Some Sex and the Suburbs

My Blog is Moving!!!

2009-06-16T10:58:00.004-06:00

I finally decided to combine this blog and my crafting blog into one new blog. So this blog will be going away shortly.

Check out my new blog: http://www.another-ordinary-life.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading!

My Life Has Gone Down The Toilet - Hooray!

2009-06-15T18:46:00.002-06:00

Today was a big day in our household - forgive me for the details / subject but this is what my life has come to. Chase told me that he needed to poop and when I took him to the potty - HE ACTUALLY POOPED IN THE POTTY!!! It was our first potty success. Unfortunately about 3 minutes later he said "mommy poop again" and being the naive person that I am, I figured since he had already gone he didn't need to go again - but sure enough about 1 minute later he pooped again in his diaper. Overall I still consider the experience a success. We still aren't "officially" potty training yet, we just talk about it a lot and squeal in delight when we have successes, but I'm pretty sure the real thing is coming soon *GULP - SCARY*. It's sad how when you become a parent the highlight of your day is watching someone else take a crap.

The other way in which my life has gone down the toilet (forgive me for whining but I can't help myself) is that this morning I woke up and my joint pain was so bad and I was so stiff that I couldn't straighten my knees. I spent the entire day hobbling around like an old person and it made me very grouchy. *sigh* If it is chronic fatigue syndrome I am 1.5 years down, with about 1.5 years to go...

40 Minutes Over That?!

2009-06-11T17:42:00.004-06:00

Wow - two blog entries in a day! I must be making up for lost time.

Yesterday Chase and I had quite the adventure. When we were leaving daycare Chase started pitching the biggest fit! I had to physically drag him in both arms out of daycare with him screaming down the halls (many a parent gave me the "I'm so glad that isn't me" look). I hauled him to the car only to find that he was kicking and pinching me so much that I couldn't get him in his car seat. So I sat and waited for about 10 minutes thinking that he would calm down - no such luck. I had to push the kiddo into his car seat and he proceeded to cry the entire way home. When we got home I put him in his crib where the tantrum continued for about 20 more minutes. Chase finally calmed his body down after quite the marathon tantrum. So I am sure you are asking yourself what could set off a 20 month year old and make them so mad as to warrant a 40 minute cry? The answer...a pair of 2 inch little rubber toys, one fire truck and one train, that mean old mommy made Chase leave at daycare...

Being the ENORMOUS chump that I am, I went out and bought Chase some of them today because he loved them so much. (We now have 90 tiny vehicles in case anyone needs any.)

Cookies for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

2009-06-11T08:17:00.005-06:00

Chase is an extremely picky eater. In fact he is vegetarian by his own choice (he won't touch a single type of meat). His favorite foods right now are tofu, edamame, olives, fruit, fries, and of course chocolate and Cheetos. Needless to say that since one of my paranoid mommy areas is him being "underweight" (in the 5th percentile) it bugs me when the kid won't eat ANYTHING for a meal. So I have recently implemented some trickery. Chase will often ask for cookies for a meal so I have started feeding him Clif bars and calling them cookies. Using this fabulous trick I am able to sneak 250 calories worth of protein and other fortified goodness into my skinny kiddo. I wonder what we will have to resort to next...

In other Chase news, now that we are planning on moving, I have been dreaming about decorating Chase's toddler room. I've decided that we are going for an ULTRA modern loft styled room. I want to do it in orange and white with maybe lime green accents. I think I want to paint a thick orange stripe in a white room and then paint white construction trucks in the orange stripe. Here are some of the things I am pondering purchasing....

This table and chair set comes in orange

I love this trundle bed

PS. After browsing through my blog recently I realized ALL of my entries are about Chase so I have decided to make the effort to start blogging about other things as well. I think the rest of my life just isn't that exciting (work, cleaning, illness, etc)...especially since my crafting has its own blog.

Hard Not to Laugh

2009-06-07T11:22:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from the other day of my sister, her daughter, and Chase... but the part of this entry worth reading is at the bottom...

The other day after bath for some reason Chase decided that he didn't want to put his diaper or PJs on. The result was the most spectacular tantrum Chase has had yet. He was screaming and crying and flopping around so much that Boris and I just couldn't get his diaper on him. So I picked him up and took him to his room and put him in his crib and told him that when he calmed down we would get in our PJs and go watch Thomas before bed. Completely naked, Chase proceeded to grab on to the crib bars and he started jumping up and down while screaming and crying. I could hardly stand it, it was so funny, do you think you could have contained yourself? I really should have gotten out the camera and taken pictures...

Can I Have Too Many Bags?

2009-05-31T10:51:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Boris went to the outlets to return some shoes that were giving him blisters and while he was there he saw that Coach was having a HUGE sale (everything was on sale with an additional 50% off the sale price). So needless to say Boris couldn't pass up the opportunity so I ended up with the below fabulous Coach bag. I am very excited about it but between all the bags I already own and the new ones I have been making I am starting to feel like I have too many! Is there such a thing?

Also since I never did a recap of my amazing 5 year anniversary trip here it is...

Boris and I went to the Broadmoor for our first night away from Chase - it ended up going well and we had an amazing time. The Spa was incredible and it was nice to just relax. I think I may have even hooked Boris on massages. Everyone was so nice there! The only negative side effect is that ever since our trip Chase has been super needy and he cries whenever anyone leaves...

Here is the bracelet Boris got me for our anniversary.

In parenting news Chase recently had his first time out. It looked something like this:

- Chase hits mommy (repeatedly)

- Mommy sits Chase on a stool where he flops about and whines

- When we calms down we talk about what happened and why he had to sit on the stool

- Chase gets out of timeout and says "NO HIT MOMMY" and proceeds to whack me again

- Chase ends up back in time out

- Repeat the last two steps for about 20 minutes

- Chase finally apologizes to Mommy and the hitting stops

- The next day Chase walks by the timeout stool and says "No hit mommy"

- Later that day Chase walks by the timeout stool and says "No hit mommy" he then proceeds to find me and whack me

- Chase is back in the timeout stool

- At this point Chase began trying to "get out" of time out but mommy was always there waiting to put him back in...the power struggles have begun - I just hope I can keep winning...

- Now the last stair in our house is also a timeout place because Chase is apparently in a hitting phase (he has tried to hit the dogs, Uncle, Daddy, Mommy, etc. and much to his annoyance he finds himself in timeout every time he hits)

Last but not least - a house update.

We have had two open houses and a bunch of showings - now I think we are just waiting for the right buyer. Very exciting, although I will say that selling a house is a huge pain!!! Here is the house that we plan on buying if ours ever sells. I've already started having fantasies about custom closet shelving, a non-hazardous second floor, a nice backyard, a craft room / playroom area, decorating Chase's toddler room, etc.

88%?! Really?!

2009-05-21T08:31:00.004-06:00

Apparently about 82% - 88% of married couples make it to their 5 year anniversary (this number was higher than I expected) - today B and I happily joined that group. It does feel like quite the accomplishment, 5 entire years of getting along nicely with someone else. I don't suppose that I necessarily imagined that by the age of 27 I would be having a 5 year wedding anniversary and that I would be chasing a 20 month old around the burbs. I think I expected that I would be living in a loft downtown doing some kind of high powered job. Funny how life works out.

Photo Shoot

2009-05-20T21:15:00.006-06:00

We recently had some professional photos of Chase taken - I am thrilled with how they turned out! If you like them check out Poucher Photography... the best part is that you get full rights to your photos so you can print as many as you like or email them around! If you want to see all of the pictures check out our family website.

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T19:45:00.002-06:00

This year for Mother's Day the first thing Chase said to me was "Happy Mommy's Day - I love you mommy!" What can be sweeter than that?!

Also, because I thought it was funny, here is what TV time looks like at our house...I swear it sucks a kid's brain out.

Give-Away

2009-05-08T08:18:00.002-06:00

So apparently Give-Aways are not the way to draw people to your blog =) - but it was an interesting experiment. I only had three people enter so they each get something - I am delivering the prizes via Capricious - congrats and thanks for entering!

In Chase news - the kiddo can finally consistently count to 10 and to my surprise he knows about half of his ABCs. The bad Chase news is that he is in another "No" phase, everything is "No Daddy" or "No Mommy", there is a lot of sass going around our house lately. We have even had a few tantrums because I said no and meant it and Chase wasn't pleased with the decision. Unfortunately Chase got stubbornness from both of his parents...

Restore-a-Finish / Potty Mouth

2009-05-04T07:49:00.004-06:00

This weekend while getting our house ready to sell I discovered one of the most amazing products! It is called Restore-a-Finish (but I hardly think the name does it justice - half way through the day we started referring to it as "Jesus Juice"). It is a $7 bottle that will remove any scratch, fading finish, or other issues on wooden surfaces. We did our kitchen cabinets along with every door in the house and everything looks new. I am not exaggerating - the stuff is AMAZING (if you saw it on a late night infomericial you would think they were full of ****)! It even took out the dog scratches all over the doors. The best part is how easy the stuff is to use - you just wipe it on and then wipe it off and you are done! No removing hardware or cabinet doors or anything. Like I said - amazing stuff - this is by far one of my new favorite products.

In other news, Chase has officially inherited my potty mouth. I definately have a tendency to curse a lot... I have been trying to do better around Chase but this weekend we caught Chase (on numerous occasions) banging his toys on the floor or wall and saying "Damn It Damn It Damn It". It is terrible - definately not a pride mommy moment - and it usually takes all my self-control not to laugh. I am trying to shift him to saying "Oh Goodness!" or "Goodness Gracious" which is hilarious when he says it but we haven't been that sucessful yet. He has been saying other funny things as well such as "I found it!" and "All better" - very cute.

PS. Lately Chase has been in a "mommy" phase where he always wants me - it is so nice when that happens - I always feel so loved. I'm sure we will shift back to a daddy phase soon but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Everyone Loves Free Stuff

2009-04-28T19:11:00.003-06:00

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, Philigry is doing a give-away. I decided that sounded like a lot of fun so I'm going to do one too (again not sure if enough people check out my blog but I thought I would give it a whirl).

- One entry for leaving a comment.

- An additional entry for each new person that leaves a comment saying that they heard about my blog from you (the new person and you will both get an entry).

- One entry for mentioning the give away on your blog (just be sure to leave me a comment letting me know you did that).

- One entry for checking out my Etsy shop (www.beyondimagination.etsy.com) - leave me a comment letting me know you did this too.

- I will do the drawing on May 8th.

I decided to go with jewelry since most of the people I know either knit, scrapbook, crochet, or sew so I figured anything I would give away in those areas people could make for themselves.

Also, I actually have 3 "prizes"... no winning more than once so there will be 3 winners.

Give-Away 1 - Two Scrabble Tile Pendants

Give-Away 2 - Book Thong

Give-Away 3 - Glass Tile pendant

Give-Away!

2009-04-28T08:39:00.005-06:00

One of the blogs that I follow (Philigry) is doing a free give-away! The fabric samples that she is giving away are really great - how exciting. It makes me think to myself that I should do one, then again I am not sure that I have a big enough of a blog following to make it worth it.

