Welcome, Paul.

You. All.

I love Ikea.

I have been there once before, but I was waddling through that giant mecca of inexpensive housewares seven months pregnant with my 1.5-year-old niece in tow and I just didn't really enjoy it all that much.

I went back there today with our little fam, and it was a great time. Baby B was excellent, and Big B wasn't too bad either. Of course, we spent much of our time dreaming of what we would do and should do, but ended up spending $50 mostly on Baby B in the end. I found a big, blue baby tubby to replace the beverage bucket that he was previously bathing in. And, of course, we can't go anywhere where there are stuffed animals and not buy one. Y'all, it's not me. It's my husband. He thinks that if we immerse Baby B into a crib of stuffed animals, he will emerge an animal-lover like he is. So, now we have Paul. He is a Polar Bear to add to the zoo of plush creatures that we already have stocking his toy bins. Leave it to us to go to the store for the decorating connoisseur, and leave with a baby bath, plastic containers, a roll of paper, tall beer glasses (I'm sure they have some fancy, Swedish name), and A POLAR BEAR NAMED PAUL. Seriously.
In other news, Baby B has decided that sleeping the right way in his bed is not quite as comfortable as sleeping, well, sideways. So, I have to go up and put him the right direction after he falls asleep. Gosh, he's cute.

I feel like I've been a very boring blogger lately, but my life has been pretty low-key this past week with me and Baby B being held captive by the snow and all. Maybe things will get more spicy when I return to my kindergarteners after being off school for NINE DAYS straight, lacking in my arsenal of Diet Coke products. (I'm totally out and I forgot to pick up a 12-pack when we hit Kroger tonight. Eek!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

Wow wow wow

Omigosh, friends of the Internet. You know I have been stuck inside my house too long when this happens:

Are you not completely shocked? I'm pretty shocked myself. And after I stripped the bed, put on clean sheets, and made it, I then dusted. What has gotten into me? Well, I did dust with the dirty pillow shams before chucking them in the laundry basket, but whatever. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time the bed was made. I just can't get over that.

I think the house is actually sparkling. I even lit some candles to add to its cleanliness. I might as well be at a classy spa in the mountains. If you'd like to visit, today would be a great day. Come on over. Just be sure to kick the snow off of your boots before you come in.

Snow, snow GO AWAY...

I just received the all-call that we're off school tomorrow. Again. The roads are still a mess and there are branches down all over the place. I am going a little stir-crazy being stuck in the house, so I'm kind of ready for the snow to vanish. Plus, I am down to my last Diet Coke which could prove potentially disastrous to my health (hellllooooooo caffeiene-deprivation headache!). B said he'd run out to replenish my stock, but I just couldn't let him go when he spent the past hour chipping ice chunks off of my car. What a guy. He's now laying on the couch with his hands thickly slathered with Eucerin and Aquafor. Bless his heart.

I am way too caught up on my household chores, btw. The laundry is finished. The house is clean. I made blueberry muffins, taco soup, and chili dip. I even shoveled the driveway yesterday. I might just have to plan a whole 'nother week of lesson plans to consider myself using these days off completely responsibly. Or not.

I am lovin' spending so much time with Baby B too, which totally reaffirms that I was made to be a mom. I do love my job, but I love being with my sweet precious so much more. I love sleeping in with him, feeding him breakfast, playing on the floor, singing silly songs, and just generally enjoying his daily cuteness. I feel so much better scheduled staying at home too. This week is going to spoil me. I can hardly wait for summer break.

In other news, Baby B had to give up his loaner baby tub since Sutton was born. So, what does his frugal mommy do? Oh, she just finds a handy-dandy beverage bucket and now we have ourselves a new tubby.

Be careful what you wish for

Yeah, it is really snowing here. We just endured 12 hours of freezing rain, and now we're expecting an additional 3-5 inches on top of the 6 inches we got yesterday. Interstates are closed, snow emergencies are listed for every county, and I am fearing that we're going to lose electricity at some point today since I can see the transformer sparking under the weight of the ice and snow. Scary. B's at work today, so pray that he makes it home safely. Baby B and I are just trying to stay warm. I wouldn't be surprised if we're off school the rest of the week.

