Overcome by plague.

Overcome by plague. Going to bed. Happy New Year.

Week 11 of the JellyBean Progression: Continued

Still Week 11

We told the family this weekend! Dad, JT & Sherry came over for dinner on Friday and were very pleased to find out. We had been trying to plan a trip to Vegas for all of us in the Spring and I was bummed to tell them we won’t be going. I know I could go to Vegas but honestly, after going when I was pregnant with Fletch, it’s definitely one of the last vacations I would pick to go on while pregnant. Can’t drink and wanting to be in bed by 8 pm means I wouldn’t really get much out of the trip. Especially since I’m not much of a gambler either. We’ll all just have to plan another trip, maybe for later next year.

Told all the Farleys on Saturday night and they were just as thrilled. As I expected, Katie and Kathy had their suspicions but were just waiting for us to announce it. I know Kathy is excited to have another grandbaby to add to her flock.

Also told the Clark girls at the brunch at Ginger’s on Saturday morning. Also as expected, that announcement got the biggest reaction. Heidi and I had discussed how to tell them and decided that I would make a toast, thanking Ginger and saying how nice it was to see everyone and here’s to a healthy baby in July.

It was really funny to watch the reactions – everybody just looked confused for a minute and then there was an explosion of exclamations. Hayley especially was so excited and happy for me – she was shaking when she hugged me. I love that they love me so much.

So, phew. Cat’s finally out of the bag with family. Now I need to tell work but am trying to decide when the best time is. With the holidays it’s hard to find a good time to schedule a call with my boss. I may just wait until next week.

Had my first trimester screening at Platte River Perinatal this morning, which included an ultrasound so I got to see little JellyBean. I remember from my last pregnancy around this time feeling like there’s nothing happening – you’re not showing, you can’t feel the baby moving – and like last time, I have this tiny little worried feeling like maybe something’s wrong. No reason for it, I feel great; I’m sure every pregnant woman goes through this.

Anyway, it was nice and reassuring to see the ultrasound today. The heartbeat was fluttering away – 155 BPM (and the old wives’ tale is that anything over 140 means girl!), and JellyBean was hopping around in there, happy as a clam. Since I’m 37, I’m considered higher-risk than younger women but they were careful to tell me that I’m not an actual high-risk pregnancy. However, initial test results look good, although they also did a blood test which we’ll get results of in a few days, but initially they said everything looks great. And I have to go back again in a month where they’ll do another blood test and I can ask them to do a “gender peek” while I’m there. Can’t wait to find out who our little JellyBean is going to be!

Week 11 of the JellyBean Progression

Week 11

11 weeks already…can’t believe it. We are telling the family this weekend…Dad and JT & maybe Sherry are coming for dinner on Friday so we can tell them, and then the big Farley Girls (with boys) Christmas party is on Saturday night, so we’ll tell all the Farleys then. And also on Saturday morning, I’m having brunch at Ginger’s, so I’ll tell the H’s et al then too. Heidi is VERY glad that the cat will be out of the bag soon so we can talk about it openly (and so she doesn’t have to worry about slipping up!)

I was starting to feel the teensiest bit less tired and then I started getting the plague this week, so I’m back to feeling exhausted. I also forgot that something about pregnancy hormones makes it hard to sleep, which is a bummer because lately I’ve been waking up at 4-5 a.m. and haven’t been able to fall back asleep until it’s time for the alarm to go off. Sigh.

Still pimply, right now it’s mostly my temples and the sides of my forehead. I do seem to have escaped so far with hardly any neck pimplage, so that’s nice.

