This Week

First, let me start very geniunely by saying how thankful I am to have a husband who is an amazing dad. On Tuesday, when my body decided to purge itself of anything and everything and I spent the entire day in bed or on the cold tile of the bathroom, Steve took over on baby/home/dog/etc. duty like a champ. And when I spent the better part of Wednesday and even part of today recovering, he continued to run this home like a well-oiled machine. Needless to say, it has been a miserable few days for everyone (but mostly for me, mind you). Luckily, neither Steve nor Sara has shown any of the signs of bodily trauma that threatened my very existence less than seventy-two hours ago.

And what's funny is that over the weekend, I had thought to myself, It's time for me to do something very intentional to rid my body of these ten extra pounds I've been carrying around in my hips since December.

Well, now. Be careful what you wish for.

Tomorrow we are leaving on our road trip to Minnesota. You're probably thinking that we're either crazy or just too broke to buy plane tickets. In fact, you are right on both accounts. However, the trip will allow us to stop and see some friends, family, and places along the way that haven't been graced by our presence in too many years. Our first stop will be Friday night in KCMO with Craig and Lisa. I'm especially looking forward to stopping in Ames to visit Cyclone Country and all of the wonderful memories stored there among the buildings, houses, and establishments of other varieties. We'll be coming back with some new gear to sport during what I'm sure will be another disappointing football season.

Now it's time to pack. If you think of it, say a little prayer that we all still love each other by the time we roll back into Wylie, Texas!

For good measure:

The Proof is in the Pudding

Observations

Carrots, the vegetable-beef concoction ... and the rest of the orange foods: they stain. All of them. And I wash only using the simplest methods: dump in clothes, dump in soap, close the lid and walk away. That means Sara has recently sported a number of outfits with an orange tint around the collar, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

Denim shorts for babies are impractical on every level. But they are so incredibly cute, and when I spotted these on the clearance rack at Old Navy, I took them directly to the register.

Babies don't need toys. Mine goes nuts over a piece of paper. And since I also happen to have a Tupperware cupboard and pots & pans, I should be set for a while.

Teething is painful for all involved parties. As my sister said, at least Sara won't remember her current state of pain (although Steve and I will have many memories of it to share with her someday).

One of the best things about being a mom is that even though Sara is fussy and feverish and a little difficult to please right now thanks to the very swollen bottom gums in her little mouth, she still looks at me like this when I say her name.

Target = Love

Today we went and browsed around Target for a while, mainly because it's too hot (already) to do anything else, but also because we just plain enjoy Target. Who doesn't love finding inexpensive wares at the place that sells this, that, and everything in between? Case in point: I found these adorable ceramic bowls in the $1.00 section. I also purchased this dress. It will go perfectly with the cute metallic espadrilles I purchased when Lisa was here. Steve bought a pair of khaki shorts to go with all the other pairs of khaki shorts he owns ... just saying.

When we visited with Dr. McDonald a few days ago, he said that Sara can go ahead and start trying foods other than the basic fruits and veggies. While he said that meats tend to be the least favorite of many babies, we did get her a couple of jars. She also got a jar of mac & cheese (in baby food form). Doesn't that sound disgusting? I think so, too, but I have a feeling she'll love it. Tonight for dinner she finished an already opened container of veggies, so we'll intro the m&c tomorrow. Excitement abounds!

Finally, I have to put in a plug for Tar-jay's new generic brand, Up Up (I think that's it). I noticed it when I went down the baby-goods aisle in search of wipes. Instead of opting for the pack of Huggie's wipes I normally grab, I selected the Up Up wipes (made with real cotton, mind you) for nearly half the price. Lately I've embraced buying generic, partly because I'm cheap, but also because the quality is usually just as good as the equivalent brand name item. Of course there are some basic brand name items that are must-haves in our home, like this, this, and these, but for the most part, I'm fully in support of the generics. Are you on board?

Today ...

Today ... was my first official day of summer vacation. I'm working tomorrow and a few days next week, and then I'm not working again until the end of July. I can feel my entire body relaxing as I type those words: I'm not working again until the end of July. The cold Boulevard on the coaster next to me may also be part of "my entire body relaxing."