School into June is just awesome.

Expectant Mommy Advice

Sometimes I find it hard to take advice from other people concerning Baby B. I want to tell them to zip it and mind their own darn business. I usually just politely smile, uncomfortably laugh, and move on. Despite this, I though I'd do a post about what has worked for me. Do with it what you will. It might be a little on the advicey-ish side.

1) If you are expecting, make a point to buy at least one or two packs of diapers every time you make a trip to the grocery. Not only does it make your pregnancy feel more real, but it also helps you stockpile before your bambino arrives. I would advise the same for wipes. Diapers and wipes are things that disappear FREQUENTLY when you have a kid. If you can combine a sale with a coupon, even better.

2) My favorite newborn diapers are Pampers Swaddlers. They are so soft on tiny hineys, AND they come with a really cool "pee indicator strip" on the front of the diaper that lets you know when the diaper needs to be changed. Yellow changes to blue? Bingo, bango - change that diaper! It's great.

3) Don't return bibs or socks that you get at a shower. You think you have enough? Guess what? YOU DON'T! Baby B wasn't really a spit-upper, but that kid can destroy a bib in one feeding now that he's eating cereal and babyfood. And, apparently our dryer is living on a feast of baby socks these days as I can never find matches.

4) Buy your kiddo some Robeez from the soft-soled collection. I think you can get knock-offs at Target which are much nicer on the budget and equally as cute. Baby B owns a pair for every stage of development from 0-18 months. Pediatricians recommend not to put your baby in shoes, so these soft, leather kicks are perfect. They help keep baby socks on (which are frequently kicked off) and keep sweet baby feet cozy when it's chilly outside.

5) Planning to nurse? Buy or borrow a My Brestfriend Nursing Pillow. I own a Boppy too, but the Brestfriend is great when you're first learning how to nurse because it provides incredible support and velcros under your bust. It's awesome, and though I only used it for the first month, I swear it helped me get the hang of nursing. It was recommended by our lactation consultant.

6) Sign up on every baby website that there is. They will frequently send you emails with coupons, along with coupons and samples sent directly to your house. Here's some of my favs:

• http://www.pampers.com/
• http://www.naturesgoodness.com/
• http://www.earthsbest.com/
• http://www.luvs.com/
• http://www.huggies.com/
• http://www.gerber.com/

7) Shop out of season. Right now, The Children's Place has a great sale (50% off!) on their sale items. You can purchase future clothes for your kiddos at a fraction of the price.

8) Don't let those shower giftcards burn a hole in your pocket. If you're like me when I was pregnant, you couldn't wait to shop for your little one. I spent about 80% of our giftcards before the baby came, sometimes frivolously, and then realized - uh oh - I could have used that to buy _____. Be patient.

9) Make sure all of your pacifiers and bottles are BPA free. Studies have linked BPA with developmental problems. When Baby B takes a bottle, it's an Avent BPA-free model. He seems to like it, even though it's honey-colored which makes it look dirty. It's not! It's just safe plastic. And, Avent refers to bottle nipples as "teats" which totally cracks me up. (If you're already using Avent bottles that are NOT BPA-free, simply return them - used - to Babies-R-Us where they will give you credit towards purchasing new BPA-free models. Call your store first to make sure they do this!)

10) Another nursing suggestion: BUY A MEDELA PUMP. Is it expensive? YES. Will you feel like a cow when it's attached to you? YES. Will your childless girlfriends make fun of you when you use it in front of them on girl's weekend? YES. Will you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it? YES! (I am not recommending you do this, but I totally borrowed mine from B's cousin. She used it over two years ago when she had her little boy. It still runs great and I complete sanitized everything before use. I did, however, buy my own bottles.)

I know there are a lot of mommies out there who read, so please feel free to offer your own suggestions of what worked for you.