Week 10 of the JellyBean Progression

Week 10

Still more bleargh. I am doing my best to eat regularly but ugh, it’s a chore. The week before I found out I was pregnant, I had been having increased episodes of hypoglycemia – horrible sweating dizzy spells that happen when I don’t eat right or often enough. I’d had literally one a day for almost a week and thought it was really strange because usually I’m really good about keeping on top of it. But with the increased metabolism gestation brings, my blood sugar was all out of whack and I had no idea why so I hadn’t changed my diet. So now I am back to eating smaller meals (whatever I can force down) more often. I did eat some tomato soup last night that was like the best thing I ever ate. I may have to do more soups for right now. It tasted good and didn’t make me want to die, so I got that going for me. Which is nice. At least I haven’t lost any weight this time, although I don’t think I’ve gained anything either. But at least this way I don’t have any ground to make up like last time.

So the website tells me this week JellyBean is the size of a kumquat. I still think this is a poor size comparison for those of us not from the South Pacific. For us ‘murricans and those of us who refuse to venture beyond the apple-orange-banana section of the produce department, that equals roughly just over an inch long. S/he has finished the most critical development part and is now rapidly growing tissues and organs. Vital organs – including kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver – are in place and starting to function. There are even finger and toenails growing already!

My forehead continues to be a disaster area. I need to go look up last time when all the pimples finally went away. Still tired and peeing a lot but in general I’m doing well. I swear I’m feeling movement, although it’s probably just gas because the first time around they say not to expect to feel anything before 20 weeks. And even though everything happens sooner (or you notice things sooner) with subsequent pregnancies, I think 10 weeks is still probably a bit early to be feeling a kumquat that weighs a half ounce.

And of course, it’s also still too early for me to be showing – I didn’t even need maternity pants until week 19 last time around, but I swear to you that despite the scale not moving, I swear my pants are already getting uncomfortable. Am I allowed to start going around unbuttoned and use the Bella Band yet? This is crazy. Or maybe it’s because I wore sweatpants the majority of the time last time and am now having to dress for the office much more frequently and so maybe I didn’t realize it this early before. Anyway, time to go dig up the bag full of maternity/fat clothes and sweatpants I have tucked away. No sense being uncomfortable when I have 37 pairs of sweats calling my name.

Week 9 of the JellyBean Progression: Continued

Still Week 9

Bleargh. Am having food aversion in full swing. Same as last time, I am STARVING – my tummy is actually rumbling and I can’t eat anything because the minute something goes in my mouth, it makes me want to barf. Or if I can manage to keep something down, it feels like a cannonball for the next hour. Ugh. Why do my babies always hate me? At least this time I’m not quite as pimply. But the peeing, bloating and gassiness are just the same.

And I remember being tired last time but I don’t know if I was THIS tired. I’ve only been up for three hours and I could totally go back to bed again already. Must have something to do with chasing after a spirited toddler (who will be TWO in February, OMG.)

Week 9 of the JellyBean Progression

Week 9

First prenatal appointment today. Mr. F and I discussed and have decided to keep the same OBGYN office as last time, even though they only deliver at Rose & that’s where the office is. Rose was very conveniently located when we lived in the condo – only a 3 mile, ten minute drive. Now that we’re out in the ‘burbs, it’s about 13 miles or a half hour-ish drive. Mr. F said it was fine with him as long as it was fine with me, since I’m going to be the one in labor for the half hour drive.

This time around it will also be different because when I was pregnant with Peanut, I was working from home full time. Now I’m in the office three days a week. That makes it easier to schedule and get to prenatal appointments as long as I plan it for one of the days I’m at the office. But they also have a South office not too far from home if I need to go on an off day.

The bad thing is that I won’t be able to wear sweatpants every day or take pantsless naps at will like I did with Peanut. But it will be good going in to the office and seeing people and wearing fun maternity clothes and in general being more active while pregnant.

So the prenatal visit went great – they’re guessing I’m about 9 weeks, due sometime between July 5 and 11. Maybe we’ll have a 4^th of July baby! Everything looks good, they did an ultrasound and I could see the little heartbeat fluttering and the yolk sac. The yolk sac is there for nutrition while I’m growing the placenta. Incidentally, the growing of the placenta is one reason I’m so tired all the time. They say that a pregnant woman lying down is working harder, metabolism going faster, etc. than a non-pregnant woman working out.

