Well, here we are, north of the Mason-Dixon line! The trip up was quite the adventure: Ava was doing so awesome that we decided to drive straight through. Two words: BIG MISTAKE. Long story short, we figured because she was doing great with napping and playing in the car, we could just give her a bottle at bedtime and she'd sleep in the car seat and upon our arrival just transfer her to the crib. Unfortunately she's started to sleep on her side and she couldn't do that in the car seat and freaked out BIG TIME...she was trying so hard to sleep and couldn't, and then she'd just start screaming her head off. We finally got here at around 11:30 IL time (12:30 NC time, which is what Ava was on, a good four hours past her normal bedtime) and she was so overtired and upset that she pretty much screamed until about 2:30am. I felt soooo bad....we are definitely stopping on the way home!!! Poor baby. She slept about three hours and wanted to eat (on schecdule though, so that was actually good and is helping to get her back to normal) and then she went down for another three hours, and since then has been eating and napping normally and seeming much happier. My mom is sleeping (she worked a night shift last night since she wasn't expecting us until this afternoon) but so far she's enjoyed seeing the baby. :o)
That's it for now, the kid is napping and I'm starving. Could really go for a Portillo's chili cheese dog (no onions) but I'll settle for more Cheerios. For now.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Having skull (and other) issues
I have noticed recently that I don't have a very well-designed skull when it comes to coping with haircut mishaps. I've been wearing headbands a lot because it really helps make my hair look a little less poodle-ish, and I need all the help I can get, but there's a problem: the headbands are constantly trying to slide off. If I had a few well-placed lumps or indentations in my head it would really help. (And since I have thick, curly hair; nobody would ever notice that weirdness because it would be hidden.) I've drawn a sketch to illustrate my point:
(Of course, after obtaining a more efficient skull, I will try to obtain a more efficient means of drawing on the computer, because Microsoft Paint is just not cutting it, in my opinion....) The arrows are pointing to the proposed indentations that would help keep my headbands in place. OH, and as long as I'm designing things, I'd like to make a sign on a piece of cardboard and attach it to a stick. I want to keep it in my car and I want it to look like this:
I'm sick of almost getting killed five times a day by bubblehead soccer moms driving around their cute little SUVs and yapping on the phone! I would also like a catapult on the roof of my car that I could use to fling rocks at their windshields, but I'd make do with the sign for now. I know, I seem like a very angry person; but I swear I'm not--I'm actually quite pleasant as long as there aren't any idiots getting on my nerves. ;o)
(Of course, after obtaining a more efficient skull, I will try to obtain a more efficient means of drawing on the computer, because Microsoft Paint is just not cutting it, in my opinion....) The arrows are pointing to the proposed indentations that would help keep my headbands in place. OH, and as long as I'm designing things, I'd like to make a sign on a piece of cardboard and attach it to a stick. I want to keep it in my car and I want it to look like this:
I'm sick of almost getting killed five times a day by bubblehead soccer moms driving around their cute little SUVs and yapping on the phone! I would also like a catapult on the roof of my car that I could use to fling rocks at their windshields, but I'd make do with the sign for now. I know, I seem like a very angry person; but I swear I'm not--I'm actually quite pleasant as long as there aren't any idiots getting on my nerves. ;o)
Ava's Schedule
Thought I'd share what a typical (non-day care) day with Ava looks like:
6:15--Ava wakes up crying, wants to eat, gets a bottle (8 oz.)
6:30--back to bed
8:00--wakes up again, usually happy and "talking" to herself
8:00-10:00--plays in bouncer, on mat, watches Baby Einstein videos, plays on floor, and/or goes on a walk with Mommy. (Occasionally Daddy will get up and play with Ava during this time and let Mommy get a little extra sleep.)
10:00--meal time! Ava gets rice cereal, fruit, and a bottle (6 oz.).
10:30--morning nap
12:00 (approx.)--wakes up, either runs errands or goes to lunch with Mommy if she has plans, otherwise plays some more
1:30--bottle (7 oz.)
1:45--more playing, or going out and about if that did not happen earlier
3:00 (earlier or later depending on when the morning nap ended)--afternoon nap
4:00--wakes from nap, plays some more. Usually on a blanket on the floor for some reason. Occasionally we go to the pool.
5:00--Dinner! Just like 10am, it's rice cereal, fruit, and a 6 oz. bottle
5:30 (again, depends on previous naps)--goes down for a catnap, usually 30-45min.