In other news, my life recently has been consumed by 1) a bummer of a flare in my illness - which I am blaming on the weather and 2) trying to decide what to do about our house. Do we buy an existing house, build a new house, or try to stay where we are and fix up the house? So many choices!!! It makes my brain hurt. Hopefully in the new week or two we will make a decision.

Lastly a Chase update. Chase has been adorable lately - that kid says the cutest things. He is starting to get better at sentences, today he said "I love you Mommy" - so sweet! His favorite book right now is "Katy No Pocket" and he is starting to become afraid of things. He is currently terrified of the picture of a T-Rex in one of his books.

It's Too Dark!!!

2009-04-18T19:17:00.006-06:00

I have the best Chase stories today. He was hilarious all day long.

Story 1: It's Too Dark!!!

This evening Chase was playing in our bed and he was making "caves and tunnels" in our bed covers. He kept going in the tunnel and wanting Boris and I to go in too. So I went in with him and pull down the covers a bit and his eyes got as huge as saucers and I asked Chase if he was scared and he said "YES!!! It's too dark!!!". After that he decided the dark was delightful and he spent them next half hour burying himself in the covers and covering his face. He his now a big fan of tunnels - I should get him a tent.

Story 2: Wipes for Everyone

Earlier Chase got ahold of a wet wipe and the first thing he did was go get his bear, wipe its butt and say "EWWW". He proceeded to do that a zillion times (I even have video footage of it). After that he used the wipe to clean the floors, carpet, couch, etc. Apparently being a neat freak is genetic and can be passed to ones children.

Story 3: Tickle Monster

Boris and I were tickling and rough housing with Chase and he would copy everything I did. So I sat on Boris's tummy and Chase sat right in front of me and jumped up and down on Daddy. Then I blew raspberries and Boris and Chase did the same. Then I said I was the tickle monster and started tickling Chase and now he runs after Boris and I saying "Tickle Tickle" and making little crab hands at us.

Story 4: Binkie Swear

Today Boris tried to teach Chase how to "pinky swear" so he kept saying "Chase to you pink swear?" and Chase said "Yes", pulled his "binkie" out of his mouth and gave it to Boris.

Easter

2009-04-12T20:36:00.004-06:00

Chase had quite the Easter experience this year. He is such a spoiled baby! In addition to his basket he ended up with Farm Mega Legos and a Thomas the Train set.

Here is Chase at the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. It was really fun and there were only 3 kids in the 0 - 2 year age bucket so they all ended up with a boat load of eggs. Chase didn't really get the hunt part at first - he would go pick up eggs and open them and let the contents drop to the floor. It wasn't until the very end that he started putting them in the bag. He did find the special silver egg which won him some sidewalk chalk.

This morning we started the day by giving Chase his Easter basket. He was very excited and he ended up dumping it all on the floor because he figure that it was the fastest way to get at everything. Our neighbor had given us a pair of Elmo slippers which we had put in the basket and Chase was thrilled and wanted to put them on right away. As soon as we put them on he decided that they were terrifying and he wanted them off - he is now scared of them (I think the stickers and candy and snacks were Chase's favorite part of his basket).

Later in the day the whole family came over for another Easter egg hunt (which Chase started before anyone arrived since the eggs were all over), brunch, and games. Chase had a splendid time and he received a singing Easter bunny which he enjoyed at first but is now scared of (that seemed to be a theme today).

New Interests

2009-04-05T16:14:00.002-06:00

Chase's new interests lately have been:

- Coloring with crayons

- Shapes (he knows hearts, stars, circles, and diamonds)

- Counting

- The dog bed

Out of Context

2009-03-27T13:56:00.004-06:00

Lately Chase has been saying things that if taken out of context may sound really bad.

"Shoot Up Please"
No - we don't have a drug problem...
My mom showed Chase how to shoot a Nerf dart gun that we have and Chase LOVES it. Well Boris taught him that when we shoot we shoot at the ceiling so we don't hit anyone. So now Chase runs around saying "Shoot Up Please Shoot Up Please!"

"Naked Baby in Bed"
No - we don't have inappropriate naked time at our house...
Somehow Chase learned what the word "naked" means so every time we get undressed for PJs or take a bath he says "Naked Chase" or "Naked Baby". So after a bath the other night I was in bed and we put Chase in bed in just a diaper next to me to snuggle. So now we have "Naked Baby Bed".

That's all I can think of right now but I'm sure there are other things that would be embarressing if Chase said them in public.

Blizzard

2009-03-27T12:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we got quite the snow storm - here are a few pictures of us from earlier this morning out in the snow.

Decline in Photos

2009-03-25T19:03:00.006-06:00

I recently realized that I don't take nearly as many pictures of Chase as I used to.

Chase watching TV.

I thought the below picture was hilarious.

Chase and I tried PhotoBooth for the first time tonight!

If Only I Were That Clever

2009-03-24T21:59:00.004-06:00

Capricious turned me on to the following Etsy site - I LOVE it and it is totally worth checking out. Everyone needs a little bit of snark in the their life!

www.neatthings.etsy.com

Terrible Twos - I hope I survive

2009-03-24T20:50:00.006-06:00

Chase just recently hit full on terrible twos (I swear it happened over night). This age is exhausting and definitely tries my patience!!! Here are some of the things Chase has started doing that makes me realize I need a parenting book ASAP!

- Chase will look at us and say "No Chase!" and then he will proceed to do something he shouldn't be doing such as throwing food on the floor or playing with an outlet.

- Chase has started throwing things at both people and dogs and he is so good at throwing that it really hurts!

- The poor dogs are constantly getting attacked by our 18 month old, he always wants to give them hugs and kisses, but just recently he also started to fight with the dogs for toys which usually leads to screaming at the dogs "NO BUGGY, NO JAXX!"

- There has been a lot of screaming in general...

- Whenever Chase gets mad (like if he is trying to do something he just can't quite do yet such as stacking cups from largest to smallest) he gets really frustrated and will either chuck whatever he is mad at across the room or he will scream at it (again with the screaming).

- We unfortunately spoiled Chase while he had Pneumonia and now at times he will stand in front of the TV and want us to turn it on "TV ON TV ON TV ON", he will then stand in front of the couch and say "Couch Couch Couch" until he is seated on the couch next to mom.

- If I hear "STICKER STICKER STICKER" or "SNACKS SNACKS SNACKS" one more time I may lose my mind (I'm sure it will happen tomorrow).

- Chase had his first public tantrum while we were leaving Target the other day.

But for all that I realized that nature is pretty darn sneaky because for every annoying thing Chase does he does an absolutely adorable thing that makes my heart melt (hence the survival of our species)...

*Sigh*

Non-Terrible Two Chase Moments:

- I have a polar bear collection from when I was a kid and Chase found the largest of the bears and he decided that it was the daddy bear since it was so big - he has since named the bear "Boris Bear" instead of daddy bear since Boris is his daddy's name.

- Chase has started to learn his colors, his favorites used to be red and pink but green and purple are now making a move into first.

- We like to build a lot of towers in our house (out of blocks, out of dice, out of Legos, out of anything that is stackable) and recently Chase has started copying whatever tower Boris or I build. If we build one that is two blocks wide and 4 tall he does the same, if we build a wall of 6 blocks across and 2 high he does that. If he isn't mimicking our towers he is adding to them - very sweet.

- For some reason Chase loves the map and backpack song from Dora the Explorer.

Wake Up Call

2009-03-22T10:58:00.003-06:00

Last night I was woken up in the middle of the night for the millionth time in the last year but this happened to involve being woken up in the WORST possible way - which is what inspired this blog entry.

The top 4 worst ways to be woken up:

4) Waking up to a crying kiddo is so exhausting - not that it is really such a terrible way to wake up it's just that if you wake up once to a crying kid most likely the scenario will repeat itself numerous times that night. Also once I've been woken up in this method I tend to lay in a half sleep with my mommy senses somewhat listening for more crying all night long. The other bummer about waking up in this fashion is that it requires the long walk down the hall to kiddo's room... which is the worst part when you are groggy.

3) I recently found that one of the most irritating ways to be woken up is to the hacking of your own cough or to the hacking of a spouses cough.

2) I HATE waking up to a wrong number phone call... whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night I jerk awake and my heart starts racing and I run through all the bad things that may have happened that would require someone to call at 2 am. It always takes me FOREVER to fall back asleep after a middle of the night call.

1) The number 1 worst way to be woken up in the middle of the night is to sound of a dog dry heaving in preparation to barf. For all you dog owners out there I'm sure you can relate to that ever so pleasant sound that sends you flying out of bed in hopes of catching the vomit in some kind of towel before it ends up all over the carpet.

Sometimes I forget what a good night's sleep feels like...

Trouble!!!

2009-03-21T09:30:00.002-06:00

This morning Chase managed to get in all sorts of trouble...

The most disturbing thing is that he learned how to open doors. He can now escape any room we shut him into! Time for child locks...we are in fact going to go purchase more of them this afternoon.

Funny things Chase said in the last few days:

- Yesterday Chase was throwing goldfish on the floor and watching the dogs eat them and I said "Oh shoot!!!" and Chase looked at me and said "Oh shoot! Buggy eat it!"

- This morning I woke up to Chase saying "Tiptoe Tiptoe Tiptoe" (which is what they say in the bear hunt book when they are in the cave looking for the bear)

Here is Chase after dumping an entire box of Corn Pops onto he couch - he thought it was a brilliant idea.

Here is Chase practicing escaping with his newly discovered door opening skills...

Not Exactly a Shinning Motherhood Moment

2009-03-16T18:00:00.003-06:00

If Cheetos are good, and chocolate is good, what can be better than chocolate on Cheetos???

Poor Chase caught whatever horrible illness Boris and I are still recovering from - only he also got the vomiting variation. I felt so bad for him with his little baby fever that I decide (in one of my weak mommy moments) that Chase having juice, apple, bread, Cheetos, and cake with chocolate frosting for dinner was some how acceptable. I know I know, like I said, not my best moment...

Anyways, about half way through enjoying his meal, while Boris was doing the dishes, we turned around to catch Chase dipping his Cheetos in the left over chocolate frosting on his high chair tray - EWWWW. He then sighed a huge sigh looked at us and said "YUMMY!!!" (see, being sick isn't ALL bad when you're 17 months old). Boris later pointed out that if Chase throws up again it will be rather spectacular considering his dinner.

A 1 Year Old's Mess

2009-03-14T10:13:00.003-06:00

So in the mornings when Boris and I are trying to sneak another 30 minutes of sleep out of the day we often put some dry cereal in Chase's toy garage so that he can feed himself and play in our room while we steal a few more moments of rest. Well earlier today while I was in the shower apparently Chase ran out of cereal and decided it was a good idea to fill the garage himself. He took the cereal bag, unclipped it, and dumped the entire thing into his garage...

When Boris and I asked him what happened he looked at us and said something like "Uh Oh, No Chase, Mess".

He later tried to help clean up by eating up his mess from the floor.

Here is Chase trying on my socks...he does love pink!