Anyhow, even though I know it’s impossible to get a false positive on a pregnancy test, there was still this little nagging disbelief in the back of my mind that I was actually pregnant again. Once again, it was so easy and I had been sure that it being so easy the first time was a fluke. Thank goodness I have always been, ahem, careful because apparently I get pregnant at the drop of a hat. Or something. Anyway, it was good to have the ultrasound give me visual proof that there is indeed a little JellyBean in there. I also got a couple of ultrasound pictures to take home and a little “goodie” bag with a bunch of coupons and junk and I’m supposed to go back in 3 weeks for my 12 week visit.

So last time, I accidentally spilled the beans early because I had my camera out at my birthday party and it had a picture of me with the pregnancy test on it and my nosy cousins saw it. Plus we had already had a family trip to Vegas planned and I knew my in laws would know something was up when I wasn’t drinking, so everybody found out pretty early on.

This time around, we’ve so far only told my cousin H3 and her husband and plan on waiting to tell the rest of the family around 12 weeks, which means we get to do it at Christmas. Yay! However, I’m sure my mummy-in-law and at least one sis-in-law have taken note that I didn’t drink on Thanksgiving or at MIL’s birthday dinner and so have probably already sussed it out. As H3 said, anybody who knows me would notice my sudden ceasing of both diet Coke AND wine and have a clue. Heh.

We found out I was pregnant so early last time – like two weeks – so this time I’m already amazed at how far along JellyBean is! S/he is already the size of a grape and the tadpole tail is already gone. Aww, I never had time to be concerned that I was growing a frog in there.

Coming soon: Fantastic 2.0

A week or so ago, I took a pregnancy test since I was starting to have some similar symptoms from when I was pregnant with Fletch. Unfortunately, just missing my period isn’t a good indicator of pregnancy or not – due to my PCOS, my cycle is unpredictable and it’s not unheard of for me to go 8 weeks in between.

However, I’d been feeling really tired – like, the idea of going to bed at 7:30 (or even 4:30, when I got home from work!) was really appealing. And I started getting crops of zits on both my forehead and neck. At least with Fletch, my skin was kind enough to take turns on where the crops were located.

So anyway, I took this test and got an “inconclusive” result. Like the result I got was one of the three YOU DID IT WRONG pictures in the instructions. So I must not have peed on the stick long enough or something. Seriously, I don’t know how you screw up a pregnancy test, but if it’s possible, you know I will do it. In my defense, this was an old test, the one left in the box from when I tested positive with Fletch. So perhaps it was an expired test and not operator error.

A couple days ago, I sent Mr. Fantastic to the Dollar Store to pick up another test for me. I have to digress and say that you should never, ever buy your pregnancy test at the regular grocery store again. Even the cheapie, store-brand ones are like seven bucks at Safeway. But you can get ‘em for ONE DOLLAR at the dollar store! Last time we were in the dollar store, we saw the display of pregnancy tests at the register and commented on it to the cashier and she said we would not believe how many of those they sold – it’s one of their highest revenue generators. Mr. F and I thought that was pretty funny, but you know the minute we needed one, that’s where we went.

So I got out one of my dollar pee tests this morning and checked to make sure it was all sealed and not expired or anything (‘cause you just never know when you’re buying something at the dollar store – caveat emptor!). This one was not a pee-on-the stick kind; instead, I had to pee in a cup and then use a little pipette to suck up the pee and carefully drip four drops in the little circle. Just like high school chemistry! (Um, for certain values of high school experience.) Mr. LaRue would be proud of me; I didn’t spill a drop. I think this way is actually easier than trying to pee on the stick for ten seconds and also much cleaner (for me, anyway; I somehow cannot manage not to pee on my hand as well.)

Without delay, the little pregnant line came up – no inconclusive result here! I didn’t even have to wait 3 seconds, let alone 3 minutes. But in that three seconds, whoosh…my whole life changed again. The major difference this time is that I don’t feel nearly as scared as when we found out about Fletch. This time I feel like an old pro! Check me out; I already have one kid who still has all his limbs and stuff. Despite never having had to pass any sort of parental competency test, Mr. F and I have so far done okay by our little Peanut.