PS. We're totally out on another Snow Day today! Yippeeeeeee :)

Snow Day #2

Well, I really wanted to title this post Behold the Wrath of the Prunes, but I opted for the reader friendly Snow Day #2 instead. The first title, while much catchier, describes how, um, well I'll just leave it up to your imagination. And, yes, it does involve babyfood of the prune persuasion and multiple diaper changes.

Baby B is sporting an aptly named onesie today that he got from his Aunt Katie - who, btw, will be doing her dental residency at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati! This is great news, and I'm so excited I'll have a fellow [almost] married friend in the tristate area. Speaking of pediatric dentistry, see if you can spot that lone tooth in the pic below. Its buddy is trying to pop up through too.
As the real blog title suggests, I'm off school today for Snow Day Numero Dos. Which is perfectly fine with me since it gives me bonus time to spend with my sweet precious. Love him. I also watched Sydney White (a cute, cliched sorority flick), completed loads of laundry (you should be proud), and indulged in some cheap thrills (i.e. coupon clipping). I'd say it's been a productive day.

Also, anytime I blog about impending snow storms cough, cough they never happen. So I will not say anything about the weather predictions for the next 48 hours. Not another word.

Stay safe fellow KYers!

It's All About Baby B & My Dog Wears T-Shirts

What these pictures tell you:

a) Leland has a shedding problem and my husband is creative.

b) My kid is cute.

c) So is my husband.

d) We don't feed Baby B, so he's forced to eat the remote control and his Robeez.

e) Strained peas are tolerated much better when you accessorize your nose with a big dollop.

f) We ride in style.

g) I have nothing better to post about today, and, again, my kid is cute :)

Let's be honest

I won my first blog award. Did you know there are such things? A reader (please tell me your name!) over at Lovely Chaos nominated me for the Honest Scrap Award. You can read about it over at her blog, so check it out.

Apparently, I have to list 10 honest facts about myself and then pass the award along to other blogs. I'm pretty honest on my blog, so this might be difficult. Well, no, probably not. I like to talk too much.

So, let's see here...10 things...10 things...10 things...

1) I have a strange obsession with horror movies. I love to be scared. My favorite is Silence of the Lambs, which never fails to FREAK. ME. OUT. I think it's because it could really happen. Which is actually very scary. And, no, I would NEVER like to be scared by Buffalo Bill in real life.

2) Um, I don't do laundry on a regular basis and the last time my bed was made was months ago. Are you cringing? We always have clean clothes, they're just on a three-week rotation. And my bed is never seen by ANYONE, so why waste the time? Just my own personal theories.

3) I love to make lists. Sometimes I wish I could blog solely in lists that listed the top ten things running through my mind at the moment. This could prove to be very random.

4) I eat chocolate milk. With a spoon. And now my husband does too. We're weird.

5) I asked B for this one, and he says, "I can't stand the way you load the dishwasher, your car is a friggin' mess, and everytime I come home from work the lid to mailbox is open. And I don't even say anything. I just put it down, day after day..." I think I am sensing a little hostility over the mailbox. I never even knew I did that.

6) I actually kind of like the taste of baby food. Particularly bananas, which most everyone [but me] agrees tastes like complete disgustingness. Squash, though, is horrid.

7) I love YA lit. That would be Young Adult Literature. I actually read the Gossip Girls series before it was on TV (did you know Jenny is actually supposed to be short and brunette?). I have pre-ordered my copy of Perfect Fifths, and am on Megan McCafferty's mailing list. I read Charmed Thirds on my honeymoon. My friends in college made fun of me. And I still don't care.

8) I had my tonsils removed when I was 19, and it was AWFUL. It might even rival childbirth. I was so sick of jello and pudding and popsicles and ice cream that my mom blended macaroni and cheese for me. It was disgusting, but I was craving salt. This surgery does not guarantee that you will be free of strep-throat for the rest of your life either, as evidenced by my illness earlier in the week.

9) I'm not a jewelry person, and was called out by a 6-year-old on it: Mrs. M, is that all the jewelry you have? Well, no, I just like my wedding rings, black hoop earrings, and Baby B necklace. Whatever. You're SIX.

