this is how she does her own hair.

In other news, there are things happening to other people around me, not close, but still around, that makes anything I could say seem shallow and trite.

cookies

Oh and in case you were wondering, here is the picture that was supposed to be on Ava's birth announcement a year and a half ago...it is a long story.  It never happened which is all I will say.

Ok, this really isn't it, but I was getting annoyed at searching through files trying to find it, so I had to pick something. 

Ok this was it, but we had edited it.  I just can't find where it is.

The other night we went to my
brother's house to just hang out.  We played some Rock Band.  In the
game you have to tap the microphone sometimes to be the cowbell,
tambourine, type of thing's part.  Well I decided to hit my palm with
it, as if it were a tambourine.  I now have a huge bruise on the palm
of my hand.  It also works to tap the mic with your finger.

 

I haven't seen the oscars yet, so far all I know this movie won
tons of awards, but I just finished watching Gone Baby Gone.  It was
pretty stinkin good.  Good story line, good acting, etc.  Ben Afleck
wrote and directed it.  Keep in mind, he also wrote Good Will Hunting,
if you are trying to think of what kind of movie it will be. 

 

The nose seems to be healing quite nicely.  I can blow my nose and
everything without cringing.  It is not really that sore, just a little
sensitive.  I am doing much better than my partner in crime, that is
for sure.

 

By the end of the week it will be March.  That means spring has to
be coming soon.  I can handle the thought of another month of winter,
it will go by quickly.  Just knowing that it is almost over is so
exciting!  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for summer.
I feel like this will be my first real summer, like a summer break
since I was 16.  I have always been working since then.  I am sure the
novelty will wear off quickly, especially since I don't have a pool or
anything, but you never know.  I am still boggled that we chose to live
in an area that has an association that controls everything, but we
didn't pick one with a community pool...What were we thinking?

Also, I haven't put ANY of Ava's pictures, beyond the first week of life in an album.  I haven't put much of anything in any album since our honeymoon actually.  I have a bunch, so that isn't the problem. I have the problem of wanting to print and put in every picture that I have taken.  I have gotten away from printing them all.  Now I kind of want to label them, but NOT SCRAPBOOK them.  I think I will soon take on at least part of the project before I start losing picture that I have printed.

We rented a few movies recently.  Saw Martian Child tonight and I thought it was good, but I love John Cusack.  I saw the unrated version of Good Luck Chuck.  It was horrible!  Not even just horrible, but offensive.  I am not anti-artistic nudity, but I am anti-nudity for the sake of nudity, a la exploitation of women, and men for that matter.

I finished the book, The Other Side of the Story by somebody I can't remember.  It was good but not nearly as good as her other books.  I am currently reading Stardust.  I liked the movie.  Justin actually read this book already so this will be like book #5 that we have both read.  He is listening to Hearts in Atlantis right now, and I read that about 6 years ago and liked it.  Maybe someday he will trust me on book recommendations.  I have never and will never recommend chick lit to him.

needed

This morning Ava decided to get up at 6:50.  I didn't go to bed until around 1:30am.  The satalite went out due to the weather. I put on Finding Nemo and was lying on the floor  on her stuffed dog and Ava was lying on me.  She went on her way playing and I fell asleep.  I was woken up with a kiss and , "Mommy, I pooped."  It is good to know I am needed.

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Oh and Ava has now decided that her pants drawers are really full of blankets.  She goes in and takes out a pair of pants every time she feels that she or one of her babies needs a blanket.

Nothing Much

This weekend involved A LOT of big meals.  Now I feel horribly gross.  I wonder how many days it will take for all that food to get out.  I know there is a scientific way of knowing, but I don't count that.  Maybe I need those impurity removers that stick to your feet....

I am back on the wagon as far as my new healthy life is concerned.  I have already had fruit, water and fitness today.  woohoo.  Next thing is a shower.

