I was catching up on some of my friend's blogs since I have not been reading them while I was on 'computer hiatus'. This period of time is also known as blog delinquency. So, anyway, I had some catching up to do. Let me preface the content of the other blogs by saying that I really had this need to question the evolutionary benefit of post pregnancy butts. If you are male or are scared by butts, please stop reading now. You may be the kind of person who would enjoy a wine spritzer while you watch Whose Line is it Anyway? Don't get me wrong - I like that show - but it is not butt talk quality. So if you don't wish to read about the ravages of pregnancy to the feminine form, skip to the last paragraph and follow the link.
So I have found that one problem with the double post partum body is the remaining double post partum butt. I am not sure why, but now my butt resembles a double chin, so to speak. This is concerning, since I do not know of any specific exercises to remove double butts. And, being the biologist that I am, I am stuck as to what evolutionary advantage this would have for a new mother. That being said, think on that a while and let me know if you come up with anything.
If you would rather read something deep and philosophical, check out www.warmincarolina.blogspot.com where Derek and Bob and Rob (be sure to check the comments) banter about the sanctity of life, the right to life, and the bible.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Friday, April 29, 2005
Minneapolis Trip
This past weekend I went to visit my best and longest friend ever in my life : Diane Rucker (nee Mulso). She moved away to follow job perspectives for both her and her husband, Derek. She has two beautiful girls, 4 1/2 year old Sabrina and 2 1/2 year old Fiona. We scheduled a NO KIDS weekend and she booked a hotel. Since last year she came out here, this year I went out there - sounds like an annual thing, doesn't it? I sure hope so! We stayed at the Grand Hotel Minneapolis (www.grandhotelminneapolis.com ). We did wonderful girl type things like shopping for clothes when we could TRY THEM ON, and spending time at the spa. We ate at grown up restaurants that do not even have high chairs or kid's menus (www.fhimas.com ). We carried ridiculously small pockets and left pacifiers out of them (I did, however, sit on a barbie toothbrush in Diane's Camero). We had the most incredible time ever and loved every minute. I missed Emma and Mary a lot, and I was glad to get home, too. But I want to talk about the airports.
I have been in quite a few airports in my time: JFK, Barcelona, Florida, Mexico, Minneapolis, Istanbul, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Amsterdam, Denver, California(can't remember which one we flew in to - around Santa Cruz), and, of course, Detroit. I know some people who won't fly - some for the airplane and others for the airport. I happen to love airports. I love seeing the different people coming and going: the ones running to catch flights, or just walking fast with a little skip to seem as though they are not running, the flight crews who are determined and sometimes resigned, the arrivals that calmly stand on the moving walkways and try to adjust to the new place, the families with kids and too many toys, the business man with laptops that almost always come out of the brief case, the vacationers returning home that have too much stuff in their carry on and try to stuff it through the x-ray machine when it doesn't actually fit, and every one else in between. I love the fact that you can shop for just about anything - need flowers? Got 'em. Need diamond rings? Got 'em. Need Advil? That, too. How about a mug that displays the city you are in? Yep. You can also eat pretty much anything: from Taco Bell and the requisite Cinnabon, to sit down "Mediterranean Fare" restaurants. E-check in has made it wonderfully easy - you print out your own boarding pass and just go straight to security without having to stand in more lines then you need. I love the microcosm of society that coalesces within those doors.
That being said, I hardly had time to watch anybody at the airports. I was dropped off and picked up (a true luxury, I say) without any extra time to wander or watch. The trip was a joy, from the airport all the way back to the same one. It was great to get home and see Mary, who had contracted a nasty head cold and gave Jim grief all weekend. She cried with relief when she saw me, and then complained for a while. I can only imagine she was telling me all about her cold and the weekend. Emma stayed at my parent's house so I picked her up on Monday. She greeted me with 3 word sentences that started with her trip to my Mom's on Friday (bye-bye, Mum's bluuuuuuuue car). Jim promptly got Mary's cold and has been miserable all week long with a fever and bad congestion. It is good to be home.
I have been in quite a few airports in my time: JFK, Barcelona, Florida, Mexico, Minneapolis, Istanbul, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Amsterdam, Denver, California(can't remember which one we flew in to - around Santa Cruz), and, of course, Detroit. I know some people who won't fly - some for the airplane and others for the airport. I happen to love airports. I love seeing the different people coming and going: the ones running to catch flights, or just walking fast with a little skip to seem as though they are not running, the flight crews who are determined and sometimes resigned, the arrivals that calmly stand on the moving walkways and try to adjust to the new place, the families with kids and too many toys, the business man with laptops that almost always come out of the brief case, the vacationers returning home that have too much stuff in their carry on and try to stuff it through the x-ray machine when it doesn't actually fit, and every one else in between. I love the fact that you can shop for just about anything - need flowers? Got 'em. Need diamond rings? Got 'em. Need Advil? That, too. How about a mug that displays the city you are in? Yep. You can also eat pretty much anything: from Taco Bell and the requisite Cinnabon, to sit down "Mediterranean Fare" restaurants. E-check in has made it wonderfully easy - you print out your own boarding pass and just go straight to security without having to stand in more lines then you need. I love the microcosm of society that coalesces within those doors.
