Flying By!

The last couple of weeks have been flying by!

Miss M and I made a trip out to see Dr. Werner (Meeshmellow.com) and enjoy some loveliness. We started out with a trip to Blind beach on Saturday to meet some of Dr. Werner's friends. Good people by all accounts, and the beach was perfect.

Then it was home for de-sandification and good food.

Miss M took to the papasan chair-crib quite well.

On Sunday we ate a nice lunch, followed up with lavender ice cream from Screaming Mimi's. You might think that sounds gross... but it was really (!) good. Everyone kept asking us what type of ice cream my SON liked best.

Now I have no problem with people making mistakes about the gender of my baby. I think she looks like a boy, really, I get it.

So to make it clear to everyone, I had dressed her in a pink frilly dress and a hair clip in her hair that day. What more do you need?! I didn't correct anyone, it's not that important, but com'on people.

Around the house we've been having a good time playing with Miss M and the dogs. More like they've been having a good time together. I can only hope that this turns into a playmate situation when Miss M learns to throw the ball. Because really, why would anyone have a kid besides to have a ball thrower for thier dog? I can't think of any other reason.

Maybe Mr. Zimny can.

Rewarding yourself

As some might know, there has been a little stress in the Lloyd house with all the "Are you sure your husband and you aren't related?" talk and tests, tests, and tests to see if Miss M is "normal". So after they sent the last batch of tests in we planned little rewards for ourselves for keeping it all (relatively) together. We, and by We, I mean Me, decided that if the first set of tests came back normal we would treat ourselves to a nice dinner out, and the grandparents to a night with their "normal" grandkidlet.
The day has come! First tests indicate normal on all fronts! Normal as normal could be! Totally norm-tacular! Dinner! Yay!
Now we just have to find the 1)time and 2) motivation to actually get out by ourselves and find a decent restaurant to treat ourselves at.
If the second round comes back normal we get to... gasp.....go somewhere overnight. We'll take that challenge when it comes.

New Car Scent

I think as a new mom you are allowed some Rookie Moves. That doesn't mean you want anyone to see you making those moves. But sometimes they are so ridiculous you have to share your stupidity with others. Like this time.

I pack up Miss M and go to the gas station for one of those cheap drive through car washes. The person in front of me is a really, really old man in a flashy car. Which is a bit off the subject, but I still I think it's funny. Miss M is in the backseat. We are sitting in the sun, waiting, waiting, watching him input the code 4 times, not realizing he just needs to pull his car forward to start the machine. I roll the windows down because it is so warm. Finally he gets out of the car because he can't figure it out, but by now the attendant is on his way to tell the old man to just pull forward. Which the old man does and gets his car washed. I pull up and enter the code, roll up the windows and pull foward. The car is being washed. After about 30 seconds, I feel something wet on my neck, I look back and I realize I left Miss M's window down about 4 inches. Water is spraying everywhere in the back seat. Crap! I roll up the window. The car wash finishes and I drive home in a new low of Rookie Mom shame.

I pull up to the driveway, and race to open up the back door to get Miss M out. I expect a mildly wet, cold, very unhappy baby.

What I get is a totally drenched, hair plastered to her face, perfectly asleep baby, with little soap bubbles scattered around her.

I go inside and tell Mr. Zimny what happened. He laughs, picks her up and says "MMmmm that new car scent!"

Is it possible that you and your husband are related?

Yes, if you go to see a genetic councilor they will ask you "Is it possible that you two are related in any way?". Multiple times. As if you accidentally said "no" the first time, but meant "why yes, we're first cousins!"
So, after a couple hard weeks of hearing Drs tell us all about the worst possibilities of Miss M's health we finally saw someone who made us feel a bit better. We met with a really nice geneticist who told us that he when he looked at Miss M he didn't see any glaring problems, and that it's a good thing. He talked us through the steps of testing for chromosomal disorders and what specific things they will be looking for.
With all the possibilities of imprinting, duplication, transcription, and deletion I kept thinking that it is freaking amazing that anyone is born "normal". I mean really, it's a miracle that anyone is ever conceived, let alone born and survives through childhood.
Anywaaaayyys....... back to the funny questions. After they carefully examine your child (I mean, they pull out the ruler and measure eyeball size, angle, spacing, they count the lines on the inside of the hand... everything!) they take a complete family history.
They ask you about your parents, your aunts, uncles, cousins, your grandparents. They ask about everyone's health, what they died of, etc. You might think you know your family. But when asked to report on any health conditions they might have, you might find yourself like me saying "umm... I think they're healthy....". You just assume that since you haven't heard Aunt Jackie complain about something that she's healthy.
But then you remember the wierdest thing, about the distant cousin and you suprise yourself. I kinda wonder what my distant family would remember about me to tell thier genestisist ..... probably "Oh, I hear she's related to her husband!"
And on with the pictures! (Click to enlarge)



























It's true.... the little munchkin can sit up on her own (at least for a little bit)!
She also likes listening to her talking teadybear thingy:

Summer is now Here!

