Baby GIRL Jobin!!

Carter's going to have a little sister :) This has been confirmed for the 4th time today, so I'm starting to really believe it.

And, some news that I'm selfishly excited about, she's in the 50th percentile! Not the 95th! Nice and healthy, and her head is smaller than Carter's ever was. Whew.

Truer words have never been spoken.

"It's not about Why this? It's about What next?"

The Mikey Show, which I love, is doing the Mikeython, ending this morning. Currently, Mikey and his wife are pouring out their hearts about their son, their struggle with his autism, their life, and their faith in God. Mikey just said this in regards to the blessing that Jake's autism has been. 

You can also donate here: https://www.mogiv.com/jake/general/

I need to confess.

After weeks of fretting and far too much emotional deliberation, I've made a major decision.

The Family Jobin will not be sending out Christmas cards this year. 


This is a big deal to me, which makes me feel like a failure as a wife and mother. What would Martha Stewart think?! We've sent out cards every year since we got married. I was the bride who wrote my thank you cards before the plane landed on our honeymoon. I have an adorable kid I'd like to showcase.

But mostly, we don't have a picture I like and really don't have the time/energy/resources for a photo shoot and that Christmas cards entail. I'm in that awkward stage where I look like I ate way too much at Thanksgiving, but not actually pregnant yet. The hours of selecting photos, picking out my favorite card, analyzing prices, compiling addresses, paying for the whole thing... and we all know I'm physically incapable of doing anything halfway.

Life is a little crazy right now and I've spent a lot of the last 17 weeks trying not to throw up every single thing I eat and just trying to function on a basic level. Something had to give. Can someone please reassure me that my son is going to turn out okay despite this? We're fed, clothed, he's relatively happy, that's enough, right?

And don't worry, I'll be sending out birth announcements this summer.

More Carter stories

Some people may be bored with these stories by now, but personally I find my kid to be hilarious and entertaining.

Last night in the bathtub, Carter was repeatedly pouring a giant cup of water over his face and practically drowning himself. Eventually he got tired of Seth's repeated correction and said "bye bye daddy" and closed the shower curtain.

He's hilarious, entertaining... and the future prospects are terrifying.

We're screwed: Part 29

Carter's new favorite game is pulling everything out of the kitchen cupboards. I decided I'd put a rather heavy box of bottled sodas in front of it (which, he promptly pushed out of the way, just as he did with the second attempt of the bag containing a 16 pound bowling ball).

When he first saw my attempt at separating him and his beloved drawer, he looked up at me, flung his arms and yelled "come on!"

17 Months.

Happy 17 months to my little tantrum-throwing, argumentative, fiercely independent, rebellious, risk-taking, loving, energetic boy.

Right now, he's disputing Baby Einstein. The nice voice announced "tiger" as a lovely tropical picture showcased this. Carter, in response, yelled "NO!" That's my boy.

My annual November pondering

How soon is too soon to decorate for Christmas?

My husband would say it's obviously any time before Thanksgiving.

However, I say... if we're not hosting Thanksgiving, no one will even really know we're disrespecting the turkey in favor of the far superior holiday. Plus, at the latest, I have to decorate the day after Thanksgiving. Immediately. Maybe even Thanksgiving night while eating my delicious leftovers. So maybe we can just decorate a few days early and savor all 4 glorious days of the Thanksgiving weekend...

If you pay us an come visit unannounced this weekend, there's a good chance you'll find yourself face to face with a fully lit Christmas tree. BEFORE THANKSGIVING!  Consider yourself warned.

Dinner table conversation

Last night, Carter was having a cup throwing contest with himself. He won. After repeatedly correcting, gently redirecting his efforts, trying to distract him, etc. we had the following exchange:

Carter: [general whining and straining for cup]
Me: Carter, can you say "mama, I'm sorry I threw my cup, can I please have it back? I promise not to throw it again."
Carter: "Amen!"

Hot button.

Hyland's Teething Tablets have been recalled:

The FDA has detected a potentially toxic substance [belladonna] in Hyland's Teething Tablets and urges consumers to discard them.
Full article here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20020623-10391704.html

The really frustrating thing to me is that belladonna didn't sneak into some factory somewhere, it's the active ingredient. Parents with teething infants, who are desperate to help their cranky, sad babies of course want to use something homeopathic and natural. Belladonna is also know as "deadly nightshade." Really, does that sound like a good product to give to infants? I could go on, but I'm just going to stop there.

So true.

From a very interesting article about the cost of children:

"...managing a multi-kid household when both parents work full-time is like trying to simultaneously juggle a kitchen sink, a balloon and a kitten."


Yup, that about sums it up.