The Ranting of a Sick Person

2009-03-12T12:17:00.004-06:00

Being that I am sick yet again, I have had plenty of time to surf the web from bed today - which has made me realize quite a few things...

- While surfing today I actually got around to looking at my favorite blogs lists of favorite blogs (if that makes any sense) and that alone brought on a few conclusions...

1) There is NO way I can compete with a stay at home mom when it comes to crafting and baking - I kept looking at blog after blog and thinking to myself - wow I wish I had time to bake those amazing treats - or wow check out that quilt and sweater so and so made - or wow I wish I had time to take Chase to do those amazing activities - and then it dawned on me... I don't have time to do those things not because I'm lazy, or because I'm sick (granted that may have a little to do with it), or because there are a ton of better moms out there, but the main reason I can't do all those things is that I work 40 hours a week! I need to find some "working mom" blogs to check out so I can ease my mom guilt - then again do most full time working moms even blog - or is that also something they rarely have time to do?

2) I realized that although I am a modern urban loving chic, recently some of my friends (mainly suburbanbrunette and capricious) have started to wear off on me and I am starting to dig more country, shabby chic, retro, vintage stuff. Dang before you know it I'll be wearing floral dresses...

3) I realized that I should be really grateful that I have a helpful husband, and easy kiddo, lots of babysitting help from family, and uncle Griff (which is what we call Boris's best friend who is always helping us out) because without all of those above things I would never have time to even get to the hobbies that I do manage to get to. So thanks to everyone above for making my life a lot better than it could be!

4) The one thing that I realized that made me a little sad is that most blogs have TONS of blog followers - I can only think of maybe 10 - 15 people that regularly check my blog - all of whom which know me personally. So that started to make me wonder - how does one get a blog following - and do I even want one?

5) How do people stumble across these really fun blogs of people they don't know???

6) Maybe I should combine this blog and my crafting blog - everyone else has combined theirs....hrmmmmm...

- Moving on to other web surfing realizations...in my boredom I logged on to DeviantArt.com - which I have been neglecting for a long time...only to be reminded of how much I love that site! It is like Etsy for artwork - people can post their art and comment and each others stuff and even sell prints. If you have never checked it out it is worth doing.

- Lastly I realized, there are way too many good things to buy on Etsy. I could shop there all day!

PS. In other random news I think I have dog fever and new house fever.

Chase Moments

2009-03-10T15:58:00.005-06:00

So just recently it occurred to me that I am NEVER going to finish Chase's scrapbook - I just don't seem to find the time (or may I just don't seem to find the motivation). The sad thing is that if I wait too long to get around to it I will forget all of the adorable stories that I want to journal about. I think I am going to do a set of electronic scrapbooks for Chase and have them printed up in bound books for now because that is a lot faster. Then if I ever get around to finishing the actual paper scrapbook that will be nice but at least then I can stop worrying about it. With being sick there just isn't enough time to get to everything so I think this is one of those things I am going to cut myself slack on and go the easy way out... so here I come Apple store - printed baby books it is!

Since I am worrying about forgetting my cute Chase stories I thought I would add a few here - that way when I am trying to finish my books I can use my blog as a reminder.

Chase's Favorite Things:

- Stuffed Animals (Pinkie, Foo Foo, and Puppy are the current favorites)

- Fruit Snacks

- Chocolate (including milk, dark, chocolate milk, or anything that in fact resembles chocolate)

- The Bumble Bee Song

- The Bear Hunt Book

- Elephants, Monkeys, and Hippos (and I guess just animals in general)

- Trains and cars

- Stickers! Stickers! Stickers!

- Shoes (the boy LOVES shoes - his own, other people's, it doesn't matter - a shoe is a shoe)

- The color pink

- Chase really loves the men in his life: Uncle, Daddy, Pops, Papa, Jeff (or Beff as Chase calls him), Pouch

- Being outside / the park / walks / slides

Cute Things Chase Says:

- Thank you mama / Thank you daddy

- Any time you sing the "I've been working on the railroad song" when you get to the part where "Someone's in the kitchen" Chase always shouts "Pops" - apparently my dad (Pops) is in the kitchen

- Whenever he wakes up in the morning he says "All Done"

- He likes to sing the dinosaur song so he runs around saying "Here he comes" which is the first line of the song and then he wants us to name all the dinosaurs when we sing the song - Uncle dinosaur, mama dinosaur, daddy dinosaur, Chase dinosaur, Ah Ah dinosaur, Mammy dinosaur, Pops dinosaur, etc etc (and we usually have to to go through all of the family, his friends and teachers at daycare, our friends, and anyone else Chase can think of at the moment)

- Sometimes when I get him in the middle of the night when he wakes up he says "mama's bed"

- Chase calls graham crackers "Uncle Crackers"

Other Random Cute Things:

- Chase is very big on spinning and jumping (or trying to) right now

- In one of Chase's books the frog sticks out his tongue and says "Blah" so Chase always says "Blah" and waits for you to stick out your tongue so he can touch it

- Chase has been trying to count lately but he really only gets 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 right

- Chase is big on animal noises and he knows just about all of them now

- Chase playing the drums - need I say more

- Chase doing the "Wheels on the Bus" song - again need I say more? The best part is that now when you ask him what Chase says he says "Wha Wha Wha" and if you ask him what any adult says the answer is "Shhh Shhh Shhh"

- Chase loves to hug to dogs right now - Jaxx is okay with it but it is kind of freaking out Bugsy - he is also big on giving me kisses which I love

- Chase likes to talk to himself in the mirror

- The other day in the car a song came on and Chase started waving his fist in the air like a white man dance - it was freaking hilarious - Boris and I got him to do it again last night at home - I will try to get a video of it!

...I would have put up new pictures of Chase except that, oh yeah, I'm a clutz and I broke the lens on our nice camera so there are no new pictures....

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2009-03-04T20:55:00.003-07:00

After endless tests I think the doctors have finally settled on a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for me. The good news is that hopefully in a year or two I will get better - the bad news is that there isn't really much they can do for me... so off to acupuncture I go to try to get some relief from my symptoms... it is apparently to best option left since I don't seem to respond to medications (and the only ones left to try sound pretty scary). There is only so much time a day for sleeping so I need to figure out something that will help!

In Case I haven't Blogged Enough Today...

2009-02-28T16:24:00.002-07:00

I know I know it is my zillionth web update today...but I thought I would share some pictures since I so rarely take them anymore.

Capricious' Bad Influence

2009-02-28T12:29:00.003-07:00

Inspired by Capricious' blog entry about the store Anthropologies - I went today to look for a dress for an event I have coming up and ended up splurging more than I should have...the sad thing is there were a ton of other things I wanted to buy but I couldn't bear to spend that much on clothes. I wish that stored wasn't so expensive.

Here is the dress I bought for the event...I really like it - it even has pockets! I just hope I don't look too busty or pregnant in it.

Here is the cover up that I bought to wear over the dress - I swear it is cuter in person but it is not really my style (I am pondering returning it - but I needed something to match the dress)...

I bought the below shirt in grey (I liked the cream better but it was on sale in grey) - this was a totally unnecessary splurge but I loved it and Boris convinced me to buy it. Now I need a girls night to wear it to - it looks hot with a pair of jeans and heels.

This is the dress that I originally wanted and went to buy that they didn't have at the store that I am now pondering having them order for me...not that I need another dress but I love this dress more than any other dress I have seen in years! Which is saying a lot since I normally hate dresses but I can't stop thinking about this one...

Blogs

2009-02-27T20:18:00.002-07:00

I have recently started checking out blogs of people I don't know and I am finding that it is rather addicting...

My two favorite new additions are:

www.philigry.blogspot.com

www.lulubugjewelry.blogspot.com

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T11:05:00.003-07:00

For Valentine's Day this year we have been having quiet fun around our house. Last night and this morning we made crepes which were delicious! This morning we just had some family time - Chase and Boris got me the cutest little locket with pictures of Chase in it.

We were planning on decorating cookies with some friends but Chase had a bit of a fever this morning so all our plans were cancelled...but honestly it was probably good for us to have a mandatory day of relaxation!

Climbing

2009-02-13T07:31:00.001-07:00

Chase has recently become quite the dare devil. He has been standing on his hippo rocking chair and this morning we caught him climbing on top of the garage! Crazy kiddo...

Chase's Art

2009-02-12T17:12:00.003-07:00

I finally got around to scanning some of Chase's art!

Adorable Chase Moments

2009-02-05T12:06:00.003-07:00

I've been neglecting blogging lately so here are a few updates from the past few weeks. Mainly it is just a list of cute baby moments so I don't forget them later...(hopefully I haven't already listed all of these in previous entries).

1) The other day when Chase woke up (in our bed) he stood up on the bed looked down at us and said "Tall!" (He normally wakes us up by saying "baby all done" or "uh oh")

2) Chase is getting close to being able to count to 10! If we say one he will say "two" and then if you ask what is after two sometimes you get a "three" - he never really gets four or five but he does much better with 6 - 10. (Two is by far his favorite number, if you give him something he likes he always asks for "two" so he can have one in each hand.)

3) Chase has started singing along with songs. If you sing "Row row row your boat" sometimes he will chime in with "gently down the stream", other times he picks up at the "Merrily merrily merrily".

4) Chase is currently a fruit snack addict. He knows where we hide them and ALWAYS asks for "snacks". The only thing that can deter him from snacks is chocolate.

5) Chase has been in a phase where he keeps trying to feed people which usually involves him cramming soggy food bits into your mouth (and in Graham's case it often involves Chase trying to feed Graham dairy products and Graham trying to avoid them as not to die from eating them)

6) Chase has been LOVING bath time lately, if you even mention a bath he starts running up stairs and tries to climb into the tub.

7) Chase is still in love with Sponge Bob, balls, and pushing trucks and cars around.

8) Chase has been trying to jump lately which is just hilarious to watch.

9) Everything is still "Uncle Uncle Uncle" around our house - Chase does love his uncle Graham.

Chinese New Year

2009-01-27T11:11:00.003-07:00

This weekend my aunt hosted a Chinese New Year party and the whole family had a blast! There was a ton of good food, hilarious toddler moments, and gaming fun.

Chase received a present and he ended up LOVING the wrapping. He played hide and seek in bag and was just plain silly.

BOOOOO!

Uhoh where is Chase?!

WOOOOHOOO this bag is fun!

Chase also very much enjoyed the chocolate coins...I think I have a chocolate addict on my hands.

Here are Chase's favorite men...Uncle Griff, Dad, Uncle Jeff, and Pops...it appears we have added a "feel no evil" monkey to the bunch...

Blog Neglect

2009-01-14T08:03:00.003-07:00

I have decided that Boris and I probably have way too much going on right now! Granted I think we are both the type of people that like to stay busy. That being said I will probably be neglecting all of my pages for the next few weeks. I must say - Thank goodness for all of the babysitting help we receive or we would never be able to maintain our crazy lifestyles...here is some of what we have on our plate:

The "Must Dos"
- Work...Unfortunately both Boris and I have full time jobs that need to be attended to
- Chase Wrangling (Feeding, Changing, Bathing, Clipping Nails, etc)
- Quality Chase Time (Parks, Zoos, Reading, Playing, etc)
- Dog and Fish Care
- Visit with family (I guess this isn't a must do but for my personal happiness it is...)