6:30--hanging out with Mommy and Daddy, playing on mat, usually starting to get fussy
7:30-bath time! Ava loves her bath!
8:00--bottle (8 oz.) and reading with Mommy: right now we are reading "Goodnight Moon." We read it twice and then Ava gets to play with the book by herself, which means alternating between staring at the cover and chewing on the pages (it's a baby book so it's ok)
8:30--bedtime!
Different portions of the day can vary by about 1/2 hour, but usually no more than that. When Ava was just a couple months old I was gung-ho about putting her on a schedule but it just didn't work for us...I let her develop her own schedule (not to say we're obeying her every whim, she had to adapt to us and our schedules as well) and it's worked out great. Right now she's bouncing in her bouncy seat, chewing a toy, smiling, and growling at the TV. After her morning nap, we have a few errands to run to prepare for our trip to Chicago. I'm dying to get to the Fresh Market so we can have some fresh fruit to snack on during the car ride, but I guess I should wait until tomorrow so it's actually, well, FRESH. I'm also debating going for a manicure tomorrow, I have a wedding to go to on Saturday night. I don't mind doing the toes myself but I HATE doing my nails...usually I just keep them shaped and painted with clear polish so I don't actually have to do anything. I'm getting dressed up for the wedding so I assume I should probably have halfway decent nails too. Oh, and even when I get manicures, I don't care how good the salon claims to be, they rarely last more than 24 hours. :-P BLEH. (For some reason, it seems that North Carolina women have a big thing about their nails. Most of the women I know here who are actually from here spend a lot of time (and probably money) having their nails done: they get those acrylics or whatever. There's nothing wrong with that and they look very nice, but I think I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a file than go to all the trouble...!!! I'm more of a freak about finding someone to cut my hair properly I guess!)
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6:15--Ava wakes up crying, wants to eat, gets a bottle (8 oz.)
6:30--back to bed
8:00--wakes up again, usually happy and "talking" to herself
8:00-10:00--plays in bouncer, on mat, watches Baby Einstein videos, plays on floor, and/or goes on a walk with Mommy. (Occasionally Daddy will get up and play with Ava during this time and let Mommy get a little extra sleep.)
10:00--meal time! Ava gets rice cereal, fruit, and a bottle (6 oz.).
10:30--morning nap
12:00 (approx.)--wakes up, either runs errands or goes to lunch with Mommy if she has plans, otherwise plays some more
1:30--bottle (7 oz.)
1:45--more playing, or going out and about if that did not happen earlier
3:00 (earlier or later depending on when the morning nap ended)--afternoon nap
4:00--wakes from nap, plays some more. Usually on a blanket on the floor for some reason. Occasionally we go to the pool.
5:00--Dinner! Just like 10am, it's rice cereal, fruit, and a 6 oz. bottle
5:30 (again, depends on previous naps)--goes down for a catnap, usually 30-45min.
6:30--hanging out with Mommy and Daddy, playing on mat, usually starting to get fussy
7:30-bath time! Ava loves her bath!
8:00--bottle (8 oz.) and reading with Mommy: right now we are reading "Goodnight Moon." We read it twice and then Ava gets to play with the book by herself, which means alternating between staring at the cover and chewing on the pages (it's a baby book so it's ok)
8:30--bedtime!
Different portions of the day can vary by about 1/2 hour, but usually no more than that. When Ava was just a couple months old I was gung-ho about putting her on a schedule but it just didn't work for us...I let her develop her own schedule (not to say we're obeying her every whim, she had to adapt to us and our schedules as well) and it's worked out great. Right now she's bouncing in her bouncy seat, chewing a toy, smiling, and growling at the TV. After her morning nap, we have a few errands to run to prepare for our trip to Chicago. I'm dying to get to the Fresh Market so we can have some fresh fruit to snack on during the car ride, but I guess I should wait until tomorrow so it's actually, well, FRESH. I'm also debating going for a manicure tomorrow, I have a wedding to go to on Saturday night. I don't mind doing the toes myself but I HATE doing my nails...usually I just keep them shaped and painted with clear polish so I don't actually have to do anything. I'm getting dressed up for the wedding so I assume I should probably have halfway decent nails too. Oh, and even when I get manicures, I don't care how good the salon claims to be, they rarely last more than 24 hours. :-P BLEH. (For some reason, it seems that North Carolina women have a big thing about their nails. Most of the women I know here who are actually from here spend a lot of time (and probably money) having their nails done: they get those acrylics or whatever. There's nothing wrong with that and they look very nice, but I think I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a file than go to all the trouble...!!! I'm more of a freak about finding someone to cut my hair properly I guess!)