I am loving my life at home.  I have no doubts that we made the right decision for me to stay home. My new job is good and perfect for our situation.  It isn't the most convenient for me to have to drop Ava off at Wanda's for an hour or for Justin to have to leave work by a certain time to pick her up, but it works.  I think Ava still gets to see her friends and Wanda so that is a perk.  Ava definitely misses Wanda and I can't blame her.  Either way, I see life going in a very positive direction.  I don't feel like I am just treading water anymore, waiting for the next thing.  I am enjoying each day. 

favorites poll

What is your favorite brand of foundation that a) blends well, b) doesn't leave you shiny and c) doesn't make your chin look like the rocky mountains.

Answer away.

Happy Valentine's Day

So last night Ava had pooped.  We were asking her which one of us should change her diaper.  She sat there and folded her hands, looked up at us through her eye lashes and says, "Um, um, um, babble, um I stink. Like poop."

Ava and I have some big plans for Valentine's day activities.  Not sure what all we will get done, but the plans are there.

I am back to being motivated to work on my crocheting project.  I have just decided to work on the one I want to work on and forget out about trying to get other ones done by a certain time.  I just want to enjoy it, not feel pressure.

Ava made Justin cookies.  Really I did, she said she didn't want to, she was watching mickey.  I made baked potato soup and a milk chocolate MOUSSE pie. I was disappointed in the pie, but oh well.  We watched Stardust and I actually really liked it.  The end of valentine's day. 

Our old roommate got engaged today.  Her now fiance decided to follow through with the plan, even though he had to go cover the shooting at NIU.  He is a graduate student there and interning at a news station.  Happy sad day for them I guess.

another stupid comment

So I was shopping today at Domincks*** and I was in the freezer section (something about the freezer section, they say it is a good place to meet people to date, but it is also a good place to receive dumb comments, no idea why, it is just a common area for it to occur) and this older man looks at Ava and says, "Should I ask what is wrong with her face?"  The answer is no you shouldn't, because it is rude.  Do I say that?  No.  Because I don't want to be rude.  So I just say that she has a birthmark and leave it at that.  I should have at least said that nothing is wrong with her face, she has a birthmark.  Stupid head.

*** Do you think Dominick's really is the most expensive place to go shopping?  Quality a factor in your shopping destination? 

cold

So when I left work i was tired, but then I got in a car at midnight that was freezing and I can't feel my fingers still, and now i am awake.  So while driving home I heard Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilara, and it prompted this memory.  A memory from the the time that this song would have been on the radio normally.  The scene is set, just like in the show Cold Case.  Hear the song in the background.  My roommate Heather and I were out to be loyal fans on Justin's band.  They had a show that night, so we dressed up.  What else does the girlfriend of the singer of the band playing in a coffee house wear but black pleather pants and a sweater.  Sooooo Amazing video, but not so cropped and I didn't look like Liv Tyler. (sadness, sniff, sniff) Anyway, it got rather warm in that crowded coffee house.  I sweat a lot in my pleather pants.  We get back to my parents house and I am dying to change clothes.  I had been wearing a certain type of underwear to prevent horrific panty lines in my pleather pants. (I hear back in the VPL was a good thing....) I pealed off my sweaty pleather and what do I see?  Blue.  Everywhere.  Except where my undies had been.  It was an awesome blue tan, but not tan...After laughing hysterically at myself, I went out and mooned my mom and then my sister,  because it is funny to have a partially blue butt.  By the way, I seriously despise the word panty.   I want to say underwear line, but then I couldn't use VPL.

By the way, for those of you who don't know.  Pleather is pretend leather.

the good fight

I am going to overshare, later in the post.  Stay tuned. 

First.  On the way home from church today, Ava was eating her travel bag of pops and just talking and talking.  I am not sure if she thinks she is singing along with the radio, but either way, she keeps up a steady stream of babble.  I don't know what she is saying and if I turn the radio down so I can hear her, she talks quieter so I still can't hear her.  Anyway, usually on the way home from church she is asleep in the first  5 minutes.  Today she was fighting the good fight.  She was awake and talking until we got off 55.  I turned and the sun was in her eyes.  She squinted.  Oh no!  She lost the sleep battle, eyes were closed, she didn't have the strength to re-open them.  She was asleep with pops bag in her hand, mouth hanging open, ready for the next bite.