The "I Probably Should Dos"
- Clean the house (which occasionally ends up in the "I Never Have Time To Dos")
- Go to the doctor and deal with my medical issues
- Get some sleep

The "Makes A Normal Life Insanely Busy Dos" - Why do I have so many of these?!?!?
- Maintaining a zillion websites (family page, three blogs, Etsy page, Facebook pages, etc)
- Writing an iPhone application
- Preparing for a Craft Fair (an other crafting adventures)
- Boris is in a band
- Handmaking gifts for people
- Getting together with friends

The "I Never Have Time To Dos" - Which makes me feel guilty...
- Cook
- Go to the Dentist (Which should be in the "I Must Dos" but that is regularly avoided)
- Exercise
- Care about my appearence (When was my last haircut?! Manicure - who needs those? You mean clothes should get washed regularly and should be in style???)
- Get enough sleep
- Read
- Watch TV (I want to watch all the Lost and Battlestar Galactic seasons but I hardly ever have time to watch anything!)

What's Hot and What's Not

2009-01-03T08:13:00.002-07:00

At work our team does this thing where we review "What's Hot and What's Not" - it is basically a way to quickly review what is going on with everyone without doing the typical painful "round robin". That being said, here is a "What's Hot and What's Not" update on Chase.

Hot:

- Chase has been doing this adorable thing lately where he describes anything he doesn't like or doesn't want as "hot" (which is what inspired this blog entry). We will be feeding him something and if he doesn't like it he says "hot" and refuses it. Or this morning he tripped over a cord and he pointed at the cord and said "hot". Apparently he things that the word "hot" means "bad". Hmmm maybe I can use this to my advantage and tell Chase that outlets are "hot".

- Chase has been introduced to Chocolate and he LOVES it. He says "choc-at" and gobbles it up. Very cute.

- Chase is in size 4 shoes!

- Chase LOVES Graham and while Graham was on vacation Chase would ask "Uncle? Uncle?". Now he asks "Uncle Uncle?" any time I pick him up from daycare or he wakes up in the morning. It is becoming on obsession. This morning I spent all morning listening to "Uncle? Da da? Uncle? Da da?" and I had to explain that Uncle isn't here and Daddy is asleep upstairs. Then it turned into "Da da Up Stairs? Uncle? Da da Up Stairs? Uncle?". Sometimes he even throws in a "Pops?" (which is how he refers to Grandma and Grandpa) or "Mo Mo" (which is our fish).

- Chase is finally old enough to enjoy playing with other kids - play dates here we come!

Not:

- Chase has learned the power of the word "No". So now when I put him in his crib for nap I leave the room to a chorus of "No No No". Or when I try to change his diaper - "No No No". *Sigh*.

- I think Chase is entering his terrible twos. The other day when we left the park he threw a full on tantrum because he didn't want to leave. He even refused to sit nicely in his car stroller so it took me forever to get him home because I had to either carry him or try to get him to walk (which usually resulted in him walking back towards the park and me having the pick him up again).

Here is an update on me.

Hot:

- I have been doing a lot of crafting which makes me very happy. Right now I am trying to crochet a bag - it is my first attempt at making my own pattern and it isn't really going well but I'm still excited.

- I have been kicking serious butt in Dominion lately. (Boris has been throwing fits about it).

- Hanging out with friends over break.

- I came up with a great idea for an iPhone app so Boris, Graham, and I are going to put it together! Boris is currently trying to learn how to program an app.

- My mom is back in town! Grandma baby sitting is the best!

Not:

- I am still sick and they have no idea what it is.

- I have to go back to work. The biggest bummer about this is that while I have been at home resting my life has actually gotten somewhat closer to a normal life but I know that as soon as I start exhausting myself with work my illness will once again kick my butt and it will be back to being in bed by 7 or 8pm. How depressing....

- I still can't exercise due to above mentioned illness.

- I am waiting for some craft supplies I ordered and they aren't here yet!!!

The Benefits of Rest

2008-12-29T07:21:00.003-07:00

So I recently learned something very interesting about my illness...

Last week I was in the midst of a couple week 101 fever streak and I had a terrible head cold on top of my usual fevers. I ended up staying in bed for days straight and doing pretty much nothing but resting. I didn't even craft because I was too sick to do that. Well the interesting thing was that after a few days of resting my fevers completely went away (for the first time in months I was a wonderful 98.6!). So being the genius that I am I decided - well hey, if I'm feeling better maybe I can exercise on the elliptical machine for a half an hour or so.

Unfortunately that brought my fevers back and I am now back into my state of chronic fevers all the time. Although we did prove Boris's theory wrong (that if I got really sick again maybe I would get better permanently). So here I am approaching my 1 year mark with my illness and we still have no diagnosis... it's a bit depressing ... now if only I could rest all day every day maybe I would feel better... too bad that isn't very realistic...

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T07:52:00.004-07:00

Christmas morning was so fun this year!

Chase woke up around 7am and we brought him to our bed but he was wide awake. We talked about Christmas a bit and when I asked Chase if he wanted his present he gave a huge body nod "YES!" and then he stood up on the bed and signed and said "More". So I asked if we should go open the presents and he got so excited and kept saying "Yes...More...Yes!"

He was very excited to see his new Hippo chair...

The gift that appears to have won the best gift of the year award is a close tie between Chase's new Sponge Bob books from Graham and the Tic Tac Toe game he got from Kathy last night. He spent he morning throwing the bean bags and playing a game he had made up yesterday where he stacks two bean bags together in his hand then holds them above his head and looks up at them until one falls. Very cute... By the end of the morning he had even figured out how to drag the table around the room.

Christmas Eve at Zoo Lights

2008-12-25T07:50:00.002-07:00

For Christmas Eve Boris, Chase, my mom, Leah, and I went to Zoo Lights and then we went to my aunt Kathy's house for an amazing dinner.

I think my favorite thing was the cider and cookies - Yum.

Chase loved to the Zoo and every time we saw an animal in lights he would roar at it or flap his arms in delight.

Mo Mo the Fish

2008-12-24T12:04:00.004-07:00

Here is my second blog for the day (I must admit the first one was more exciting but I thought it was important to include our new pet update).

Boris and I were originally talking about getting Chase a fish tank for Christmas but we couldn't come to an agreement about what size tank to get - I wanted a practical 3 gallon tank and Boris wanted a HUGE tank. Since we couldn't agree on what to get we kind of gave up on the idea.

But then yesterday on a whim, Boris and I bought Chase a Beta fish since it seemed like a good cheap and "easy to care for" solution. Boris decided to name the fish Mo Mo.

Chase loves Mo Mo and whenever the fish is hiding in the plant or not visible Chase shouts "Mo Mo All Gone?!" It is very cute. Sometimes he stands below the fireplace pointing at the tank saying "Mo Mo".

PS - Graham recently left to go visit his family for Christmas and poor Chase has been missing him. He keeps saying "Uncle? All gone? Uncle? Uncle?" It's really cute...

Purple Hippo

2008-12-24T11:53:00.005-07:00

This year for Hanukkah Boris and I gave Chase a giant purple hippo rocking chair...

He was really excited when we first brought it out and he stamped his feet and squealed in delight while we opened it.

Once the hippo was open it was a different story...

Chase was terrified of it and was shouting "No! No! No!" - below is a picture of him trying to crawl into my lap to escape the hippo.

After a few minutes of terror he finally adjusted to the hippo and was willing to give it hugs and pats but would NOT sit on it.

But for some unknown reason this morning Chase decided that he was over his fear of the hippo and decided to take him for a ride. He loves it and he giggles while he rocks on it.

Just wait until he opens the giant purple hippo matching chair tomorrow morning!

Spoiled Rotten

2008-12-14T17:17:00.005-07:00

(This is my third blog entry for today - a lot has happened in the last two days - be sure to read on - the next two entries are worth reading.)

Chase is so spoiled...I just can't help myself and apparently neither can other people...

We have already done a few Christmas exchanges this year and Chase has already gotten:

Hippo Chair and Hippo Rocker (well he will get that on Christmas from Boris and I)

Musical Instruments

New Blue Crocs with Jibbets

Sponge Bob Books

Stuff Sponge Bob

Smart E Bear

Hippo Ornament and Pink Sheep

Batman Car

Horton Hears a Who Movie set

Chase was very excited when he realized some of his presents were wrapped in Sponge Bob paper.

He kept looking in the box like "WOW check out how many there are".

He was very excited about his Sponge Bob books - they were a favorite.

He kept leaning in to get a closer look at Smart E bear which is a programmable bear that learns your kid's name and sings songs and plays games (and unfortunately when Boris and Graham tried to set it up they broke it).

Chase and Graham opening his stuffed Sponge Bob.

A Horrible Haircut

2008-12-14T17:09:00.006-07:00

Chase had his first haircut today...

Here is the before picture - Boris was beginning to be bothered by how long Chase's hair was...

So we arrived at the haircut place and everything was fine while Chase played in the play area but as soon as it was our turn and we put him in the car to have his hair cut he started screaming and crying.

He cried the entire time - we tired to bribe him with toys, our iPhones, a sucker, Jibbets, everything but nothing would comfort him. Even afterwards once they were finished he was still so upset we couldn't get a picture for his certificate.

Here is the after picture - he looks so much older and different to me. It made me a little sad.

PS - Graham gave Chase his sucker later this evening which he very much enjoyed.

Chase is Already a Criminal

2008-12-14T16:39:00.004-07:00

Notice Chase's adorable new Crocs... well there is a story that goes along with them...

Last night Chase received a pair of new Crocs (the kid has an obsession with Crocs and always screams in delight when he sees the Croc stand at mall). So while we were at the mall we thought that we would buy him some new Jibbets. I bought him a sheep, a Sponge Bob, a lizard, and a Boots the Monkey. Well after Jibbet shopping we went and let Chase play on the giant fruit at the mall - which is absolutely loved. The funny thing was that the entire time he played he had a death grip on his Sponge Bob and sheep Jibbet. He wouldn't let go of them. So we finally finished up playing and went home but when we got to the door to put on coats, Pops noticed that there was an additional big eyed puppy Jibbet. Well apparently Chase has snatched the Jibbet while I was looking at other ones without me realizing it and had shop lifted it! Whoops - my baby is already a criminal.

PS. Check out Chase's poor nose - he scratched it while playing yesterday...

Putting Up the Tree

2008-12-07T15:41:00.005-07:00

We put up our Christmas tree today (fake again - maybe one year we will actually get a real one) - here are a few photos of what Christmas tree decorating looks like out our house.

We start by hauling the tree out of the basement (well I make Boris do that but I'll still say "we"). Once the tree is up the OCD in Boris requires that we vacuum any fake pine needles that may have fallen off.

Chase, who spent his time running around wearing on old tree skirt like cape and getting Graham to fly him around like a super hero finally became interested in the tree once we turned on the lights. If you want to see more pictures of Chase in his cape check out our family site.