We are so excited for this new chapter in our lives! I know it will be hard with two – currently there are moments when little man runs rings around us both, so we have only to hope they don’t wise up and gang up on us at some point. But I am up to the challenge!

I am also looking forward to being pregnant again. For the most part, I really enjoyed pregnancy last time. There were some drawbacks (food aversion, failing the glucose test, ANGRY LADYPARTS) but I know how to deal with all those this time around. Let’s hope there are no new curveballs!

And since it will be a while before we find out if this one’s a boy or a girl, we are calling this one JellyBean until further notice. Cheers to you, JellyBean! Can’t wait to meet you some time next summer.

*Meep-Clench-EEE*

Yesterday I had one of those heart-meltingly wonderful moments with my son that made my whole day...heck, my whole month.

He climbed up on the kitchen chair to hug me, and as he put his head on my chest, I said, "I love you, baby." and clear as day, he replied, "I love you." He's never said it before and generally doesn't string more than 2 words together, but apparently this is something Mr. Fantastic's been working on with him.

What a great feeling. My whole heart went meep-clench-EEE! ♥ This is just one of the many reasons I love being a mom.

Steve: One year.

Well. Today is a hard day.

It’s one year since Steve passed away. One whole year…and it seems like yesterday. It seems like yesterday when he called me from his car in the parking garage, afraid he’d just had a stroke because he couldn't move his right arm or speak.

I was terrified then that it was the beginning of the end and devastated to find out I was right. It all happened so fast afterwards that it took a long time to process. And although I've made a lot of progress over this past year, in some ways, I still don’t think I've really processed or accepted everything.

I still can’t bring myself to delete his email address from my contacts or take his number off my speed dial. I haven’t closed the estate; we haven’t finished going through all his things and deciding what to do with it all. I remember this from when my mom died…to take something of his and give it a new home, to remove it from its rightful place in his home is an acknowledgement that he won’t be coming back.

I’m stuck in this place where I know he’s gone but it’s difficult for me to take the next steps. I know it’s part of the process and takes time.

And it’s not as if my whole life has been on hold – how could it be with a growing boy in my life? My son was 7 months old then…not even walking yet. Now he’s a running, climbing, babbling 19 month old dynamo that keeps his dad and me hopping. He is our light and has brought us so much happiness, especially on the hard days.

And we had Christmas and birthdays and bought a new house and the world kept on and so did we. Just with a big hole that will take a long while to fill.

I miss his voice and his laugh and his presence. I miss having entire conversations in movie quotes. I miss making him dinner and how much he appreciated a home-cooked meal. I miss playing Clue or trivia or poker or just sitting around not doing much of anything.

I am so very sad that Monkey will never know his Uncle Steve. I am so glad that Steve got to know him for the short time he did. I think all the time about what a wonderful uncle he would have been.

I am also sad for me and the person I lost. He wasn’t just a brother to me. He was a best friend and someone I looked to for guidance and grounding. He was a beacon for me, a rock. And above all, for my entire life, I knew that he would always look out for me and be there to take care of me when I needed him.

It’s a hard day today, but I’m thankful to have had Steve as a brother and to have been so close to him. I’m glad I was able to be there for him when he needed me.

I miss you with all my heart, T.B. Cott. I wish you were here.

Home. FINALLY.

OMG what a day...my flight was unable to land in Denver due to weather...sposed to get here at 530...just now got her, 5 hours late. UGH.

Hot Tub Time Machine: RUN, DON'T WALK! Seriously, you must see this movie if only for the mention of Stargate fanfiction. I LOLed; would LOL again.

Had the Fantastic clan over tonight for the first BBQ in our new house. It was great to finally be able to entertain!

I HAZ A BUCKET

First night in the new house! I hope there's no weird noises or anything...