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
the non-Ava updates
Well, Ava has been down for about an hour (late morning nap) and we're waiting until she wakes up to go grab lunch, so here I am! Anyhow, in the (very tiny) non-Ava portion of our lives:
--Craig is feeling a little better but still tired and is anxious to get on with his life. Yesterday he wanted to mow the lawn, so I stole the lawnmower bag and took it with me while I went to lunch, ran errands, and tutored. Sorry, I'm putting my foot down, we don't need him hospitalized because he got bored!
--On Sunday, we leave for Chicago, yay! It's coming up too fast but at the same time not fast enough. Too fast because I have to pack and clean and get ready (and when we return I have only one week of break left!), not fast enough because I'm excited to see everyone. And get my hands on a Portillo's hot dog.
--I finished my first scrapbook! Well, as much as I can....I ran out of photos and have ordered more but there are two pages left. Cool!
--I ran into a guy yesterday that I went to college with...I knew that he and his wife and kids lived in the area but it was still cool. Weird in a way, to see people you haven't seen in years and now we're all grown up and reproducing and stuff... ;o)
--Craig is feeling a little better but still tired and is anxious to get on with his life. Yesterday he wanted to mow the lawn, so I stole the lawnmower bag and took it with me while I went to lunch, ran errands, and tutored. Sorry, I'm putting my foot down, we don't need him hospitalized because he got bored!
--On Sunday, we leave for Chicago, yay! It's coming up too fast but at the same time not fast enough. Too fast because I have to pack and clean and get ready (and when we return I have only one week of break left!), not fast enough because I'm excited to see everyone. And get my hands on a Portillo's hot dog.
--I finished my first scrapbook! Well, as much as I can....I ran out of photos and have ordered more but there are two pages left. Cool!
--I ran into a guy yesterday that I went to college with...I knew that he and his wife and kids lived in the area but it was still cool. Weird in a way, to see people you haven't seen in years and now we're all grown up and reproducing and stuff... ;o)
A few little Ava updates
This week has been a good one so far! Ava still has a little bit of a cough/congestion but the doctor DID say it would take a good ten days to clear up, and it's much better already. She's no longer waking up from coughing at night! She wakes up from time to time and lets out a few cries, but this is probably the equivalent of an adult talking in his or her sleep. It stinks that it wakes me up but as long as she doesn't let out a shriek (which happens sometimes), I can fall back asleep immediately. The shrieks wake me up with jolt of adrenaline and then it takes awhile for my body to calm down again...no biggie. We've also started more food this week: bananas. My mom told me to just buy a banana and mash it but 1.) I hate bananas so mashing one is more than I can stand, and 2.) I'm afraid I wouldn't get the consistency right. So I just went ahead and bought her organic baby food bananas (I'll be honest, I only bought organic because they didn't have regular bananas but gee, I'm sure it's not going to hurt her... ;o) Anyhow, she didn't seem to like them at first but is getting better about eating them mixed in with her cereal. Two more days and we can add another fruit, either apples or peaches....yum! She's also discovered her feet this week, and also discovered that she can fit them in her mouth. If you have kids or spend a lot of time around them, you know how utterly entertaining this is. I'll have to get a few pictures and post them.
Another discovery this week, and this isn't quite as fun or entertaining as bananas and feet--Ava has figured out how to scream. I don't mean doing the screaming/crying thing because she's really upset, I mean letting out high-pitched shrieks for no reason. I really thought kids started this around a year old, but obviously I don't know much....she lets out the scream when she's playing, or just sitting, or to add emphasis to the noises she makes when she wants attention. Sometimes it's funny but other times....HOLY CRAP. You know when you blow up a balloon and you don't tie the opening shut but instead you pull the opening in opposite directions so that the air leaks out slowly with a very loud, screechy noise? It's like that...
Last but not least--something else I thought wouldn't start until she was a year old--fake crying. I don't think she really even realizes she's doing it, because she does it when she wants attention but just can't seem to get any real tears going or any real emotion behind her "crying." She furrows her brow, sticks out her lower lip and makes a few crying sounds but it is SO OBVIOUS they aren't really cries, and there are no tears. It's pretty funny.
All right, I was going to do a few non-Ava news bits but the beast has awoken, so that will be later!