10) I multitask to a fault. If I'm blogging I'm probably simultaneously on at least 2 other websites, watching TV, typing up a lesson plan, maybe nursing, and talking on my phone. That is bad. I need to not do that.

Okay, passing this award onto some fellow bloggers...Rach, Linz, Car, & Linz!

Hi, I'm new here...

Introducing...

Sutton Niklas

January 22, 2009

12:30pm

7 lbs 15 oz & 21 inches long

Congratulations, Chelsea, Matt, & Sophie!

PS. Doesn't momma look great?!

Blah blah blah

This pic is totally irrelevant to this post. It is just to precious not to post, though.

So it looks like someone punched me in the hiney. Hard. You see, instead of ten days worth of horse pills that I would inevitably forget to take, I opted for the forgetful-friendly penicillin shot that they give you in the you-know-where. That way I wouldn't have to think about it again.

Except I am thinking about it. Anytime I sleep on my right side ouch or bump into something ouch or look in the mirror and notice the bruise the size of a grapefruit taking over my hmmm-hmmm ouch. I mean, really, it looks awful.

My mom (of course I showed her) said that the nurse must have stuck me in the wrong place. How could it be the wrong place? It's not like trying to find a tiny vein on my wrist. Seriously.

Anyway...

What do you think of the new blog design? I was inspired by my cousin Heather over at The Whitehouse who recently reinvented her blog while waiting for Ashley to create her a new one. Ashley designed my former layout, and I may consult her again, but for now I'm enjoying messing around with it. I designed the header myself using Word and Paint. Not the easiest programs to work with, but totally doable. So, there you have it. My new blog. Let me know what you think. If you like the old one better, TOO BAD! Actually, I have no idea how to return it to its former state.

In other news, I will hopefully have a new nephew by this time tomorrow. Chels will go into L&D tomorrow at 6am for the lovely pitocin drip (ugh, GAG ME). I will post as soon as he arrives. I actually got the name "Abb-aratzi" at Sophie's delivery. I think I saw her before Chels did.

Happy Wednesday :)

Oh, yeah...

These are my Babbling Mascots. I made them. Using Paint. And they are cute and ugly, but I thought I needed some color.

The day has come

I have awaited this moment since the day I received the oversized box at my shower in April. And while I may have shed a tear or two over the removal of the pumpkin seat base from the backseat of my car, I did look forward to the day that Baby B would drive in style in this fine crafted piece of child restraint-ery. Yesterday was that day. The day I officially installed the Britax Marathon Cowmooflage Carseat into the backseat. The day my son became the man of the car. No more of that childish, toile print. That is for babies. Now this is a carseat.

Baby B obviously shares in my excitement. Oh, what cow-patterened goodness. Can you imagine how excited I'll be when he can ride a bike?

What are the odds?

So, I returned yesterday from a relaxing weekend with the girls to a very well taken care of Baby B and a very tired daddy. We all snuggled up together and took a nice afternoon nap that carried into the early evening. I wasn't feeling that great, and I knew that B could use a couple extra hours of sleep.

Baby B woke up feeling a little warm, so after feeding him I took his temperature only to find out that he had a 103 degree fever. Yikes. I would like to play it off that I was calm, cool, and collected, but I so wasn't. As the reading on the thermometer climbed, so did my emotions. With a shaky voice, I called the pediatrician who advised to rotate motrin and tylenol every three hours and bring him in in the morning. I, of course, let her know that I was a first-time (scared) mom so I could explain the tears on my end.

So I made both of us doctor's appointments this morning.

Baby B has double ear infections.

I have strep throat.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!

I am never leaving my house without my boys again. Or at least not for a long, long time.

I'll be back to regular, picture-laden posts as soon as everyone is feeling well again.

Bleh.

I'm sick and Baby B is sick. Not fun.

Will blog more later.

Night.

I'll meet you at the gym. Someday.

I tried on a swimsuit for the first time since Baby B arrived. My first reaction was to scream at the mirror, What?! How is this possible? I weigh less than BEFORE I had a baby! My second reaction was to dash off to T.J. Maxx and buy an affordable interim tankini until my flab disappears, er, I mean, until my confidence returns.