Watching Le Tour de France...makes me sad since it was always something Steve & I loved. If not for him, I'd never have know what maillot jaune was.

We have the best family

We have the best family ever. Got the moving van unloaded in record time. Thanks, everyone who helped! We love you! <3

Woo! We officially own a

Woo! We officially own a house now, w/ a garage, basement & especially a YARD for Monkey. Long day of unpacking tomorrow.

The Misters Fantastic, hiking at Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge this weekend. Ain't they cute?
J.Far

Well, that's it! Closed on

Well, that's it! Closed on the condo. We are officially "homeless" untill we close on the new house in ~2 weeks.

So long old place...we'll miss you. Thanks for 9 years of great memories. <3
J.Far

It begins again...Happy 12 Days of My Birthday to Me; Plus: A Surprise!

As many of you know, I like my birthday to be a Big Deal. To that end, each year I often have multiple celebrations of various types – BBQs, drinks with the girls, etc. with the different people in my life. Quite a few years ago, my brother Steve noted this fact and called it “the 12 Days Jennie’s Birthday.” Ever since then, I have continued the grand tradition of the 12 Days of My Birthday, celebrating my frequently as possible with as many of my loved ones as I can in the two weeks surrounding the day itself. There is no set beginning or end and sometimes it’s more than 12 and sometimes less, but it is always wonderful and is my way of fully embracing becoming another year older instead of trying to pretend it’s not happening.

Sadly, this will be the first year since its inception that the 12 Days won’t include a celebration with its inventor, Steve. I am trying not to be sad about that and instead am soldiering on, determined that this year’s 12 Days will be just as grand as they always are.

So tonight kicks off the first of the 12 Days, drinks with my friend Debra at the Cruise Room. And Sunday is a combined Father’s Day/Birthday BBQ with our families. And tomorrow…tomorrow I am doing something but it’s a complete mystery what I’ll actually be doing. You see, my darling cousin H3 has planned for me…A Surprise.

So the other thing many of you know about me is that I Like Surprises. A lot. I am the kid who never once, not ever, peeked at my Christmas presents despite knowing where they were kept. I’ve never so much as peeled back a corner of tape on a gift ahead of time. I like knowing something good is coming, but not exactly what.

I have always really, really wanted someone to throw me a surprise party, but it’s kind of hard to pull that off when I’m always going around telling people it would be okay if they threw me a surprise party this year. But I also love anticipating something, so one of the best things in the world for me is to make plans with me for something like six weeks ahead of time so that I have a whole month and a half to think about it and what I’m going to wear and where we’re going, etc. etc. etc.

Well, at least a month ago, H3 told me she was planning something for my birthday but it was A Surprise. Eee! A Surprise! So I’ve had a whole month of thinking about what it could be. I know almost nothing – she keeps giving me these cryptic clues like what kind of shoes to wear or the fact that I may have to change my clothes but don’t need to bring a change of clothes and that I will be gone from noon until ???. And today she gave me the most intriguing clue of all. She said I would receive a phone call at noon tomorrow with directions and not to dilly dally! Ooh! A Mystery Phone Call…from who? What will they tell me to do? It's like I'm a Birthday Spy.

Seriously, a surprise outing for my birthday…I’m so excited I could wet my pants. I love to plan things and entertain and throw parties and in general do stuff for other people. So when somebody plans something especially for me, I can’t even tell you how much it means. We could be going to the dump tomorrow to pick up old tires for recycling and this would already be the best birthday ever because...A Surprise!

ETA: The surprise was so much fun! We went to an old school beauty salon and got our hair done - but like big giant roller sets under the dryers so we all had huge 60s hair.

Then we went to goodwill and bought crazy clothes to match the crazy hair and went out all dressed up! I looked like a prom queen. It was awesome and I drank too much and had a great time. ♥

Why do all swimsuit makers

Why do all swimsuit makers assume that if I'm buying smaller than size 10 that I want a 2 piece w/ no underwire? GRRR.

Spaghetti night...good thing it's Mr. Fantastic's job to do bath time!