Now on to the grossness.  Dori, our dog, loves to eat nails.  Like toenails, finger nails.  She chews her own back paw nails to nubs constantly so we never have to trim them. She doesn't mind you trimming her front paws because she gets a tasty snack.  She also apparently loves people nails.  She comes running if she hears you clipping.  It does help with clean up even if it is gross.  So I was trimming my toenails and she came running to eat up.  Tequi, the cat, came too.  He doesn't like nails.  He just didn't want Dori to have any.  Dori was eating and Tequi was beating.  Beating Dori in the head and then was biting her ears.  Dori didn't give up, that is how much she loves nails.

Do you ever have topics that you really want to talk about because you know you probably will offend someone, and it isn't the intention so you don't?

Yes, this is that topic.  I am sorry to all of my friends for the past ____.  They will never happen again, well not for a while, until Ava decides she wants ______ ____ ____ ____ ____ ______.  Why? Because I really hate ___ ___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ full of ____ _____ don't ____.  Torturous.  I have another one lined up.  Crap.

I got a couple pairs of jeans at Old Navy today.  Thanks Old Navy for letting the first pair I tried on today fit.  It was a good ego boost.  I also got a couple pairs of clearance pajamas.  Always an ego boost to think you don't look like a ragamuffin in bed.  It does something to you the next morning.

I watched last weeks episode of Eli Stone.  I think I like it.  It works for now because there is only new shows on 1/4 of the time.  So far Lost is keeping up the level of goodness from the season finale last year which is good because last year's season was starting to suck. 

I am looking for book suggestions.  Fiction books.  I will let you know if I have read them already.  I am also having a hard time being motivated with my 3 on going yarn projects. 

Here are some pictures from today.

She really only is 1.5 years old.  She just looks older in the picture than in real life because of lack of perspective.

 

Ok, the last link sucked.  Trying it again.

Which fragrance should I get?  The different fragrances are listed under products.

dipes and wipes

I don't have much to say at the moment, so I thought I would just post about diapers.  Cloth diapering, still going strong.  Last couple weeks I pushed the time limits of cloth and Ava leaked.  It does happen in any diaper in certain situations.  I actually think these hold more than the normal disposable, but I got a little carried away with my confidence I guess. 

Well, since I cloth diaper, I also use cloth wipes....It is 1000 times easier to just put the wipe in the wash with the diaper.  My favorite wipe is actually a terry cloth one, especially for poops.  One wipe gets everything off.  They are kind of like wash clothes.  I did buy a few washcloths that were on sale.  Pretty shades of blue.  Dyed a few diaper inserts blue in the wash...something to consider in the future.  I use a cleaning solution, which right now I don't really like the smell of...which brings me to: the booty cubes.  Which fragrance should I get????????

I should mention Justin doesn't do the cloth wipe thing.  I did tell him that our biodegradable organic wipes from walmart (they were on sale!!!) aren't flushable after quite a few went down.  I kind of have a feeling that might come back to haunt us, since that particular toilet gets clogged easily in the first place.

Oh and...I really do have quite a bit of love for the bumgenius all in one (or in diaper forum lingo, BG AIO) now that I have this(minus the drying hangers, thank you clearance end cap! $19.95!!!).  Stuffing the inserts does get old real quick, especially when you have dry skin on your hands.  It just feels nasty.  I want more, but Justin says no.  I am not into all the colors or anything like that anymore.  I mean, I am, I just am not as concerned.  I am just preferring  ease of use at  the moment, and the bg aio are trim and cute, so no really complaints.

and Oh and again...I do expect certain people that I am married to be impressed by my embedded links. Oh yeah, I looked up html codes.

MRI

We sort of got the results of Ava's MRI back.  They actually sent two different reports.  Either way, we are waiting for a second opinion.  It appears that there is a LA (don't remember what it stands for, but essentially blood vessels like her birthmark on the surface of her brain) on the surface of her brain.  If this is in fact the case, then she will officially have the diagnosis of Sturge-Weber Syndrome.  We are handling it well.  It is scary but at the same time, it hasn't effected her yet, so we are in a good position. 

We barely got any snow from this storm front.  Maybe more will come tonight, but who knows. I am sure glad I am still getting to park in the garage!