Previously, at nine months pregnant, I was sunning in a Lilly Pulitzer mu-mu-ish one piece. (Don't be fooled - I bought it for $16 off of eBay.) Not exactly attractive, but enough so that I could tolerate myself in the expectant weeks before my sweet precious made his arrival. I may have resembled an awkwardly clothed walrus, but at least I could be tan at delivery!

Anyway, the Lilly has since been shoved in a box with various maternity clothes that I don't hope to see again for a loooooong time (or maybe it's in a pile on the floor of the basement, whatever). Needless to say, I really don't want to be wearing it this weekend while hottubbin' with my girlfriends at the Lakehouse, nor do I want to don a bikini from the Before Baby era. Yet.

So, either I need to schedule liposuction for tomorrow or I need to accept the fact that nursing may encourage weight loss, but it certainly doesn't tone your abs, and surrender myself to a tasteful tankini in the meantime. With that said, I did buy two suits from T.J. Maxx last night, both which will be returned as soon as Baby B wakes up from his nap. So. Not. Cute.

Maybe I can just towel up, run real quick to the hot tub and get in before anyone sees me???? Lucky for me, I'll be at the Lakehouse with my best girls and they probably care less about what I look like.

Oh, and the Lakehouse trip? Yes, I'm leaving Baby B with B for, like, 36 hours or something. But that, my friends, is a whole 'nother post.

PS. I think that my post-baby body is TOTALLY worth my sweet precious...and a couple hundred extra crunches.

Backdated Post

Are you tired of me posting videos?

I just think that Baby B is cute and that regular doses of cuteness make everyone much more happier. (I know that is grammatically incorrect, Allison.) If you don't like videos of my darling Mr. Cuteness, then find another way to spend 1m44s of your life. If you do like videos of my darling Mr. Cuteness, then enjoy!

PS. My sister is having contractions! Tonight could be the night! Keep her in your prayers. Her official due date is the 25th, but baby boy may have other plans :)

Happy Birthday...

To my cleverly-funny, handsome, supportive, considerate, hardwood refinishin', milk drinkin', gin-and-tonic sippin', Banana Republic wearin', centrifuge sellin', animal lovin', soccer playin', candy eatin', Wii bowling winnin', most-wonderful fatherin' husband!

Love, Abby & Baby B

(You must read the above as if Clark Griswold were saying it when he described his boss who forfeited him his Christmas bonus on Christmas Vacation. Except say it much, much nicer.)

PS. This was one of three family pics from Christmas. B looked the best in this one, and since it is his birthday, I don't mind that most of my noggin is cut off.

Baby B blogs...

It's me, Baby B!

I am rocking out my 1980s cassette tape jammies in the above pic. They are from Target and they are pretty awesome. I will probably never know what a cassette is, but mommy says it reminds her of the days of New Kids on the Block and Amy Grant. I just like their vintage-y feel. You dig me?

After I tried applesauce for the first time (see above - I LOVED it), mommy put me down for my morning nap. When she came to get me up, this is what I looked like...

I somehow managed to kick my way out of the legs of these jammies, while they were still buttoned. Mommy thought this was extremely funny and I tried to explain to her that the cassettes reminded me of my favorite dance moves which I then tried to replicate. Finding it too difficult to bust a move in footed pajamas, I kicked my way out and moonwalked all over the pack-n-play (which I only sleep in for naps, I promise). What's more 1980s than Michael Jackson?

Did you know I got a wagon for Christmas? It is red and I love it.

I sit in here and play with toys while mommy pulls me all over the house. We have a good time walking between the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room - all within about 6 feet of one another. I pretend like I'm famous and wave wildly to my fans (Leland) as we tour the exotic kitchen. Mommy imagines that I will somehow figure out how to rig the wagon to my noble steed (Leland) when I'm about five to pull me around the neighborhood.

Also, my cousin Sophie came over to play recently. Supposedly her life is getting read to turn upside down, whatever that means. Something about a little brother arriving any day.