Another discovery this week, and this isn't quite as fun or entertaining as bananas and feet--Ava has figured out how to scream. I don't mean doing the screaming/crying thing because she's really upset, I mean letting out high-pitched shrieks for no reason. I really thought kids started this around a year old, but obviously I don't know much....she lets out the scream when she's playing, or just sitting, or to add emphasis to the noises she makes when she wants attention. Sometimes it's funny but other times....HOLY CRAP. You know when you blow up a balloon and you don't tie the opening shut but instead you pull the opening in opposite directions so that the air leaks out slowly with a very loud, screechy noise? It's like that...
Last but not least--something else I thought wouldn't start until she was a year old--fake crying. I don't think she really even realizes she's doing it, because she does it when she wants attention but just can't seem to get any real tears going or any real emotion behind her "crying." She furrows her brow, sticks out her lower lip and makes a few crying sounds but it is SO OBVIOUS they aren't really cries, and there are no tears. It's pretty funny.
All right, I was going to do a few non-Ava news bits but the beast has awoken, so that will be later!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
the hair nightmare
Allow me to vent for a moment. (As if you aren't used to it by now!)
I recently got a much-needed haircut. After calling my usual very awesome stylist and getting a voicemail message that said she was no longer cutting hair (at least for the time being, I know she's expecting a baby in the near future), I frantically emailed everyone at work for recommendations. Let me also say I have the worst luck with stylists, as soon as I find one I love, he or she inevitably leaves me. Why does this suck? Because I have curly hair and trying to find someone good at cutting curly hair is next to impossible. ANYHOW I decided to go with the salon three people recommended: I had said I was willing to spend up to $50 and this place was in the $40-50 range. Worth it if they can make my hair look good...so I called for an appointment and specifically asked for someone who was good at working with curly hair. (I also checked the prices on the website to be sure--the regular stylists charged starting at $40 and the owner charged $50, so I was figuring $40-45.) I got there and explained to the girl that I wasn't looking for a new style, I just wanted my hair cleaned up really well and layered in such a way to prevent the bottom from looking bushy and the top from looking flat.
I should have known from the shampoo that it was not going to be good: every good salon I've been to, they practically give you a scalp massage while washing the hair...at the last one, the shampoo girl would actually massage your neck for a minute after the wash! Not this one. Okay, well whatever, it's all about the haircut, right? Then, I should've known by her (lack of) conversational skills that it wasn't going to be good: she tried to engage me in conversation but it was VERY forced and she'd ask a question ("Are you from around here?", etc.) and I'd answer and try to get the conversation flowing but she wouldn't continue. Okay...yeah, maybe that's not important but it's not fun having your hair cut by someone who acts like she'd rather be eating bugs than cutting your hair. (The women in the chair next to us were talking about an upcoming wedding and my girl was like, "Everyone is getting married. I am SO NOT getting married." Bitter much?) Now, the girl cutting my hair looked like a blonde Kelly Osborne and seemed funky and cool and very indie-rock, and I understand I'm preppy and conventional and we were not destined to be best buds, but chatting couldn't hurt...yeesh. The cut itself didn't seem to bad, a little (okay, a lot) shorter than what I'm used to but it DID need to be cleaned up. I asked to have it blow-dried straight and again--the good stylists I've been to (probably everyone in the last 6 years) use a big round brush and mostly dry it that way, only resorting to the flat iron to touch it up at the end. That's actually how I do it myself, only it never comes out looking as good. This one? Not so much. She blow dried it into a big ball of frizz and then proceeded to attack it for a long time with a very tiny flat iron...okayyy I could have done that at home! But whatever, it was done. I went to pay and was charged $55....WTF? Why did I pay more for this girl to cut my hair than I would've paid for the OWNER to do it?!?!?! JEEZ! But again--if it looks good, I'll spend the money.
So the next day I wash my hair and use the diffuser to make it curly...it curled up VERY short and quite bushy. I'm not pleased but I know by now to give it a week....my last cut in March looked funny for a few days because that's how long it takes for it to get used to the new cut, then it looked awesome. This time? Nope. Over a week later and it's still short and bushy and I look OLD. I want to scream (and probably have a few times!)...UGH!!!! Luckily it looks fine straight but honestly? I could've gone to one of those discount places and gotten a trim for $15 if all I wanted to do was wear it straight. Plus summer in North Carolina is NOT the time to fight nature when it comes to your hair. Now I have to wait I don't know how long for it to grow, by then it'll be all fuzzy and annoying again, and I'll have to take a chance with another person. NOT. FUN.
Plus, Ava went back to sleeping horrible last night (but no coughing!) so I'm very tired and cranky and everything feels utterly hopeless when I'm tired. BLEH.