Next came the ornaments, which is always my favorite part. It brings back so many memories! I like to buy an ornament that represents every year so it is fun to get them back out. As you can see by the below picture the ornaments Chase put on the tree were basically thrown on with the hope that they would stick... he didn't get the "hang them on the tree" concept.

Once the ornaments were on Boris set up the train with Chase's help. Chase loved the train until we turned it on and it started making noise. He then decided that he was terrified of it.

Overall it was quite the adventure but I think the tree looks great. I always love having it up...

We All Fall Down

2008-12-07T09:54:00.003-07:00

Chase went to visit his Grammy yesterday and when Boris and I got there to pick him up he was playing the funniest game. My mom had set up an inflatable bed for my cousin who was staying over night in the basement. Chase would run into the closet, shut the door, open the door, run out, and do a belly flop on the air mattress. Then he would laugh hysterically, run around the bed into another closet, shut the door, open the door run out, and do another belly flop. He did this for about 15 minutes until he finally fell down and got a little bit of rug burn on his face. Grammy's house is soooo fun!

Sleepy Chase

2008-12-05T21:47:00.002-07:00

Poor little Chase had a rough day. He fell at daycare and bonked / scraped his head. Then when he got home he was so tired he fell asleep while he was on a walk with Boris.

Chase's new adorable phrase of the day: Oh Man!

Chase's "I'm in big trouble" moment of the week: The other night Chase snuck off to the laundry room and before Boris or I caught him he had managed to shove a few pieces of dog food into his mouth (he was very pleased with himself). It took us quite a bit of fighting with screaming baby to get the dog food back out of his mouth and by the time we did it was all soggy and gross...eww...

Scary Saint Nick

2008-12-04T15:53:00.003-07:00

At Chase's school they did pictures with Santa yesterday... apparently 1 year olds and Santa don't really mix... Below is our proof picture...

Snow! (...or bubbles...)

2008-11-30T11:35:00.003-07:00

Chase played in the snow for the first time yesterday. He still calls it bubbles and he was much more interested in the rocks than the actual snow but it was really cute. I don't think he really understood what to do in it...

Other cute things Chase has been doing lately:

- He will look at me before he does something he knows he shouldn't do (like feed his food to the dogs) and he will shake his finger at me and say "no no no" and then do whatever he was going to do anyways

- He carries around our iPhones like a boom box and dances to the music

- When he reads the Spot book every time we lift a tab that Spot isn't under he shouts "NO!"

- He has stinky little boy feet and one of his favorite games is smelling his feet and saying "EWWWW"

A Love of Crocs

2008-11-25T07:29:00.003-07:00

Chase is in love with Crocs...

Every time we go by the Croc cart at a mall he points at the Crocs and asks for more and cries when we leave. He has also taken up the habit of carrying our Crocs around the house. The most recent adorable Croc loving thing that Chase has started doing is that every morning he puts on Boris' Crocs. It is adorable.

Build a Bear

2008-11-24T21:13:00.002-07:00

Last weekend, Boris, Graham, and I took Chase to the Build-a-Bear workshop so that he could pick out a bear. We went in and showed Chase all of the different bears. To Boris' horror Chase did indeed fall in love with a bear - it just happened to be the pink bear with hearts all over it. No matter how many times we tried to convince him to pick another bear, he kept going back to the pink bear. He would hug it and snuggle it and whack away any other bear we showed him. We even took him to the section with the dressed up bears and he still managed to find the only pink heart bear in the bunch.

Graham and I tried to convince Boris to get the pink bear but he just couldn't do it...the only other bear that Chase showed any interest in was a neon blue bear with silver sparkles in its fur... Needless to say, we left the workshop without a bear...

Twilight - On the Big Screen

2008-11-21T11:02:00.003-07:00

Last night I did something very out of character and I stayed up and went to the 12:01 showing of the movie Twilight. It was very fun - although it did remind me why I usually try to avoid movies swarming with young girls - and it also made me wonder "what are some parents thinking letting a kid that young out on a school night?!" (I mean there were like 7 year olds there).

I am a complete Twilight addict and I loved the books so of course the movie was a little disappointing. It was okay but I think they had a hard time capturing Bella and Edward's relationship. In the book the relationship starts out a bit uncomfortable and awkward but as the book progresses it grows in to a really close intimate relationship where the two characters really understand and know each other and do fall in love. In the movie I felt like they were "trying too hard / acting too much" which made everything feel a little too forced and the relationship never grew past the uncomfortable stage for me. Also, I think Bella's character seemed too fearful which was not something that I really picked up about her in the book. I would also say they missed the boat a little bit with a couple of the other characters and relationships but it is hard to fit all of that into a movie. This is the problem with reading a book and then seeing a movie - it is just too hard to fit all of that character development into 2 hours.

I was also a little disappointed in some of the casting choices (specifically for Edward)...

But for all my complaining I'm glad I went, I had a great time and overall the movie was okay.

Holiday Rush

2008-11-17T08:02:00.003-07:00

Based on blogs and emails it sounds like everyone I know is basking in holiday cheer - for some reason the holidays don't have quite the same effect on me....

To me the holidays are crowds at the malls, massive lists of things that need to get done, and dates that creep up on me way faster than they should. It's only mid-November and I'm already freaking out about how I need to reserve a turkey and ham for Thanksgiving, how I need to start / finish Christmas shopping, whether nor not I should make holiday cookies or holiday cards this year, how I'm going to make this year special for Chase, how I need to decorate, how we are going to budget for the extra holiday spending, what outfit Chase is going to wear for the holidays, what silly gift I should pick up for the work events that I don't really want to participate in because all the stress from things that came earlier in the above list make me a bit grumpy, etc, etc, etc. Needless to say the holidays bring out the absolute worst in my OCD - there are so many self-inflicted obligations to fill and so many lists to make, it could make a girl go crazy!

So for all of you out there with holiday cheer - take pity on us poor OCD, type A, overachieving, stress balls who always take on too much... We all know that we need to just take chill pills and that all of the above can be avoided but we just can't help ourselves... it's the way we are...

Bubbles!!!!

2008-11-14T08:19:00.004-07:00

Today was Chase's first snow (well first snow that he was aware enough to understand). Boris took him outside this morning and I guess Chase started shouting "Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles!" Boris tried to correct him and say "No that's snow" and Chase would say "No Bubbles!!!!" How adorable. I guess he was quite taken with the snow - especially letting it fall on his little face. I can't wait until we get enough snow that he can play in it! How exciting.

PS. Babies in winter coats and hats are the cutest thing ever.

Yes We Can! Hooray for Obama!

2008-11-05T08:28:00.005-07:00

Today is a good day... Obama won the election!

This year was quite an exciting voting year for my little family. I think this is the most engaged I have ever been in an election and it was certainly the most engaged Boris has ever been (he voted for the first time!!!!) - and even better, what an exciting first election for Chase - granted he won't remember it but that's okay we can tell him stories about it.

Today I am proud to be an American, I am proud to be from Colorado - which voted democratic this year, I am proud that we finally have an African American president, and I am hopeful for a better future for Chase. I can't wait to see what a little change will bring...

PS. Health Update: I had a CT Scan of my abdomen done this morning...the stuff I had to drink was aweful - there is nothing like waking up at 5 am to drink a bunch of chemicals that make you want to vomit for 2 hours before being stabbed with a needle for an IV so that they can inject additional radioactive stuff into your body before they scan you. (I'm a bit grouchy this morning if you couldn't tell - not even the election result glow can completely balance out my bummer of a morning - maybe if my stomach would stop grumbling I would feel better.)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T10:15:00.003-06:00

We had a great Halloween last night! Chase was a penguin and he went trick or treating for the first time. He loved being able to get the candy out of the buckets and he especially liked shaking the little box of nerds that he got. After trick or treating we went back to the house and played the new guitar hero. Chase loved the music and danced all night long! He does love to shake his booty...

Pumpkin Party, a Halloween Preview

2008-10-25T17:37:00.003-06:00

This afternoon Chase, Boris, and I went to a friend's Pumpkin Party. All of the kids wore costumes and Chase is so cute in his penguin outfit. The party was a blast, the kids had a pinata and they decorated cookies and did Halloween art and at the end they were getting going on some pumpkin carving. Chase LOVED the mini pumpkins and he spent the entire time carry them around. He tried to pick up the larger pumpkins but they were too heavy.

OOF So heavy!

Adorable Baby Moments

2008-10-15T17:33:00.004-06:00

Chase has recently been doing some adorable things...

1) He was taking a bubble bath the other night and clear as day he said "BU-BBLES" - SOO CUTE!

2) He is officially toddling and he likes to hold his arms over his head or carry things when he toddles

3) He gives the best hugs and kisses (especially to the dogs)

4) When he is at daycare as soon as they bring in the snacks he walks over to the high chair and starts shaking it

5) We have a baby sized chair for him and he always stands up in it instead of sitting in it

6) He likes to turn the TV on and off so now when he heads for the TV we tell him no and he will turn around and look at us and shake his finger back and forth at us before walking away from the TV button like we asked

7) He says "Fish"

Mmmmm Breakfast

2008-10-12T13:49:00.002-06:00

Today Boris, Graham, Chase, and I went to the second annual Breakfast picnic at Chatfield. It was quite chilly but it was still a blast. They had all sorts of amazing food, coffee, cider, hot chocolate, a fire going, horseshoes, etc. Chase enjoyed being outside but Graham and Boris weren't too thrilled about the cold. Last year at the Breakfast picnic I was hugely pregnant with Chase - this time it was fun to have him with us!

There is Nothing Cuter Then a Bubble Bath

2008-10-11T12:33:00.003-06:00

Chase has decided in favor of bubble baths! In fact he even tried eating the bubbles...

Smarter then a Monkey

2008-10-06T18:07:00.003-06:00

Chase did two things today that made me realize he is smarter then I gave him credit for...

1) Chase was playing in the kitchen this morning and he pulled out a measuring cup, a chip clip, and some metal tongs. I figured those were all pretty safe so I let him play with them. The next thing I know I hear a scratching noise. So I turn around...and Chase is using the metal tongs to try to pry out the outlet covers in one of our outlets! First of all, where does a 1 year old learn to use tongs properly??? Second, how did he learn that outlet covers could be pried out? I was amazed - I also just about laughed myself silly.

2) The second thing that Chase did today was that I gave him an XBox controller without batteries. He seemed happy at first but then after a moment he started pointing at the TV and making angry noises and pushing the control buttons. He did this for quite awhile until I figured out that he was upset because he has some how mentally associated the controller with things happening on the TV - it was his first display of understanding cause and effect. After I turned on the TV he was much happier...

Oh no!!! Not Grass...

2008-10-03T17:45:00.003-06:00

My son has a terrible fear of grass. It is actually pretty hilarious...well I think it is. When you try to stand him in the grass he bends his legs and picks up his feet so you can't put him down and if you do get him down he stands on one leg or stands like a frozen statue. If you try and sit him in grass he is paralyzed and refuses to crawl because that would require touching the grass. Lastly, if you try to lay him in the grass instead of flipping over or sitting up he does ridiculous yoga type poses.