Some might say the long warm evenings tell them summer is here. Or the sunny mornings, or the lack of college kids, or summer concerts. Or, you know, the freaking 100o heat. What ever.

In this house there is one thing, and one thing only that says summer has started.You know, those tube like popsicles that your mom only let you eat one of, even though you wanted 3 or 4.
Well, in this house we don't live by such rules. If you only eat one at a time it's because:
a) you're a newbie and trying to be polite
b) you didn't think there were any left because you didn't look in the secret (behind the green beans) hiding space
c) there aren't any more of your favorite color.

Almost everyone around here knows that we'll offer you the first, but the rest you'll have to get yourself.

You can tell a lot about someone by the color they pick. Notice I said color, not flavor. I'm not so sure what exactly the flavors are supposed to be.
Mr. Zimny is a blue, purple, really anything put pink man. He says pink makes him cough. Really he just wants all of them, so he's not picky. I'm a pink, red, orange gal. Never blue.
I think Meeshmellow is an orange/red girl, she doesn't like either purple or blue...
Auntie A is a red fan.
Everyone has their Fla-vor-ice personality.
This year we've kick started with a few small packs of Fla-vor-ices.

You can only imagine the excitement when I saw they make tropical fla-vor-ices. Had to get me some a' those.



I am slightly embarrassed to actually show our freezer here. It's a little crazy, but you can see we have made a commitment to popsicle space.



On a side note, something that happened the car: "Shout" comes on the radio.
Mr. Zimny says "Who's this, INXS? Depeche Mode?"
"No" I say
"Yeah! Depeche Mode! Oh, Tears for Fears! That's right, same thing."
"What?!" I laugh, but he is already cutting me off
"Blah, blah, blah, they're all the same band. The Smiths too."
Uh-huh. Right.

Oh, and as a side-side note:
More jelly. "Hey!" You might say. "Didn't you already make like a butt load of apricot jelly?"
Well, I say. That was apricot-pineapple jelly. This is just apricot jelly. Notice the difference?
Yeah, me neither. What ever.




Statistics:
Family: Good.
Baby: Teething? Sick? Who knows, but feeling better finally.
Work: Rev-ing up.
On the s#!t list: ....no one yet... but just you wait!
Dogs: Willing to let baby touch nose, but still won't let me.
When I grow up I want to be: Tanuki Tamer.
Secret Plan: To let Miss M get in the pool this week!
Random Equation: To much jelly= wonderful or Obsession = Canning
Total Fla-vor-ices Consumed this summer: 5

Summed up in one graph

I come to work to find a kid standing in my lab. I am told his name is Brian, and he is a high school student. He is "interested in chemistry". He is supposed to observe us and we are supposed to "teach him something".
Here is a graph to represent the situation. Click on it to enlarge.
It pretty much sums it up.

Weekly Canning Continues

So this weekend my mom let me borrow a pressure cooker. Let me rephrase that. She let me borrow my great-grandmother's pressure cooker.
See, I've wanted a pressure cooker for some time since it would broaden my horizon of canning life! The green beans! The fruit! The non-lemony tomatoes!
But really, the idea of having boiling water, glass, and food under pressure and on my stove kinda scared me. Ok, really scared me.
Did I mention it was my great-grandmother's pressure cooker? You want proof, don't you?















That's right 1947. It's a 60 year old Mirro-matic.

But it still works. Like a dream! You want proof again, don't you? Darn skeptics.

Nothing blew up! The directions say to turn the heat to low after the weight "jiggles". There was never really any jiggling, but there was a little liquid bubbling. We'll substitute that for jiggling. I let it cool and depressurize for 2 hours, and it still had a little pressure at the end. When I was pulling out the jars, they were still really hot. Much hotter than you would think for sitting for a couple of hours.
The only problem with pressure canning is that you never get to hear the victorious popping as the jars seal. Oh well, it's the price you pay for home canned veggies!

Statistics:
Family: Good.
Baby: Better every day.
Work: Rev-ing up
On the s#!t list: Still my adviser. What a shmuck.
Dogs: Wishing they already had their pool.
When I grow up I want to be: Mirro-matic sales lady
Secret Plan: sorry, it's still secret.
Random Equation: Mom= stay at home grandmother.