And, lastly, to Walker, Charlie, Kennedy, Emma, & Baby Kincer - BEWARE OF BABY FOOD. . Why didn't Paisley, Connor, or Austin warn me about this?????

Answered prayers

Rules of a Snow Day

1) Sleep in. Don't wake up until 9am when you're awaken by your darling baby, formerly sleeping next to you, who is now babbling about how he needs to eat. Now. Before he pulls out all of your hair.

2) Stay in your pajamas and fuzzy socks as long as possible. Don't fix your hair or put on makeup unless you have to. Same applies for darling baby. I wish my pjs had footies.

3) Watch Ellen, eat warm oatmeal, and drink lots and lots of delicious coffee since you have unlimited potty breaks. Unlike when you're at school and have, um, ZERO opportunities to use the restroom.

4) Catch up on the latest Blockbusters that you've rented from Netflix (thanks to your inlaws), while baby is napping. Or take a long shower despite what #2 says. When was the last time you didn't rush through a shower?

5) Try really hard to not do laundry or clean.

6) Void #5 after husband reads this and scolds you for spending your unscheduled day off doing absolutely nothing.

7) Bake something fun that makes you feel accomplished since you're really not doing much else today. I recommend homemade chocolate chip cookies that you can eat with your third, fourth, and fifth cup of coffee sometime after noon.

8) Okay, at least unload the dishwasher. It's either that or wash all current dirty dishes by hand which is completely unnecessary and time-wasting when modern technology is available to you.

9) Catch up on blog stalking since you never have time to read what's happening in complete strangers' lives. Oh wait, you always find time to do this. Scratch that and change it to something boring and necessary like pay bills. Add this to your list of daily accomplishments so you can convince your husband that you had a really productive day.

10) Interview your baby. Oh, and thank God for finally granting your county with a snow day :)

We're not camera shy

I noticed that I don't have too many pics of me and Baby B. I took some of us today. Unsuccessfully. I think I look rather horse-ish in the last picture.

If you're an amateur photographer with access to a super great camera and you can make a baby pay attention to you, please be in touch. And, you must be cheap.

Babbling Zebra

I don't really know what I want to tell you today, Internet. It was a relatively uneventful start to the second-half of the school year. I mean, really, nothing is coming to my head. Maybe I'll just do a random, numbered post. Let's see...

1) Baby B loves greenbeans. This kid hates bananas, but loves greenbeans. Is that odd?
2) B is still ripping up carpet. I'm okay with that. The bits of foam cushioning everywhere are driving me nutty, but whatever. The hardwood is beautiful and I love the aesthetic effect it's having no our house.
3) Spring Break is in 11 weeks. That's it: 11 weeks. Praise God.
4) Potential icy road conditions may occur in the morning. I'll believe it when I see it, Derek. You're still earning back my trust.
5) I'm actually kind of excited about watching The Bachelor tonight. I think he's a pretty sweet guy, and he has a son. Men can be pretty darling with their little ones (specifically my husband as the World's Best Dad to Baby B, but I'm just saying...).
6) I want Ohio State to lose tonight.
7) I made empanadas for dinner and they were super tasty. I ate three. Oink.
8) Ummmm, I'm running out of things to say.
9) B turns 27 on Saturday! Three years til 30. Eek!
10) One of my students told me that I looked like a zebra today. I was wearing a black/white, horizontally striped turtle neck. A great simile, if you ask me.
11) Must. Bake. Brownies. Rightnowatthisverymoment.

Off to indulge my alter-ego that is obsessed with all things fudgy and chocolatey. Night!

Thirsty

There is nothing to drink in our house tonight except Slimer-green kool-aid. I just can't convince myself to drink another Diet Coke today, especially so late, so I guess it's the artificially colored stuff. Saturdays are like the worst food/drink night in the Babbling household since grocery shopping just isn't a weekend priority anymore. I usually get to it sometime on Sunday after I examine the newest batch of coupons.