I don't know exactly what it is about the grass that offends him. If you pull it up and give him pieces of grass he is fine with it but touching the grass is off limits - even through shoes or clothes. Hopefully he will eventually get used to it...

Hoity Toity Daycare

2008-10-02T21:17:00.005-06:00

We recently enrolled Chase in a new fancy daycare. They facility is amazing but unfortunately Chase is kind of too young to take full advantage of it yet. He has been pretty happy there so far though, he plays well and takes really good naps, so I think overall it has been a good move.

One thing Boris and I have noticed though is how hoity toity the parents are at this new daycare! They don't even come in the room when they drop off or pick up their kids. I think the teachers there think we are crazy because we like to hang out and try to talk to them. I mean they watch my kid for most of the day so I am invested in learning about them - but I guess that makes me a wierdo. Since when have parents become too cool to talk to their daycare providers?!

1 Year

2008-09-25T20:06:00.003-06:00

Today was Chase's 1 year birthday...

I can't believe how fast it has gone by. It feels like we were in the hospital with him just yesterday. I feel so lucky to be Chase's mom - there really isn't anything that can compare to a mother's love.

Some of my favorite things about the last year:

- Delivery itself - it was so exciting and amazing

- Holding Chase for the very first time

- Chase's tiny hands and feet

- The way Chase buries his face against me when he is giving me hugs

- Chase's open mouth kisses

- The Yum Yum dance

- Checking on Chase while he sleeps

- All of the firsts - rolling, crawling, walking, words, waving, etc.

- Naked baby after a bath

- Chase's soft fluffy hair

- The way babies smell

- How Chase loves tags more than anything else

- Watching my parents with Chase

- Pretty much just about everything!

I can't imagine going back to life before Chase....

What a Cute Birthday Boy

2008-09-21T20:05:00.006-06:00

This weekend was Chase's 1st birthday party. His Grammy hosted the party and it was a huge success. He got a ton of amazing gifts including a convertible, a hand painted wagon, lots of books, a ball toy, balloons, bubbles, an ATV, and a penguin pillow. He is such a spoiled kid.

The funniest thing is that I think Chase takes after Boris when it comes to cleanliness. We could not get him to dive into the cake! Grammy had to break it into pieces for him and even then he stayed pretty clean.

Check out the rest of Chase's birthday pictures at his website.

Ouchy!

2008-09-18T07:46:00.007-06:00

Poor Chase! He had his first accident today, he fell and cut his lip on his tooth. His poor lip is all swollen and bloody! I feel so bad for him. He cried a lot when it happened but he seems to be doing better.

There is something about seeing your child injured that just breaks your heart. I wanted to do something to fix it so bad but there wasn't really anything I could do other then snuggle him. How am I going to survive all of his future accidents?!

PS. Chase is pretty much walking now!!!

Family Night Out

2008-09-18T07:46:00.003-06:00

Boris, Chase, and I had some quality family time on Tuesday. We went to the mall and ate soft pretzels followed by a trip to The Counter for milk shakes, ham and cheese sandwiches, fries, onion strings, and sweet potatoe fries. It wasn't exactly a nutrious night but we had a lot of fun. Chase loves going for walks and being outside now so he enjoyed the new outdoor addition to Park Meadows. Boris and I also ended up investing in some new fleece lined Crocs (which Boris likes to refer to as Cr-Ugs). They are amazing! I highly recommend them to everyone - it is well worth the money.

Cute Chase Update: Chase's favorite word right now is Uh-Oh! He doesn't exactly use it right - just about everything is UH-OOHHHHHHH! It is adorable! He is also getting so close to walking! Yesterday he took 4 steps...so close...

Where to Start...

2008-09-14T13:47:00.005-06:00

I haven't blogged in so long I don't know where to start! So this blog is going to be comprised of a bunch of random thoughts. Also check out my crafting blog - I've actually had time to finish a few projects lately.

Ignoring the Budget:

So Boris and I are suppose to be budgeting (mainly because we are moving Chase to a new daycare that is insanely expensive - what a parent won't do for their child...). Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try I can't seem to control myself lately. I just keep spending spending spending. Some of my more recent purchases included:

- a new pocket camera (I am tired of always hauling my SLR around)

- a penguin costume for Chase for Halloween

- new pants for Chase

- some Old Navy clothes for everyone in the family

- crafting supplies

- Zoo pass for Chase's birthday

- there are also these necklaces that my friend showed me and I'm sure I'll cave soon and purchase one of those also

Chase Update:

Chase has been adorable lately. He has taken a few steps and he learned how to drink from a straw. I can't wait until he is full on walking. He is getting to be so big - I think he will even need a hair cut soon!

Health Update:

I'm still sick - and it still makes me miserable. I had a test done where they drew my blood, took out the white blood cells, and then flagged them and re-injected them back into my body to see if they all went to some kind of infected area. It didn't turn anything up but it was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to do. It involved 4 attempts at an IV and sitting still for 45 minutes while they scanned my body (and of course in that 45 minutes my limbs all fell asleep and I had an itchy nose etc etc). I am tired of being sick...

Family Update:

My brother in law and his wife had their second baby. I haven't had a chance to see her yet but I guess they named her Sophie... I saw pictures and she looks just like her dad... I guess the Kalikstein genes are rather strong. I'm surprised Chase looks as much like me as he does. Also we went to Boris's grandma's 85th birthday party today. It was very fun - I can't imagine what life will be like when I'm 85...

The Long Weekend

2008-09-01T11:07:00.005-06:00

The three day weekend was just what I needed...

Friday - Boris and I went to Barolo Grill which is our all time favorite place to eat. I had Ricotta Gnocci, Mushroom Risotto, and Creme Brulee. The service was amazing as always and the food was just perfect. We even got to take the Porsche to dinner - it was a wonderful night.

Saturday - My mom ended up taking Chase to a birthday party so I got the chance to do some sewing. I made a tote bag and finished a quilt that I have been working on for awhile. Check them out on my crafting blog.

Sunday - Chase and I went with Jamie and Everett to the zoo. It was Chase's first time and he was busy pointing at everything. He enjoyed the train a lot but was terrified of the carousel, can you blame him? Then in the evening Kathy watched Chase for us and Boris and I went out to dinner with friends.

Monday - Boris and I got up early and went to Kohls. We got Chase a new truck which he LOVES. Then we went for a walk and now I am getting some time to catch up on blogging finally!

Overall it was a great weekend.

Also, check out some of the bugs that we found outside our house this morning!

Still No Regrets...

2008-09-01T11:05:00.001-06:00

Isn't she lovely!!!

Long Time...No Blog...

2008-08-27T07:50:00.002-06:00

My life has felt a bit hectic lately...

It has been quite awhile since I have had the chance to get around to any of my hobbies, including blogging! I haven't been feeling that well lately (I think I am on like day 10 with a fever over 100) which isn't helping my lack of time situation. To top it off the doctor suspects that Chase has Roseola which has resulted in him not being able to go to daycare since last Friday! Boris and I are both feeling extreme guilt for missing so much work. Not to mention that "cranky baby" sure does take a lot of work!

The most exciting piece of news that I have is that we bought a Porsche Boxster the other weekend! It is wonderful - as soon as I get a spare minute to take pictures I will post them. The second exciting piece of news is that I did find a little bit of time to start working on a redwork quilt (thanks to some grandma babysitting). I can't wait until I can escape for another afternoon and finish it. It is much more traditional than my usual style but I like it anyways...

More to come...hopefully soon....

Lost in a Story

2008-08-12T08:40:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite all time hobbies is reading...

The last few days I have been driving Boris crazy because I found a new series of books to read. I'm the type of person where when I am reading I am pretty much zoned out and I don't like to be distrurbed for hours at a time. I think the appeal for me is the ability to completely leave my own little life and take a break from reality. That is the reason that fantasy and romance novels are my two favorite types of books - definately the best escapes.

Boris's irritation at my long reading spurts made me start to wonder what it is about the way my brain is wired that makes it capable for me to get so involved in a book where as to other people it is just a story. I swear I literally get "lost" in the stories and I relate to the characters and I can hardly wait to find out what's next (I'm one of those people who often read the last page of a book when I am about 1/3 of the way in - I am also one of those people who will re-read a book 15 - 20 times).

The other thing that I have started to think about is whether or not I can influence someone's interest in reading. For example, if I read to Chase a lot when he is little will he become an avid reader or is that already predetermined by how his little brain is wired?

Brio

2008-08-09T13:18:00.003-06:00

Boris and I discovered an amazing new restaurant today...

This morning we went out for brunch at a new place in Lone Tree called Brio. It is a Tuscan grill and the food was amazing!!! I had turkey, bacon, and egg crepes with some kind of cheese sauce that were to die for. Not to mention the most amazing mini muffins and bread. Boris had the worlds best Mango Bellini and some kind of beef tenderloin thing with mashed potatoes. It is definitely worth checking out (they also had great service - probably some of the best service I have had in a long time).

In addition to our great meal we also did some shopping. We picked up some new books for me and new shoes for Chase. Overall it was the perfect morning. Aren't Chase's new shoes adorable!

Movie Star Crush

2008-08-04T16:33:00.005-06:00

I have a new movie star crush...

Boris, Graham, and I went to see The Dark Knight this weekend - it is REALLY good - I may even have to see it again it! After seeing the movie I realized I totally have a movie star crush on Christian Bale - for some reason I had never realized how incredibly hot he is! I think Boris is a bit bothered by my crush since I don't ooh and ahh over hot guys very often (I must have caught him off guard).

So after Googling Christian Bale and reviewing some of the movies he has been in I decided that I wanted to see the movie American Psycho (which I had heard was good). Boris and I watched it last night and wow is that a disturbing movie. It wasn't as bloody or gross as I expected but it sure was a mind job! I've heard the book is even more gruesome so I doubt I will check it out...

Anyways, I thought maybe today I would share some pictures of some of my favorite hot actors in case anyone cares =)

Christian Bale

Gale Harold

Jason Lewis

David Boreanaz

Baby Chase in Breckenridge

2008-08-01T15:51:00.002-06:00

Kayaking in Breckenridge

2008-08-01T15:44:00.004-06:00

Views from our Condo in Breckenridge

2008-08-01T15:42:00.001-06:00

Return Home

2008-07-27T09:08:00.002-06:00

We just returned home from vacation yesterday...

Overall the trip was great - a lot of good eating, relaxing, and general fun. There were a few bumps in the road though, mainly revolving around health issues. Chase was sick from basically the day we arrived. He had his first fever and an ear infection and I think he cried more on his trip than in the previous 10 months. He also had difficulty sleeping and was often up all night leaving Boris and I exhausted. The only good thing is that at least he was cheerful and fun during the day. I told my sister who is home visiting from Korea that this was by far the worst week we have ever had with Chase and she said "REALLY?! I thought he was being so well behaved!" So here is to having the easiest baby in the world!