I recently got a much-needed haircut. After calling my usual very awesome stylist and getting a voicemail message that said she was no longer cutting hair (at least for the time being, I know she's expecting a baby in the near future), I frantically emailed everyone at work for recommendations. Let me also say I have the worst luck with stylists, as soon as I find one I love, he or she inevitably leaves me. Why does this suck? Because I have curly hair and trying to find someone good at cutting curly hair is next to impossible. ANYHOW I decided to go with the salon three people recommended: I had said I was willing to spend up to $50 and this place was in the $40-50 range. Worth it if they can make my hair look good...so I called for an appointment and specifically asked for someone who was good at working with curly hair. (I also checked the prices on the website to be sure--the regular stylists charged starting at $40 and the owner charged $50, so I was figuring $40-45.) I got there and explained to the girl that I wasn't looking for a new style, I just wanted my hair cleaned up really well and layered in such a way to prevent the bottom from looking bushy and the top from looking flat.
I should have known from the shampoo that it was not going to be good: every good salon I've been to, they practically give you a scalp massage while washing the hair...at the last one, the shampoo girl would actually massage your neck for a minute after the wash! Not this one. Okay, well whatever, it's all about the haircut, right? Then, I should've known by her (lack of) conversational skills that it wasn't going to be good: she tried to engage me in conversation but it was VERY forced and she'd ask a question ("Are you from around here?", etc.) and I'd answer and try to get the conversation flowing but she wouldn't continue. Okay...yeah, maybe that's not important but it's not fun having your hair cut by someone who acts like she'd rather be eating bugs than cutting your hair. (The women in the chair next to us were talking about an upcoming wedding and my girl was like, "Everyone is getting married. I am SO NOT getting married." Bitter much?) Now, the girl cutting my hair looked like a blonde Kelly Osborne and seemed funky and cool and very indie-rock, and I understand I'm preppy and conventional and we were not destined to be best buds, but chatting couldn't hurt...yeesh. The cut itself didn't seem to bad, a little (okay, a lot) shorter than what I'm used to but it DID need to be cleaned up. I asked to have it blow-dried straight and again--the good stylists I've been to (probably everyone in the last 6 years) use a big round brush and mostly dry it that way, only resorting to the flat iron to touch it up at the end. That's actually how I do it myself, only it never comes out looking as good. This one? Not so much. She blow dried it into a big ball of frizz and then proceeded to attack it for a long time with a very tiny flat iron...okayyy I could have done that at home! But whatever, it was done. I went to pay and was charged $55....WTF? Why did I pay more for this girl to cut my hair than I would've paid for the OWNER to do it?!?!?! JEEZ! But again--if it looks good, I'll spend the money.
So the next day I wash my hair and use the diffuser to make it curly...it curled up VERY short and quite bushy. I'm not pleased but I know by now to give it a week....my last cut in March looked funny for a few days because that's how long it takes for it to get used to the new cut, then it looked awesome. This time? Nope. Over a week later and it's still short and bushy and I look OLD. I want to scream (and probably have a few times!)...UGH!!!! Luckily it looks fine straight but honestly? I could've gone to one of those discount places and gotten a trim for $15 if all I wanted to do was wear it straight. Plus summer in North Carolina is NOT the time to fight nature when it comes to your hair. Now I have to wait I don't know how long for it to grow, by then it'll be all fuzzy and annoying again, and I'll have to take a chance with another person. NOT. FUN.
Plus, Ava went back to sleeping horrible last night (but no coughing!) so I'm very tired and cranky and everything feels utterly hopeless when I'm tired. BLEH.
Friday, June 20, 2008
finally....
We got a full night of sleep last night! I had Ava down at 9:00pm (later than usual because she took a really late nap) and she had one brief coughing fit at 7:00am but didn't actually wake up until 8:00 this morning! WOOHOO! And she woke up babbling away and happy instead of crying, which was adorable....I went in to get her out of the crib and she was so cute, I said, "HI BABY!!" and she gave me a big smile and then got shy and hid her face. We had breakfast (formula and some cereal, yummm....) and now she's happily bouncing away in her bouncer and watching Baby Einstein. I doubt 11 hours of sleep are going to be normal for her, but it was really nice last night...hopefully she'll at least go back to her usual 9 1/2. Although ten or eleven on a regular basis would be great...
That's all. We are meeting up with my aunt and uncle for lunch so that should be fun! Adios.
That's all. We are meeting up with my aunt and uncle for lunch so that should be fun! Adios.
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