Actually, we wouldn't have such a beverage shortage in our house if my husband didn't consume liquid like a dehydrated camel in the Sahara. Seriously, we go through at least THREE gallons of milk a week, two Juicy Juices, and at least 2-3 pitchers of kool-aid. I am not exaggerating either when I tell you that it is all usually gone by WEDNESDAY. Is that normal? I might get a bowl or two of cereal out of the milk, but B pretty much drinks that by himself. It's ridiculous. I've even considered watering down the milk before to make it last longer! Shh, don't tell B! I just can't bring myself to spend a fourth of our grocery budget on milk alone. It's insane.

In other news, I go back to school in less than 36 hours and it's really freaking me out. I worked in my classroom today for a couple of hours and nearly had an anxiety attack just thinking about kids showing up in my room on Monday. There's just so much to do. So many ideas for lessons and interventions swirling around in my mind that I can barely piece together any coherent thoughts concerning curriculum and instruction. You would have thought that two weeks off would have given me just the refresher I needed to attack the second half of the year. Not so much.

It doesn't help that I've been spoiled to spend every day with my Baby B either. This has really made me consider whether or not I want to work next year. I love working part-time, but nothing beats spending everyday, all day with His Royal Cuteness. And goodness he is cute.

Speaking of his His Royal Cuteness, does anyone know where I can get a good noisemaker/white noise machine? All noise travels right up the stairs to Baby B's loft bedroom where he continues to wake up repeatedly when B and I are still awake. Our interim solution is to place our tower fan super close to his bed on high, hoping that its perpetual buzzing will lull and keep him asleep. And, yes, he is still sleeping in his crib. I've kept true to my word.

A random thought to avoid lesson planning

Do you have a uniform? You know, the one outfit in your wardrobe that you wear, like, all the time? Like you can't clean it fast enough so that you can repeat its use every day?

I, obviously, do. For me, it's black lycra, bootcut workout pants, a white tanktop (or black depending on what's clean), and a white maternity hoodie. Yes, you read that right: maternity. I just heart this hoodie so much because it is long enough to disguise the area around my midsection that is a wee bit stretched out from bearing a child for nine months. I make no apologies. I wish they made all tops longer. There is nothing worse than a top that rides up, exposing your midsection. Way too 90210 for me. I digress.

I can be seen in this outfit e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Lounging around the house, running errands, meeting friends for coffee, etc. It's perfect because it's cute and comfortable and still permits me to nurse with ease no matter where I may be. This is crucial to an outfit being successful in my book. Buttons are too complicated, nursing tops are terribly unfashionable, and turtlenecks are too turtle-y. And dresses certainly don't lend themselves to feeding Baby B unless I want to completely undress, in which case I would likely be thrown out of Starbucks for indecent exposure.

And you don't have to be a mom to where a uniform either. In college I totally rocked out the sweatpants and sorority tees for four straight years. I was at a complete loss when it suddenly became weird to be seen in a top advertising a formal from SIX YEARS AGO. Sigh. I'm getting old.

So tell me, and let's be honest - how many of you can relate - mom or not?

Auld Lang Syne

So, it's totally 2009.

2008 flew by at warp speed, and I can hardly believe that a year ago we didn't even know that we were going to have a sweet little baby boy in our lives. I was 16 weeks pregnant, battling endless nausea, and praising God that I could put the Christmas decorations away for fear that the wafting smell of cinnamon from our Yankee candles would induce another bout of gagging. I still can't stomach too-strong smelling cinnamon, and opted for the evergreen-scented variety this year. This was also the time of year that I had a strange obsession with all things citrus, and invested in pounds upon pounds of oranges that I insisted that B peel for me (it tasted so much better when he did so). I also watched my waist become non-existent, and fell in love with all things comfy and stretchy. Amen for spandex.

While it seemed that the first half of 2008 d-r-a-g-g-e-d by, the second half seemed to disappear in the cliched blink of an eye. I can't imagine that time is going to slow down much this year either, and that we will find ourselves one year from today expressing the same sentiment.

I predict 2009 to be one of the best yet, and I look forward to all that it will bring. I hope that you, too, have a fantastic 2009. Now, go watch the Rose Bowl Parade - since it's that or Judge Mathis - and have a great New Years Day!