The other health issue that was a bit of a drag was that my fevers started to get into the 100s. The good part of this is that now I have an "official clinical" fever. So on the trip I booked myself an appointment with Rheumatology for this Thursday. Hopefully they can help, I am so tired of being sick. Granted I'm not feeling very hopeful since the nurse who booked my appointment said "well all your labs are normal...".

On the good side of things we did a lot of fun activities on our trip. We ate some of the best crepes ever and went to Bubba Gumps which turned out to be very good for a chain. We did some hot tubbing, game playing, a TON of shopping (the Silverthorn Outlets are amazing) and we did a lot of outdoor activities (well everyone else did). Also the house we stayed at was so pretty.

I will say that it sucks to have vacation come to an end...

Vacation Here We Come!!!

2008-07-18T08:25:00.002-06:00

We leave for an entire week long vacation tomorrow...

I am very excited to get away. It's funny because we are going with a bunch of family and everyone keeps saying that they are really going so that they can spend more time with Chase, and Boris and I keep saying that we are really going so we can spend less time with Chase. I've said it before and I'll say it again - always travel with built in baby sitting!

I think the only thing I am bumming about a little bit is that if I were taking a "stay at home" vacation I would be able to play with my new sewing machine more (which has been sadly very neglected lately). I am dying to work on more projects but I never seem to have time. The only time I do have is when Chase is asleep but since my sewing room is right next to his bedroom I am always afraid that I will wake him up. It has had me thinking that I need to move my sewing room downstairs.

So tonight and tomorrow will be filled with laundry, cleaning, and packing - all of which seem like a big pain but I'm sure it will be worth it once we are there.

Primary vacation goals:
- Take Chase swimming for the first time so that my "working mom who doesn't have enough time for everything" guilt will go away
- Catch up on some movies - there are so many that are out that I want to see
- Do a lot of nothing
- Last but not least, eat some good food

Respect and Obey?!

2008-07-13T20:16:00.003-06:00

I attended a wedding today, the wedding itself was very nice, but it reminded me of something that has been bugging me for awhile. I've noticed that during the vows husbands are always asked to love and cherish their wives while wives are asked to respect and obey their husbands.

Why are we the ones who have to respect and obey?! Isn't it about time that we updated wedding vows to be a bit more equitable?

The other somewhat negative thought that popped into my head during the wedding is that I realized the time in my life filled with celebrations is pretty much over. I've had my graduations, wedding, and baby shower. There are no more big events for me to celebrate... all of the future big life events that I will be celebrating will be my children's. Can it really be that by the age of 26 I have nothing left in my own life to celebrate? Maybe I will have to make reasons...

The Life of a Stay at Home Mom

2008-07-10T21:09:00.004-06:00

Today I had the chance to play "Stay at Home Mom"...

Chase has had some GI problems since Monday - Poor little guy. I am pretty convinced that his issues are teething related as you can see his second little tooth starting to poke through his gum. But whatever the cause, Chase has been banned from daycare until he is better and Boris and I have had to stay home with him (with much assistance from Grandma - Thank god for Grandmas).

So today I had a taste of what it would be like to be a stay at home mom. It was honestly very enjoyable, minus the poop leakage issue that resulted in poop on the highchair, the floors, the changer, the baby, clothes, etc. It was fun spending quality time with Chase, going to lunch with my parents, and doing some relaxing. Granted I doubt it would feel the same if it was what I did day in and day out (or if I had more kiddos).

Also I have noticed that since I work I don't feel obligated to do all the cleaning or cooking or laundry or other chores but I think if I stayed at home those things would constantly hang over me and I would feel stressed out all the time. So I guess it wasn't a real stay at home mom day (since they do a lot more work than I did today) but it makes me grateful that I work so that days like today feel like a real treat. I like vacationing in "stay at home land" but I don't think I would want to live there...

Cute Cute Cute

2008-07-10T21:06:00.001-06:00

I'm telling you - there is nothing cuter than a baby in a bath robe...

The List

2008-07-04T21:40:00.003-06:00

My personal list of to dos is hanging over my head...

I have this list of things I keep meaning to get to that I never end up doing and lately they have started to feel like they are hanging over my head. I have all this pressure to finish the things on the list and they are all fairly simple things I just don't make time for them. I am not normally a procrastinator so I don't really know why I am putting these things off.

1. Wills - Ever since Chase was born I have felt the pressure to do it but not I feel extreme guilt for not doing it yet

2. Dentist - I haven't been to the dentist in years - it is almost to the point where it is going to be embarrassing to go

3. Register to Vote - With the November election approaching I feel like I need to register to vote! I am still registered in Denver...

4. Car registration - Boris and I need to get our new cars registered

5. Chase's Scrapbook - I still haven't made it out of the hospital yet

6. Call a Rheumatologist - I have been avoiding doctors lately

Those are the main things that keep me up late at night lately...

Return from Geekfest

2008-06-29T20:04:00.005-06:00

We have finally returned home...

We are back from Ohio and we are all exhausted but overall the trip went really well. Chase was as well behaved as he could have been and it looks like he just cut his first tooth today! The convention was a blast and we all played many games and ended up buying tons of stuff. What more could you want out of a vacation? I guess sleep was the only think lacking from our fun little trip. Staying up all night playing games and then getting up with a 9 month old every morning left Boris and I in pretty bad shape today.

A few things thoughts about this trip:

- I swear we are at the peak of the "massive amounts of stuff for your kid" phase. We were only gone for four days and Chase needed two suitcases and a diaper bag! It was ridiculous!

- Never vacation without back up baby watchers! Boris and I realized that it was almost more work having Chase on vacation then it would have been keeping him at home. Thankfully we had my mom, dad, and Graham who supplied amazing baby sitting services during the trip. I swear I will never travel alone.

- The crappy thing about vacation is all of the chores that you have to do when you get home.

- My tolerance for cleanliness went way down on vacation. Chase was busy crawling all over gross hotel room floors and eating off dirty tables and I couldn't have cared less. We stimulated his immune system quite a bit this weekend.

- My 9 month old son is a pre-vert. During the trip we caught him rubbing one of our cute waitress's butt while at dinner. *sigh*

Although I did have fun, it is so nice to be home...below are some pictures from the trip.

There was a vendor selling funny hats and I thought this was hilarious...

I made Graham pose for a true geek picture.

Dad and Graham played so many new games!

Here is a bad picture of all of us out to dinner.

Here is a picture of Chase playing, he loved pulling up on the rails at the convention center.

Free at Last

2008-06-25T20:17:00.003-06:00

Free at last, free at last...

I love being on vacation, I have actually been on "mental" vacation since Monday but tomorrow is the first real day of "physical" vacation. Tomorrow Boris, Graham, my parents, and I leave for Ohio. It is Chase's first official vacation which is kind of exciting - I am nervous about the flight and all sharing a room with the baby but we'll see how it goes. All that really matters is that for the next few days I don't have to go to work. I think the start of a vacation may be one of my favorite feelings in the world.

It has been a bit hectic packing. I didn't realize how much junk a baby needs, it is really amazing! I should have gone into the baby supply business - talk about a money making industry. Every time I look at all of Chase's stuff I realize how much junk he has that he doesn't really need to survive. Oh the things a parent will do for connivence now a days.

My Competetive Edge

2008-06-20T15:17:00.005-06:00

I am way too competetive for my own good...

Lately Boris, Graham, and I have been playing a lot of Settlers of Catan. I love that game. It is very mean spirited but it is entirely way too much fun. It occasionally leads to hard feelings though since Boris and I both HATE losing and it is definately a smack talking type of game. The good thing is that although I don't think Graham likes losing, I don't think it makes him as crazy as it makes Boris and I. I wonder if Chase will get our competetive streaks...

All of the Settlers playing has made me very excited about the gaming convention we are going to next week. I know, we are total geeks but I think it will be great fun. I'm a little nervous about taking Chase on a plane but hopefully that will go well. I will post pictures of our geekfest once we get back.

"Big Boss Man"

2008-06-19T21:15:00.003-06:00

I finally moved into an office at work...

Imagine that, I am finally a "big boss man" with four walls and a window that I can call my own. It is actually pretty nice having an office although it is so quiet that I am starting to think I need some music or a fountain. But you know what the best part of having an office is...I get to decorate it! I'm so excited about that.

This weekend I invested in a clock for the office and I am planning on hanging my new wall quilt. Unfortunately our company policy is that I am not allowed to hang anything on my own so I have to wait until facilities can come put everything up. I also still want to buy a lamp because the glare from the windows and over head lighting is terrible and maybe a few plants or other trinkets to put on the bookshelf.

The other interesting thing is that as it turns out I may need to invest in some candles because I swear that it kind of smells like feet in the office. Maybe my feet just smell REALLY bad and I am contaminating my own environment but I find it hard to believe that my feet smell bad enough to stink up an entire office when the door is open. Hopefully a candle will help with the situation.

Here is a picture of the front of my wall quilt. I hope to finish it up this weekend but we'll see. I'm really happy with how it turned it out, although I had to ditch the beads because they made the quilt look a bit busy.

Growing Up Too Fast

2008-06-15T14:11:00.008-06:00

My son is definitely growing up way too fast...

Chase has done the most amazing things recently. In the last two weeks he has learned to wave bye, crawl, pull up, feed himself, drink out of a sippy cup, and take steps if you hold his hands. I am shocked at how fast this wave of new activity has come. I figured that things would be much more gradual. It is hard because on one hand it is so exciting and I can't wait for the next new thing but on the other hand it makes me sad because time is going by so fast. Pretty soon Chase will be a toddler and won't be a baby anymore. I don't think I am ready to give up having a "baby".

Here are some recent pictures of kiddo.

Quilting Quilting Oh What Fun!

2008-06-11T19:13:00.004-06:00

I have been bitten by the crafting bug yet again...

I just can't help myself. I go through phases where I have the burning desire to craft, draw, sew, and do other domestic / artistic type activities. My current project was inspired by my neighbor who is an amazing seamstress and does quilt swaps. The swap that she does is for a small wall hanging size quilt. Hearing about the swap made me want to try one out but I had already missed the deadline for signing up. After a bit of thought I decided that I don't really need a swap to make a really cool wall quilt so I went ahead and started one. I am about 70% finished with the top of the quilt. I am trying some new techniques such as applique and beading. We'll see how it turns out. I will post pictures when it is finished. I am REALLY excited about this quilt - it is very modern and fun.

My other hobby lately has been reading. I had taken a break from reading but I just discovered that a new book from one of my favorite series is out. For all the fantasy readers out there you have to read the Kushiel series it is amazing! I hope this book is as exciting as the previous ones. I am also getting ready to start Barefoot which is a book that a couple of friends and I selected to read as a group. We wanted to start a book club but we couldn't think of enough people so we settled on just reading the same book for now... maybe in the future we will actually get an entire club together.

I just wish that I had more time to pursue my interests but life is always so busy...

Landscaping

2008-06-07T18:19:00.005-06:00

We are officially no longer white trash...

