Reason # 2,679,000 why...

I love my husband....

We were enjoying a bottle of wine.... and he was finishing a ciggie on our balcony a few minutes ago. Travis was thoroughly entranced by The Wiggles.

Him: (very nonchalantly...) "I didn't think our fish in that dirty tank would outlive Saddam Hussein."

Me: Well, I didn't say anything. Instead I laughed so hard, I spit Chardonnay all over our 17 inch flat panel monitor.

Love him!

Stitch, bitch, and moan

Oh. My. GAWD! So. Freaking SORE!!! I only did 30 minutes of the workout this morning because, after doing most of it yesterday, I am seriously going to die! That ball workout KILLS your abs, thighs,butt, arms, chest, and obliques. Oh, and did I mention, it KILLS your abs? Oh, right. I did.

I knew it would be bad today... I started feeling sore last night. Anyway... what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, RIGHT? Well, in my case, it makes me bitch and moan a LOT! ;)

I FINALLY finished the "Magic Scarf" I've been working on for my mom. It's really nice, but one end is bound off too tight and doesn't really stretch open all the way. That's okay, because I doubt she'll be using it to cover her face.

I need to start another one for my mother-in-law.... but the hat I'm working on is taking up that loom. She wanted the width to be smaller than the big one that I used for my mom's scarf. I need to go to the craft store and pick up some more of the Moda Dea Swirl Rosette colored yarn for that hat, actually. Aren't the colors to die for? Plus, it's SOOOO soft.

I'm using Candy-Apple red Homespun yarn with this. Gorgeous, but really thick, so more suited as a very cold weather hat, actually. I'll make her a more lightweight one after I make her scarf.

I also picked up the Stitch 'n Bitch Knitting book last night at Borders. Hoooray for gift cards!!

I hope to be able to figure out the whole knitting with needles thing, so I don't feel like a knitting fraud, for using a loom. ;)

I do want to get some fine gauge sock looms, though. That would be SO cool, to be able to make socks. Ones for Travis and any future baby would be easy, since they're SO tiny!

Anyway, I need to throw in some laundry, before the pile overtakes our bedroom. Again.

Christmas Rocked!!!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!! :)

We certainly did. All were spoiled, and now, I'm exhausted. And, we have a cold. Well, at least Travis and I do. His is a runny nose, exclusively. I feel ickish, and a sore throat. Mostly okay, though.... but I had a lame headache most of the day yesterday. I swear I feel like I have a cold every other week. Sigh.

The good part was, it sucked weatehr-wise here, so yesterday afternoon, Travis and I took a nice long nap together. That was really nice.

Then, Jeff came home an we went to town on his room, and the hall closet.

We bought Travis a twin bed, and it's being delivered today. Also, SBC is coming out to check on why the hell our DSL sucks so much ass. So, the "we'll be there between 12:00 and 4:00" window means we need to be home. Plus, it's been raining all morning. Better to be home, anyway.

I got up early - thanks to Travis. He was demanding "Laaa Laaa! Laa Laa!!" (water) at the top of his lungs before 7:00 am.

Yup!

Then I got up and did my new Windso Pilates ball workout DVD. I asked for a Windsor DVD, and it was gifted by my Brother-in-law. I laughed when he told me he had such a hard time finding it. Picture a tall, thin 24-year-old guy trying to locate this for my Christams gift. LOL! It was balanced out nicely by his other gift: Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook. So, make these yummy recipes, and get your ass into shape!!

:)
My Christmas haul list: Windsor DVD, Socks, Gift cards (Sephora, Borders, Macy's, Cost Plus World Market), Cookbooks (Barefoot Contessa, and the Sonoma Diet Cookbook). I also got the Sonoma Diet book and How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson with my Borders card.
Fluffy-ass pink bathrobe, (grandma-in-law) UC Santa Cruz banana slug slippers from my SIL.
Pyrex bowls & white wine glasses(MIL) , new Pyrex baking set + Wilton cooling rack, (Jeff), clothes - well actually, Jeff took Travis to the toy store so I could buy stuff including sexy NON-NURSING bras!!

Also, an awesome Gift card for the Culinary Institute of America's Wine Spectator Restaurant in Napa Valley from my MIL. We're going to use it when Travis is night-weaned, and do an overnight wine-tasting, dinner, cooking demonstrations, etc. YAY!!!!

Jeff: Da Ali G Show on DVD, A Nirvana Box-set, a leather Jacket, a black bathrobe, Gift cards (BevMo, Chili's, Starbucks), a Leatherman tool, wireless headphones for watching TV, and we got an iHome clock radio for our iPods. I got him "That's My Bush" on DVD, Lego Starwars for PS2 (for us both from Travis) and a wallet.

Travis, well, he got EVERYTHING!!! A million-billion toys, tons of puzzles, The Thomas Water Tower figure 8 with trains for his train table, books, clothes, a cool Melissa & Doug wooden shape sorter, Play-Doh EZ2Do Set, Elmo's World DVDs, Elmo Aqua Doodle, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cd, Mickey Counting Car, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse hooded towel, Little Einsteins and Mickey sheet sets, a plush "Rocket" from Little Einsteins, and basically a million other things that he loves.

So, yeah. We are incredibly lucky to have family who obviously like us just a little, tiny, bit! ;)

Shy smiley.

Shy smiley., originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

Wrapping gift in the morning sun.

Christmas Chaos!