Day off...beautiful weather!

Day off...beautiful weather! Walked up 16th, now getting a mani/pedi. Only thing missing is a glass of wine. Yes, I know what time it is.

30 Ways to Live Life to the Fullest

A great article from TinyBuddha...30 Ways to Live Life to the Fullest

Happy 1st Birthday, Monkey!

Happy Birthday buddy! It's been a priviledge & a joy being your mom. Here's to many, many more.

Monkey: ONE YEAR

How do I even begin to tell you what's new with my ONE YEAR old child? I had planned to do an update every month with pictures and everything but oh, how life gets in the way sometimes.

When we left off, Peanut was 8 months old and getting ready to crawl. Now, he is just about 12 months old and taking tentative steps. I still call him Monkey, along with an assortment of other offhanded endearments.

Our little guy is as fabulous as ever – an incredible joy who brings us more happiness than we ever came close to imagining. I don't know what we would do without him. (Besides watch a lot more TV and surf a lot more internet!)

He is growing like a weed and flourishing like a flower. At his year checkup today, he was just under 30 inches tall and weighed 21 lbs 6 oz. Developmentally he's spot on – pulling up, cruising around on the furniture and sometimes taking as many as eight or 10 steps before he stops and sits down. It won't be much longer until he's a toddling maniac.

So much has happened over the last few months! It's hard to look back at pictures from six months ago and believe it's the same kid.

Food: We have been blessed with (so far) a non-picky eater. In fact, I would say he is exactly the opposite. He will and has eaten everything we've given him. If you ask him what his food preference is, it's "YES." And how funny that he's like this when, when we first started him on solids – not until after 6 months, mind you – he was all DO NOT WANT about everything we tried. I despaired that we would ever be able to sustain him with something other than my magic boobs. Formula is still strictly on the No-Fly list, however.

I don't know what happened but all of a sudden he became Hoover-baby, chomping at the spoon no matter what's on it. Apples, pears, cheerios, pasta, of course. Sweet potatoes, yes. Peas, yes. Prunes, yes. Spinach, broccoli, chicken, bagels, beef, yogurt, ham, lettuce, cheese YES YES YES!

We generally let him eat some of whatever we're eating, chopped up into bits and put on his tray, and then he usually also has a thing of baby food as well. Even though it's awful messy, he loves anything covered in spaghetti sauce, so I try to overcome my mess-phobia and let him have it even when we're not. Who knew that broccoli in spaghetti sauce would be a hit? He'll eat it plain but likes it much better sauced.

Monkey is a great eater and I'm so happy – I can only hope he keeps it up when he's older. Especially because despite the fact that I worry he's eating too much sometimes, he is in the 24% percentile for weight. Dr. Matt says he's just fine and to continue letting him eat as he wants.

Also, there have been many, many attempts at eating things that should not be eaten. I picture Monkey with a permanent little thought bubble over his head that says, "What's this? Can I put it in my mouth?" Or, more accurately, "What's this? I shall put it in my mouth!"

They say babies explore with their mouths and this is definitely true with our little guy. Everything he gets his hands on goes into his mouth. He especially loves to chew on tags. I hear there's a line of toys designed with all kinds of tags just for kids like him. Guess he'll have to get some for his birthday!

Teeth: He's got 8 fully in now – the four across the front on top. #s 9 &10 have finally broken through, which are a top molar on one side and a bottom molar on the other. They really gave him a hard time, at night especially; it kept him up, poor guy.

Walking: Monkey learned to stand in November and is now cruising around on furniture, people's legs, etc. In December my friend Erin gave us a walker that he runs around in like a madman – it has been his favorite thing ever since. He goes for walkies with Daddy down to get the mail and you can hear him squealing a mile away. He just loves it. Now that he is better at walking on his own, he tends to sit in the walker and roll himself backwards. It's hysterical to see him look back over his shoulder and kick off, flying down the hallway. I imagine in the next couple weeks when he's fully mobile upright, the walker will be abandoned and that will make me sad because I do love to see him zipping around in that thing.