Boris and I had been growing a weed bed at the corner of our yard and the weeds were becoming amazing large in size. They were almost up to my waist! So today Boris and Graham did the amazing task of pulling out all of the weeds,

cleaning up the bed, planting new bushes, and putting in mulch. It looks like it was professionally done and I am no longer ashamed of our front yard. We even had a neighbor that lives across the street come and examine the new bushes. He seemed very happy - I'm sure he was thinking "about bleeping time the neighbors cleaned up their bleeping yard."

I think I want to get some kind of flower bed decoration now (which makes me feel very domestic). Perhaps some kind of wire / glass globe like thing or some kind of cool statue of sorts. I may even get a few flower planters and put them out with the bushes so that it appears like we have a garden (but without the hassle of weeding).

In other news - a quick health update - I am very excited that my results came back negative so I can rule out MS. I still feel like crap and my temperature has reached triple digits this week but at least it isn't MS!!!! YAY!!!

When the Bad Times Roll

2008-06-04T21:18:00.003-06:00

I feel really lucky to have so many good friends...

Yesterday I had yet another health disaster. My vision started doing some rather strange things - I felt like I was looking down a long tube and the edges of my vision were all hazy and blurry. I called my doctor and considering all of the other symptoms that I have been having she is concerned that I may have MS. So I am currently terrified that I have some terrible chronic illness. I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning so hopefully I will know more on Friday.

All that being said, I do think that this experience has made me realize just how many friends and family I have in my life that really care and worry about me. It has actually made me feel really good to have so many people offer support or show concern. For being the introvert that I am, I have some how managed to collect a massive amount of really close friends. I definitely consider it a blessing because there have been other times in my life when I haven't been in this situation. Granted friendship takes a lot of time and effort from both parties so I like to think that I have earned my large set of amazing relationships but maybe it is just good luck or good Karma.

My advice for the day - call or email a friend today just to tell them how much you care about them - it's a good thing to do once in awhile...

Trouble - Here we come!

2008-06-02T19:53:00.005-06:00

Chase, my adorable 8 month old boy, finally started crawling today! He has been rocking on all fours and scooting about for awhile now but today was the first day he did an official crawl. He only made it a few feet but he did it multiple times so I think it counts. We'll see what he can do tomorrow when he isn't as tired. I am so excited!!!

This opens a whole new world of trouble for us. Pretty soon he is going to be opening drawers and cabinets and pulling up on things. We have already started to childproof, which involved attempted purchases / installations of 4 or 5 baby gates before we found the correct one, many drawer clips, not all of which have been installed and a few of which don't work due to installation error, and door locks, which work amazingly well. I'm sure all of this effort won't keep Chase out of everything and he will still manage to get into trouble or bonk his head on a few sharp corners but I guess that comes with childhood.

I'll be curious to see what the toddler age does to my perfect well behaved baby, who up to this point has only cried for more then 15 minutes 4 times in his life (I'm sure you don't believe me but I swear he is really that good). Tonight he insisted on being rocked to sleep (which we never do) so I hope we aren't leaving our angel child phase and moving into a devil child phase but only time will tell.

I guess the question of the day is - Do perfect babies make perfect toddlers or are Boris and I in for a world of hurt?

My Newest Fear

2008-05-30T19:35:00.004-06:00

So yesterday while on my fabulous girls night out with one of my dearest friends I discovered a new fear...swim suit shopping...

I used to LOVE buying swim suits (not that I ever enjoyed wearing them out in public - but I certainly liked buying them). I have an entire collection of adorable teeny tiny bikinis that I should probably just give away at this point in my life. But while we were out I decided that I needed a new swim suit so that I can take Chase swimming for the first time this summer. So I browsed around and found this cute one piece suit that didn't look too "grandma-ish" and went to try it on.

Well let me tell you, post-baby bodies and swim suits DO NOT MIX. I don't think I have ever looked so terrible in anything in my entire life. It made me realize that I am at least 10 lbs away from swimming ready and that in addition to that even if I am back to my pre-baby weight there probably isn't a suit in the world that will cover all of my stretch marks, cellulite, saggy parts, and other nice leftovers that I still have from growing another human being.

So I guess I have to ask other moms that are out there - do they sell a swimming sweat suit? Or a swimming box? Or maybe a swimming mu-mu? If so where can I invest in one?

Tofu-licious

2008-05-27T19:39:00.005-06:00

Who ever knew that tofu was so delicious...

I recently went out with one of my vegetarian friends (a true vegetarian not a fishatarian) and we went to a Chinese restaurant and split the sesame tofu. I am totally hooked! I even made tofu at our Memorial day BBQ and I ordered it again for dinner tonight. Considering that I am such a picky eater I never imagined that I would enjoy a food as odd as tofu. Granted it doesn't have much flavor so there isn't really much to dislike. I think I will have to hunt down some good tofu recipes.

In other food news, I've started yet another diet. I feel like I start one every day and never succeed in sticking to it. I just love food way too much but I am determined to drop the last few baby pounds that I have left. Every day I say to Boris "Today is a good day to start a diet it is (fill in the blank here)..."

The blanks can include:
a Monday
the first day of the month
the middle of the week
the day after a holiday
etc etc etc

What I really need to do is give up dieting and get back to exercising. Maybe as soon as I feel better I will actually start doing that.

Not Enough Hours in the Day

2008-05-24T22:30:00.006-06:00

Life has been so busy lately that there never seems to be enough time...

My day was entirely too hectic - and here it is 10:30 pm and I am still awake even though I am so tired that I feel like a zombie. I think I am going to collapse.

Chase woke up bright and early as always. Boris was very kind and got up with him so that I could sleep in a bit. That was the only relaxing part of my day. The rest of the day looked as follows:

- 8:30 am: Get out of bed and shower
- Feed and dress Chase
- Eat Bagels (Courtesy of Graham Delivery Service - Which I must say is an excellent service)
- Pack up two bags worth of baby stuff that Chase will require throughout the day
- 11:30 am: Drop Chase at Grandma's house
- Go to a car dealership and purchase a car for Boris (a new white Lexus)
- Realize that the car won't be ready in time for our next planned event because they need to put a clear bra on it still
- 4:30 pm: Rush to the Pavilions in a loaner car to catch the new Indian Jones movie with my dad and cousin (which was very fun and included gorging on unhealthy junk food)
- Go back to Grandma's house to hang with Chase while Boris and Graham pick up the newly purchased car
- Eat a rushed dinner of a few slices of pizza once everyone is back at my parent's house
- 8:30 pm: Take Chase home and put him down for bed
- Put Chase down for bed multiple times as he is rather over excited and over tired
- Freak out about all the things I still need to get done
- Put outlet covers on all the outlets because I'm overly stressed and even though this task can wait I know that getting it done will make me feel a little better
- 10 pm: Send Boris and Graham to Walmart to buy baby proofing supplies
- Pick up the house and wash the bottles
- Blog while I am waiting for Boris and Graham to get back
- 10:45 pm: Eat unhealthy McDonalds that Boris and Graham picked up on the way home
- Hopefully very soon: Collapse in bed...(hopefully tomorrow will be a calmer day)

4 Years of Marital Bliss

2008-05-21T20:57:00.006-06:00

(May 21, 2004 - Our Wedding Party)

I can't believe that I have already been married for four years...

"Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle."

Today was Boris and I's four year wedding anniversary. No one would have ever guessed that we would have ended up happily married - I remember we didn't exactly get along when we first met. If love at first sight was the way to happy marriages I dare say that Boris and I wouldn't have made it. It's a good thing we took the time to take a few additional looks at each other.

(May 21, 2004 - The Happy Couple)

"All weddings are similar, but every marriage is different."

I think that if people were to examine our marriage most people wouldn't understand it. We are both head strong and stubborn and tend to compete on a regular basis. I think it works because we balance each other and we push each other to be better people. All that is great but our poor friends must occasionally tire of our continual squabbling. At least it is all done with the utmost respect and love.

"The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together."

I think that parenting will bring some interesting new challenges to our marriage but hopefully we will rise to meet them. I look forward to seeing what the next four years bring and I hope that they are as wonderful as these last four have been...

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

Hypochondriac?

2008-05-20T19:48:00.003-06:00

Hypochondria: extreme depression of mind or spirits often centered on imaginary physical ailments.

I have entered yet another one of my "almost a fever" phases...

Ever since January I have been what I would consider very sick. I have on and off "fevers" (which I have been clearly told aren't really fevers since my temperature only gets to about 99.5) that last 2 - 3 weeks at a time and come every 1 - 2 weeks. These non-fevers come with chills, body aches, extreme fatigue, and occasionally, other annoying symptoms such as cold symptoms, rashes, and hair loss. As you can imagine I am starting to get very frustrated and tired of being sick.

It's gone on for so long and I've been told by so many doctors that I'm not really sick that I am starting to wonder if I am crazy. I recently spoke to a friend of mine who also had weird symptoms and she assured me that I'm not crazy and that I need to keep pushing the doctors to figure out what is wrong. Since my friend also happens to be a mental health professional I remain hopeful that I am not totally losing my mind.

It does start to make you wonder though - am I making myself sick by thinking that I'm sick or is there something really wrong? It also doesn't help that so far all of my lab results have come back normal. Pretty soon I will have to start back on my hunt for a doctor who can figure out what is wrong but in the mean time I plan on just clinging to my sanity and hoping this will all just clear up on its own.

My New Ride

2008-05-19T20:22:00.009-06:00

I can't believe I bought a new car...

I have been really impulsive lately, first the tattoo, now a new car! I suspect that I am finally adjusting to motherhood and I am ready to try something new. This my be my subconscious way of telling myself that I need some change or excitement in my life. As if being a mom isn't exciting enough. But I do LOVE my new car. Isn't it cute? Although no matter how cute it is I wonder if it was worth the pain of car shopping.

So Saturday afternoon Boris, Chase, and I went to my cousin's graduation / birthday party. It was delightful and at the end of it my mom offered to watch the little guy for a few hours. Being the planner that I am I figured it would make sense to test drive cars since my lease is up in two months and it was time to start thinking about a new car.

We first we went to a Volkswagen dealer and looked at their newest SUV but once we found out the price we were not very interested in test driving. So we decided to move on to a Saturn dealership. My original plan was to lease a Mazda CX-7 but I wanted to test drive the new Saturn Vue to have something to compare the Mazda to.

Well after driving the Vue I fell in love with the car...and of course there was a great incentive on the car - a $3,000 rebate. So we haggled with the car guy for awhile and finally we settle on a deal...but of course we have to get back to the house to get Chase before our dinner plans so we decide to sign the paperwork another day (but we did leave a rather massive down payment check). Upon returning home I decided to get on the internet to check out a bit more about the car and I realized that they make a FWD version of the car. So we call the dealership to make sure we were looking at the AWD version (because who wants a FWD SUV?!). It turns out we in fact had driven a FWD car and that the AWD car was more expensive.

After a small panic attack and many phone calls we were able to find another car that was very similar except that it didn't have leather seats and it was AWD. We went back to the dealership today and test drove that car and ended up purchasing it. I now have myself a very nice shiny new car! Woohoo! The best part is that I won't have to car shop for many years now.