That being said, I hardly had time to watch anybody at the airports. I was dropped off and picked up (a true luxury, I say) without any extra time to wander or watch. The trip was a joy, from the airport all the way back to the same one. It was great to get home and see Mary, who had contracted a nasty head cold and gave Jim grief all weekend. She cried with relief when she saw me, and then complained for a while. I can only imagine she was telling me all about her cold and the weekend. Emma stayed at my parent's house so I picked her up on Monday. She greeted me with 3 word sentences that started with her trip to my Mom's on Friday (bye-bye, Mum's bluuuuuuuue car). Jim promptly got Mary's cold and has been miserable all week long with a fever and bad congestion. It is good to be home.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Long time, no blog
Yes, I have been conspicuously absent. We had nice weather for a while (upper 70's) and I was obsessed with being outside or cleaning everything inside. A lot of things got done; garage swept out, basement organized, windows cleaned, kids' clothes organized, sorted through and sold to resale shop, etc.... It also helped that Jim was in Saudi Arabia for a portion of that time. Cleaning takes my mind off of things. So now Jim is back and the weather is crappy again - chilly and rain - so I am back.
Updates on the children:
Emma - she is talking up a storm right now with 3 and 3 word sentences. She is making connections that boggle my mind and worry me that I cannot think as fast as a 2 year old. We are also experiencing terrible twos, and somedays it takes all of my energy just to get to nap time - theirs, not mine. She is asserting whatever opinion she has, which is contrary to whatever my opinion is. Thankfully, I have found the best way to handle it is get REALLY silly about my questions (Do you want to eat pancakes with a giraffe?) and then get back on topic when she realizes I am being silly. We are also doing more time outs. She understands that she cannot get out of the chair until the timer rings now, so I don't have to stand over her and glower for 3 minutes any more. Doesn't mean I've stopped doing it! She has her well child 2 year check up this Friday, so we will see how big she is. Her face is changing and becoming less baby-like every day. We are getting glimpses of the child to come.
Mary - Just mastered the crawling moves Monday. Unfortunately, this brings a new wave of paranoia for her sister that Mary is after her or her toys. Usually, it is true. Emma has found that Mary cannot reach the ottoman (yet) and it becomes the toy refuge. A lot of my day is spent mediating and joining the playing to keep Emma from screaming and Mary from crying. That's why outside is such a good thing. Mary is incredible. She is already saying some words (Dada, duck, hola, hi) and imitates every sound and inflection we make. She can dump out containers and, to her amazing credit, can put things into a container. We have played roll the ball back and forth with her already. Emma, Mary and I play this every day. Since we use a huge ball, Mary was frightened at first. Sometimes she forgets and still is scared at the beginning, but she is getting the hang of things now. Mary will play peek-a-boo on her own and play independently with toys. Emma never did that at this age, so we are amazed.
Updates on the children:
Emma - she is talking up a storm right now with 3 and 3 word sentences. She is making connections that boggle my mind and worry me that I cannot think as fast as a 2 year old. We are also experiencing terrible twos, and somedays it takes all of my energy just to get to nap time - theirs, not mine. She is asserting whatever opinion she has, which is contrary to whatever my opinion is. Thankfully, I have found the best way to handle it is get REALLY silly about my questions (Do you want to eat pancakes with a giraffe?) and then get back on topic when she realizes I am being silly. We are also doing more time outs. She understands that she cannot get out of the chair until the timer rings now, so I don't have to stand over her and glower for 3 minutes any more. Doesn't mean I've stopped doing it! She has her well child 2 year check up this Friday, so we will see how big she is. Her face is changing and becoming less baby-like every day. We are getting glimpses of the child to come.
Mary - Just mastered the crawling moves Monday. Unfortunately, this brings a new wave of paranoia for her sister that Mary is after her or her toys. Usually, it is true. Emma has found that Mary cannot reach the ottoman (yet) and it becomes the toy refuge. A lot of my day is spent mediating and joining the playing to keep Emma from screaming and Mary from crying. That's why outside is such a good thing. Mary is incredible. She is already saying some words (Dada, duck, hola, hi) and imitates every sound and inflection we make. She can dump out containers and, to her amazing credit, can put things into a container. We have played roll the ball back and forth with her already. Emma, Mary and I play this every day. Since we use a huge ball, Mary was frightened at first. Sometimes she forgets and still is scared at the beginning, but she is getting the hang of things now. Mary will play peek-a-boo on her own and play independently with toys. Emma never did that at this age, so we are amazed.
Well, I will leave it at that so the post does not get too long. I have a couple in draft that I will leak out over the next few days, including my weekend get-away to Minnesota, where it was 60 degrees and sunny the day I came back to 2 inches of snow in Detroit.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Discovery
Digital scrapbooking. Uh, yes it's true. The programs make the pages look hand made. It is CRAZY. Up until yesterday, I would upload all of my digital photos to Ofoto, have them all printed and sent to me. I organized them into nice plastic containers and carried them to my scrapbooking gatherings, where I cropped and pasted happily. So today I wanted to fix some photos that were awfully dark, due to the reflection of a swimming pool. I scanned them in and spent HOURS discovering what I could do with Adobe Photoshop. I may not upload one more single photo to anywhere because they would be easy and time saving - no, I will PLAY with the photos!!! I can do text ON the photos! I have printed them as sketches, on vellum, and as sketches on vellum in 3 different colors!!!!!
Now to go neglect the children some more.....
Now to go neglect the children some more.....
Today's Lunch
- 1/2 Grilled Cheese Sandwich on wheat bread
- Small bowl of strawberry yogurt
- Random Apple slices with purple sprinkles
- Strained Peaches (Mary)
- Milk
- Chocolate Bunny Head and a glass of Pepsi
The last item was my lunch. Yum.
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