulged him and ordered this delightful seasonal specialty, while B stuck to the old chocolate shake staple. Afterwards, we visited Nana and Papa M's house where B played a hole in their backyard. Look at that swing!This is Baby B with Uncle Packy. Too cute!

Random Musings...

As new parents, one of the first things we're asked in regards to Baby B is: how's he sleeping? Well, up until last night, Baby B was doing exceptionally well in the sleeping department, feeding between 10 and 1am and then not waking up until 5 or 6am. So, of course, last night the little stinker was up crying loudly at 3am wondering where his mid-night feeding was. I know, this is normal...but he was doing so well! I guess that's what I get for bragging.

In other news, Staycation Day Four was relatively bland. We visited Papa M at work and showed Baby B off to B's fellow employees.

B had his hair cut and then we went to Meijer for diapers and Barnes and Nobles in pursuit of a book that of course wasn't in stock. However, the smoothies we bought from the Starbucks within B&N made it worth the trip. We topped the day off with takeout from Applebees courtesy of a giftcard from Auntie Allison. Thanks, Al! (I'm determined not to cook this week since we are on staycation!)

Oh, and we've found some sound entertainment for this weekend via this advertisement located in the parking lot of Meijer. We're rooting for Stamp Licker. Ahem, Stamp Lickage. So classy. He he he :)

We received this card in the mail from my mom. The resemblance to Baby B is hilarious.

It's a Zoo Out There!

The famous giraffe exhibit - B got to touch it's head!

Since Baby B joined our lives almost three weeks ago I've found that we now structure our day in three hour increments. Sometimes three and a half. Why, you ask? Well, Baby B is usually ready to eat by then, and if not then I often times need to arouse him from a deep baby sleep before my chest spontaneously combusts. If you've never nursed, this is the only way I can describe the sensation before you find that your boobs have taken on a mind of their own and will momentarily turn into milk geysers if they don't find relief. Sorry if that's a little TMI or if you think it's a little inappropriate to blog about boobs, but it's the truth.

Anyway, keeping in mind the three-hour-crunch, B and I have become pretty suave at conducting our lives within this span of time. For instance, yesterday - Staycation Day Three - we planned a most entertaining trip to the zoo. We accomplished seeing most of the sites within the two hours we alotted for the trip, and were home by dinner time - or at least dinner time according to Baby B. Baby B was probably the most well behaved child at the zoo (i.e. he slept the entire time, waking only for the photo-ops that his parents insisted upon).


Upon entering the zoo, we were instantly greeted by one of those comments that you cannot help but raise your eyebrows to and stifle a snicker. A man and his family were headed into the photo shop where you pick up the picture they snap of you as soon as you cross the threshhold between the parking lot and zoo territory. The rotund man, with an equally as rotund, bald head, looked to his wife and said, "Huh. Ya know, I didn't even think about that. I betcha my head is sunburnt." (Feel free to insert his unmistakable southern drawl here*.)

Now, how on earth could you forget that you're bald and maybe you should slather on some SPF 45 before spending the day beneath the scorching sun? Wouldn't that burning sensation radiating from your naked dome be indicative of this? B and I didn't even get to the zoo until almost four, and this man had obviously been there since probably 9am, so you do the math.

Here's. Your. Sign. Duh.

Anyway, the zoo was great and we ended the evening visiting with Nana and Papa M while we enjoyed an M family favorite - Dixie Chili. I'm more of a Skyline girl myself, but it was delicious nevertheless.

Oh, and lest I forget to tell you about the $16 Cheetah that my husband just had to purchase for Baby B. Add another stuffed animal to our stash, please.

Welp, I better be wrapping it up - my three hour time limit is about up!

*For all my readers who have charming southern accents, I am in no way equating the intelligence of this man with all people who speak with a southern drawl. I added it merely so you could imagine just how he said it. Love y'all!

This is Baby B impersonating his mommy. If you're familiar with Bluey and Whitey you know what I mean!

Stay-cation Days 1 & 2

Though it's no Royal Carribbean Cruise, we're enjoying our stay-cation at home. Brunch at First Watch yesterday...a walk last night...and lots of snuggling and bonding with Baby B!

Bon Voyage!

As many of you know, the entire K crew left this morning for a relaxing week in the Carribbean. As most of you also know, me, B, and Baby B were supposed to depart this morning along with them. However, we decided that with Baby B being so new to the world it might not be the best idea to take him cruising just yet. We took a raincheck on this cruise and have been promised by Gramma and Papa K that we will venture upon the seas in the future when Baby B is a little older.




It was a little bittersweet dropping the entire fam off at the airport this morning. Everyone was excited - even at 5am! Soph seemed a little overwhelmed, belted snuggly into her stroller, clad with paci and Puppy for comfort. Chels and Matt have promised to video during the trip so we can see all of the goings-on and memories we would otherwise miss out on. B and I have been promised souvenirs from the islands - a dress for me and a bottle of Tanqueray Ten for him.



**Update - the crew just landed safely in San Juan (1:30pm).**

In the mean time, B and I will enjoy our "stay-cation" with Baby B. B took off this week to stay at home with us, so we're looking forward to swimming at the M's pool, visiting with Nana and Papa M, dining out, and enjoying our time as a new little family.

So, Bon Voyage K Crew - we will miss you and are already anxiously anticipating your return!

And here is a pic of Baby B after bathtime today. He he he!

Two Weeks Already?

Sweet Baby B is two weeks old today, and is the most precious child ever (sigh).

Here's what I can tell you about him:

He is B's mini-me. From his adorable dimples, to his dark, spiky hair, to the same facial expressions, he is all B. Good thing I have a good-lookin' husband, huh?

He loves to snuggle up against your chest like a little bug. And will stay there, contentedly, for hours.

He has a great set of lungs and a big mouth (he certainly may have inherited that from his mommy...).

He's a great napper - another trait from his daddy ;)

His favorite story is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. (Though I will soon introduce him to my favorite Kevin Henkes characters, along with Doreen Cronin's crew.)

His favorite music group is the Dave Matthews Band. Obviously.

He can pee upwards out of his diaper. This certainly must be a talent. The diaper doesn't even get wet. Amazing.

He's totally a boob man. Not that he really has a choice since breastmilk is the entree du jour day after day.

He loves the Baby Bjorn (a.k.a. "man-pouch") and the sling I just received in the mail courtesy of my Gramma K.

He is terribly photogenic, as evidenced by the myriad of pictures suddenly taking up space on my hard drive.

Quit growing up so quick, Baby B!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 50th Birthday, Nana!