He has also discovered using the dining room chair as a push toy. I can't believe he's strong enough to push it! But he is, and he's awesome at navigating that thing around the whole house. It's hardwoods all over so it is not unusual to come across an abandoned dining room chair in the hall or somewhere.

The other day, I was in the dining room working and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement across the kitchen. Looking up, I saw the stroller going by backwards. And then along comes Monkey, happily pushing it along and smiling at me as he went by. I love that my day is filled with such simple, beautiful moments like this.

Communication: My little guy babbles up a storm. He continues to be very vocal and has lately started mimicking us. We'll say something and at the end hear this little echo of the last two words we just said. And he sure talks to himself a lot…we always wonder just what it is he's saying. Won't be long now before he gets a few words that really sound like they mean something. Meanwhile, he does seem to know what we're saying much of the time. He knows who Mommy and Daddy are and claps and waves bye-bye, and especially loves to play "Where's Mommy?" The other day after dinner, I let him play with the washcloth I used to clean his face, and he started doing "Where's Monkey?" – held the cloth up in front of his own face, then yanked it down and smiled at me. He did it a couple of times until I caught on and started saying, "Wheeeere's Monkey?" and then he would giggle and hold it up again. Darling! I even got some on video.

He also knows "no" although we try not to use it except for the really dangerous stuff. Instead we aim for things like "hands off" or "hands to yourself" and thankfully, he is easily redirected.

We are trying some baby signs – right now we're working on "more" and "all done" and continuing to use the sign for milk as "yumyums."

Other stuff: It seems Monkey's favorite song has changed from Itsy Bitsy Spider to Little Bunny Foo Foo. Only problem is that I can't remember what happens at the end of Bunny Foo Foo when his three chances are up. Luckily, we tend to finish whatever it is we're doing before I get to the end. (Note to self: Find out what the hand motions are for when Little Bunny Foo Foo gets turned into a goon.)

He still loves Goodnight Moon, although we have gotten him some more books for his birthday so we can add a few more things into the rotation, seeing as I can recite Goodnight Moon in my sleep. We have quite a few more books but many of them are regular paper books which my little man destroys in seconds, so we're still on board books for a while yet. Also on the hit list: Guess How Much I Love You and Time for Bed.

He does great playing on his own too. A couple of months ago, I gave him a "safe" cabinet in the kitchen, filled with Tupperware and stuff. It also includes a large wooden spoon, which, according to Monkey, is AWESOME for banging. Mommy only agrees with this opinion for about half an hour; Daddy, not so much. It is super cute though to see him sitting on the kitchen floor with all the bowls and things spread out around him, happy as a clam banging away with his spoon.

Monkey doesn't seem to have a favorite toy as yet – he has lots of them but seems to give them all equal time. I suppose if we had to pick, the ones he seems to enjoy the most are the play keys from Aunt Heidi and the pretend cell phone I got him for our trip to Disneyland in December. We generally keep those in the car, though, so maybe he seems to like them so much because he doesn't get them all the time.

We are looking forward to his monkey-themed birthday party at Nana's this weekend. We are actually re-gifting some of the presents we got him for Christmas because he got spoiled by everyone, especially his Uncle John and Aunt Sherry. They got him so much stuff! Among other things, some cute clothes and a rocking horse that makes gallop-y noises and this adorable penguin thing that is like a giant weeble that laughs when you knock it down. He really loves the penguin and it's funny, if you bump into it and it bobbles a little, it lets out this loony laugh which is a sure fire way to get Monkey to come running (or crawling just as fast as he can!) Anyway, he pretty much liked the wrapping paper just as much as the actual gifts, so he won't even notice that many of the ones from Mommy and Daddy are the same.

Christmas this year was great but obviously a little sad. We missed Steve so much and couldn't stop thinking about excited he would have been for Monkey's first Christmas. It is getting easier day by day, but sometimes I get such an awful pang of missing him. Especially when Monkey does something exceptionally adorable that I want to tell him about. I sure hope there's some way that my mom and Steve can see what a great kid I've got.