Today ... Sara had her 6-month visit with Dr. McDonald. She weighs 17 pounds on the nose, and she is 26 inches in length. The doctor himself said, "She eats well." Indeed. For the last 6 weeks or so (give or take), Sara has been eating "real" lunches and dinners that consist of rice or oat cereal with veggies and/or fruit. She hasn't met a food she doesn't like. So, it's official: she can stay. This is the face of a kid who can't figure out why she must pause between bites to pose for pictures.
Today ... Sara had her last set of immunizations for a while. She's never had any adverse reactions to them, thank goodness, but I'm glad she won't have to endure as much poking at her 9-month check-up.

Today ... Dr. McDonald said we can start using a sippy cup! I don't know why this excites me so, but it does. After leaving his office, we immediately went sippy-cup shopping. So far Sara has had about two drinks of water, with my help, of course. She'll be keeping herself happy and hydrated without assistance in no time, I'm sure. Today ... is the last day of Sara's 5th month. At the doctor's office there was a newborn, and she was so tiny. Not long ago, I had a newborn, but now she's becoming a full-blown kid! Six months of Sara's life have gone by in a flash, and I find myself racking my brain to be sure I've secured enough mental images and memories to last a lifetime.

Today ... Higgins had a shot, too, so he can stay at The Dog House when we go to MN in a couple of weeks. He and Sara are paying more attention to one another these days. Last week she got a good grip on a chunk of his hair, and -- to my relief -- his response was to jump around like they were playing. When we were waiting at the vet today, Higgins made sure to "check" on Sara whenever another dog passed her. Today ... a new job opportunity may have presented itself to Steve. We'll see what unfolds. In the meantime, he's still on contract with his former/current company.

Today ... I decided to turn over a new leaf: I didn't even look twice at the tabloids in the grocery store. I hereby give up celebrity gossip, mostly because all it does anymore is make me sad. This is the first goal of many I hope to accomplish in becoming a better version of myself (call it a Summer Resolution). I'm typing it here so you can all yell at me if I regress.

Today ... I tried really hard to let the ordinary, mundane parts of life remind me of how great things are, just the way they are. Today was a good day.

Don't you just want to squeeze 'em?

Tidbits

Good news: Steve has been offered a contract position with -- who else -- the company who recently laid him off! They need someone for roughly 100 hours to write content for the Iams account, and Steve is happy to do it. I think it's a great testimony to his ability that, although the company had to make cuts, they think enough of his work to have him back for a short-term gig. It'll be at least a couple of weeks worth of work; although the contract position comes without benefits, it does come with a higher hourly rate than he was making before, so we'll call it even for now. Either way, it's more than the government pays!

Friday is the last day of school with students. I'm so glad to be almost through my first year as an administrator. Some of you have heard me say that I'm definitely ready for my "re-do" year to start (although not before I enjoy some summer).

The picture below is of the gifts Sara will be giving to her teachers at school (you can imagine her excitement). I found the pots at Michael's for $2.99 and picked up some begonias at Home Depot for the bargain price of $1.28 each. I think they turned out pretty cute!

Tonight I experimented with a new dessert recipe: Lemon Cake Balls. If you are a 12-year-old boy or if any part of your brain sometimes behaves like one, you may laugh at that name. Apparently cake balls are sort of a new trend ... have you heard that? Anyway, I had wanted to make Red Velvet Cake Balls, but Kroger had no Red Velvet cake mix, if you can believe that. Here's what I discovered about cake balls: they are time consuming and messy and a little tricky for a non-baking-expert like me, but a fun treat nonetheless. All in all, I think they turned out well. The real test will be when my co-workers taste-test them tomorrow at the event that is requiring me to bring a dessert in the first place. I may or may not claim to having made them, depending on the reaction. Yes, the sprinkles are ISU colors (thanks, Leigh ... yep, I still have them. Do sprinkles go bad?).

And this is for those of you who check this blog for no other reason than to see Sara's sweet face. I just L-O-V-E her to pieces!