Shopping, almost completed!!! Wrapping... well, just started, but damn. Contending with tantruming toddler in the middle of Borders this morning was lovely. Not sure was caused the Meltdown.... just everything, I guess. And, of course, he had the foulest poop ever - and necessitated a change on the passenger seat of my car, kicking, screaming, and Fuh-reaking out the entire time! And, to think... the morning started off so mellow... we Starbucked... White Peppermint Mocha for me, and Pumpkin Scone for him.

I packed him into the car, and we came home. I nursed him, and he crashed out hard.

Then, I bumped the Blackeyed Peas on my iPod while I attacked the mountain of gifts that need wrapping.

So, yeah. Getting there... still alive... and I need to upload more pictures to Flickr. I took some really cute ones of Travis this morning.

I still need to go to FedEx/Kinkos.... the manager called a bit ago - they FINALLY have my Family Christmas project completed, 3 days late. Oh, don't get me started on the HOUR I spent there last night with a hyper toddler while they were playing the CYA game. Ugh. They'd better give me a discount.

Speaking of FedEx... I had a really bizarre dream last night about Kevin Federline. I am not even going to attempt to go into it.... but, I didn't have sex with him, and he gave me a bunch of money. Weird, huh?

I think today is definately going to be a 2 mocha day.

Travis has got a brand new hat!

Cheeser!, originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

First hat I've made for Travis. It's been exactly a week today that I've been using my new Knifty Knitter loom. This is the 5th hat I've made. The first time I've done any purling, though. This is with Lion Homespun yarn in Delft Blue. I really ike it! It brings out the blue in his eyes.

Pensive.

Pensive., originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

I love his expression here.

Travis has got a brand new hat!

Travis has got a brand new hat!, originally uploaded by tjsmommabear.

Remember.....

I have a picture of you. It is hidden away in a secret drawer. You were so very tiny, only
7 1/2 weeks inside my womb at the time. It's all I have.... but it proves that you once existed. Your heartbeat wasn't detected again. I thought I was 12 weeks along, but you stopped growing at 9 weeks. 3 years ago.... It's eerie. Two days ago, the anniversary date passed. I remembered... and felt the most at peace than I have up until this point. I still wonder.... wonder what kind of person you would have been had your life been given the chance to thrive.

I look at Travis, a miracle. He reminds me every day how lucky I am. Even though the trials of toddlerhood... I know that getting here has taken a long time, and for that I am greatful. At the same time I am fearful. Fearful of the loss, most of all - fearful of it happening again when we start trying for another baby.

I am fearful of the way smelling Jessica McClintock perfume now makes me feel. I used to wear it all the time. Now, I can't. Not without thinking of you. Without thinking of the day we lost you. Sometimes, when I'm out in public, the scent will waft past me, from a stranger wearing it... For a moment, I am disarmed, vulnerable. My eyes will well up with tears. I still have a quarter of the bottle left. And it is there, right next to your picture. I remember.

Recovery!

Well, we were recovered last week.... but then we needed a week to recover. Heh. SO, all is well again! YAY! The Youngling is once again back on the Toddler Warpath. Which both sucks and is testament to him feeling much, much better.

Food is once again enjoyed with relish. Well, not pickle relish, but you get it.... He's eating 2 yogurts each morning. And P-Boo, and everything else - including spoonfuls of straight sour cream from our lunch out with my sister-in-law on Thursday. Which, really, is fine by me.... seeing as though he lost more than 10% of his body weight while sick. 4 pounds on a 30 pound kid. It was scary!

So, yeah. Sighing a sigh of relief! :)

I picked up a knitting loom last week. I'm addicted now. I've made 3 hats, and am starting a scarf today. It's nice, and relaxing. Plus, I'm making cute stuff. I'll post pictures when I'm feeling up to the task.

For now, I require a shower. It's been, oh, 3 days. Ick. And, then, I promised Travis I'd take him to see the fishies and the otters. Which means we'll stop at Starbucks on Cannery Row, and he'll get a cookie. I think I'll get a Gingerbread Latte. Yum.

Smooth

The theme at Mama Says Om this week is Smooth.
Travis has been sick with the stomach flu, and napping a lot.

I love his sweet, super-soft, and smooth tum-tum. He calls it his "tuh-tuh". Too cute!

Get better soon, little man!

Cautiously optimistic....

Well, after vomiting 6 times yesterday (yeah, I'm keeping count, so?) and more than that many diapers - am pleased to say (knocking on wood) that we've been vomit-free for almost 9 hours. Cross fingers!

He was doing so well, I mean no puke since like 10:00am. Jeff came home last night, and as I was in the middle of telling him the good news - HURL! Yep. More like dry heaving, but then he seemed fine.

I gave him some mashed potaoes for dinner, which he ate with gusto. (We had to make him slow down - he was so hungry from not eating all day.) And, then he asked to color in his Choo-choo (Thomas) coloring book and Jeff and I finished dinner. Not 5 minutes after leaving the table - HURL!

Damn it.

And then, a little while later (after nursing) and HURL! I mean, a LOT! Like, entirly over my shoulder, down my shirt and leg and bare feet.... necessitating a stripping off of all clothing an a 10:00pm shower for the both of us.

Last time was at 12:30 am.... and when he woke up at 6am loudly demanding "lala" (water) - I was filled with dread as I obliged. Carefully moderating how much he drank, in case it came right back up.

He watched the Wiggles, and some of that dumb Higglytown Heroes show, and fell back asleep. He's currently dozing on our bed. I'm listening to his sweet breath over the monitor.

I have already had coffee, and so far - today is already a better day than yesterday.