He is such a joy – so happy, laughing and smiling all the time. Such a good kid and makes us so happy. I hope he knows – will always know – just how much we love him.

A whole year gone by already. We can't believe how much he's grown and how much we've grown too! I was so nervous about being a parent, about taking care of a baby and now I feel so accomplished and proud of my little boy.

It went so fast. I just hope the next twenty years don't go by like this or I will be an old lady all too soon!

As always, pictures here, video here.

Superbowl is a sad day

Superbowl is a sad day...we'd normally be heading to Steve's for celebratin' no matter who's playing. Sure miss him.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY
You will never play professional basketball.
You swear very well.
At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner or holds political office... and you have at least one aunt who is a nun or uncle who's a priest...
You think you sing very well.
You have no idea how to make a long story short!
There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone...
Many of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a mortal sin.
You have never hit your head on a ceiling...
You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
You're strangely poetic after a few beers.
Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.
Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen and there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen
Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.
You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing...
You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
There wasn't a huge difference between your last wake and your last keg party.
You are, or know someone, named Murphy. If you don’t know Murphy then you know Mac. If you don't know Murphy or Mac, then you know Sully ... Then you probably know McMurphy.
You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
You have Irish Alzheimer's ... you forget everything but the grudges!
'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'
Your skin's ability to tan ... not so much. (Only in spots!)
Childhood remedies for the common cold often included some form of whiskey.
There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.
At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each other. Not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other

First time away from the boy

Well, tomorrow I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Have to go to L.A. for work and won't be back until Thursday. It will be my first time away from Fletch for more than a few hours - I have never been away from him overnight before.

I'm nervous for all three of us. I know it will be hard on me - I will miss both him and Mr. Fantastic like crazy and I'm sure my boobs are going to wonder what the hell happened. I know it will be hard on Mr. F to take care of the baby all on his own and not have me and my magic boobs to help out if the going gets rough. And I know it will be hard on the boy to be without me, especially at night.

In the end, I'm sure it will be good for all of us. I need to learn how to be away from him and Fletchie needs to learn how to be away from me. And Mr. F needs to learn how it will be without me there.

I know I'm long overdue for an update on the boy - all is well, he is awesome as ever - but for now, check out the new photos and videos.

Avatar

Avatar in Imax was pretty amazing. Beautiful to look at! Gonna win @ Oscars. Could do without the 3D though - headachey!

Let's have some less interesting times this year, mmmkay?

I'm sitting here, listening to my husband snore and my baby cough as we all suffer from the same plaguey virus that's going around, and I feel…well, I suppose, not technically grateful for them as they are in their current state, but in general, I feel blessed. Enriched. My husband and son have made my life better, fulfilled, interesting.

As I contemplate the dawn of a new year, I am reminded of the Chinese 'curse,' "May you live in interesting times." As a general rule, I have always felt that living in interesting times was much preferable to living in uninteresting times – not a curse at all. What fun is living if your life's not interesting?

But 2009 was a pretty interesting year for me, with the birth and the death of two of the most important people that will ever be in my life. So for 2010, I'd like a year that's a little less interesting. Obviously, with a baby who'll turn one in February (!!!) I can't hope for anything like uneventful, but I'll take all the routine happy this year would like to throw at us. A bonus would be zero trips to any hospitals of any kind for any reason, either for myself or my loved ones. I spent far too much of 2009 in hospitals and doctor's offices for my tastes.

I know there will be plenty of interesting times this year – we will always have our ups and downs. I'm just hoping for a little more middle of the road ups and downs, like skinned knees and winning $2 on my lottery ticket. Let's save the big events for a few years down the road once we've had some time to enjoy some run-of-the-mill interestingness.

Bronco game

Bronco game with lots of my cousins today. Fun but sucked sitting in the cold for no reason. *grumblegrumble* Been home almost 2 hours & my feet are still cold!