Read the whole (somewhat depressing) article here: http://money.bundle.com/article/can-you-really-afford-second-child-and-does-it-really-matter

More fun with toddler speak

This morning I took Carter into our room and plopped him on the bed. As soon as we walked in the room, he started repeated "schleepee." We assumed he was saying "sippy" since that's what they call cups at school and he was in fact drinking from a cup.

Eventually we realized he was saying "sleeping" in regards to the roomba sitting in the corner. As in, "Carter, don't touch that, the robot is sleeping." He really loves to turn it on repeatedly. Clearly, he hears this phrase a lot.

Deciphering

Last Saturday, I woke up to a happily chattering Carter. I went in to his room to get him up. The first thing I do is say hi, hug him, and then open the blinds. As soon as he spotted the light outside, he shouted:

"OBAMA!"

It was 6am and I was not quite 100% mentally, so I was slightly confused. I looked back at him while he repeated "Obama! Obama! Obama!" I was rather perplexed because a. we don't sit the kid in front of c-span for hours on end and b. the president was not standing outside the door (which, seriously, would have been really startling). I tried to figure out what the heck he was babbling about. Then it dawned on me, he was staring and pointed at the giant umbrella.

So I asked him, "Umbrella? Do you see the umbrella buddy?" He looked back at me like duh, that's what I've been telling you. So I repeated slowly "uuuhm-brell-LA" and Carter repeated back slowly "Oh-baaa-MA."

Mother of the Year

Carter had his first set of x rays this weekend. I was holding his hands when he flung himself tantrum-style and broke his fall with his wrists. When he wouldn't reach for anything and was screaming incessantly, we headed to urgent care. Thank God his wrist was fine and it turned out to be a relatively common and easy to fix dislocated elbow.

Fast forward to last night. Carter outright refused to sit down in the bathtub. Despite nonslip mats, this makes me very nervous. I was constantly telling him to sit down and forcibly placing him on his little behind. Tantrum mode struck again and he face planted into the tub. He smacked his head pretty hard, right between the eyes on his forehead. This child is asserting his independence in dangerous ways.

This morning I sighed to Seth that I won't be getting the Mother of the Year award. He reassured me very nicely that motherhood isn't a competition and it's not performance based.

Spoken like a true father.

the miserable last hours before a long weekend.

today started with some awful traffic. Really, it took me DOUBLE what it should have.

since then, it hasn't gotten too much better. half the people I need to work with are gone and the other half are gone mentally. that may or may not include myself.

oh, last hours... go quickly please.

Things my son can do

1. Sword fight
2. Load a nerf gun
3. Make light saber noises
4. Wield a remote

All boy, that one.

14 months

Inquisitive..

And a little crazy.

A mini (really mini) vacation

Over the weekend, Seth and I took a little trip all the way down to La Jolla to celebrate five years of marriage. I will say it didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned. I had this picture in my head (which, honestly, is always my downfall) of us relaxing by the pool, lounging in the sun, leisurely strolling and most importantly, SLEEPING. In reality, it's the coldest summer since 1933, we picked the weekend when the Hilton La Jolla was hosting about 5,000 tween championship soccer players from across the country and their very intense soccer parents, customer service left a lot to be desired and I ended up switching out my pillow for a crumpled towel at 2am because it was the world's most overstuffed pillow and my neck is uncomfortable at a 75 degree angle.

Despite that, it was really nice. We reflected on our five years. We spent almost 24 hours leaving the mommy and daddy part at home, as much as you really can anyway. We had an amazing, amazing dinner at Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest (highly recommend!) and spent some time in the jacuzzi and met some nice folks from Atlanta. We ate a leisurely brunch without a highchair, bib, or the obligatory dance of who watches the kid and who gets their food. I even finished two crossword puzzles. We're already looking forward to the next trip, and maybe we'll even venture past one night!

And Carter had a fabulous time with Grandma, who let him eat lemons and feed himself a jar of food. Turns out the kid loves lemons.

Can you rent pack mules?

I just realized that I'm going to be the most ridiculous person to grace an airport when I travel with Carter next month. I'll be carrying a kid strapped to my chest, a laptop, a fairly large camera, several tons of snacks to keep the kid happy while we fly over several states, and all the stuff I normally carry. Except a book or magazine, something tells me I won't have time for onboard reading. And I don't want to THINK about all the stuff I'm going to have to check.

13 Months.

Today Carter is 13 months old. I decided I would only do a monthly letter until he turned one, same with the monthly picture with the dog. So today, the first monthiversary since he turned one, I feel a little lost. I also am realizing that I have neglected to post any pictures here or to facebook in far too long. In fact, I haven't even been taking nearly enough pictures. The last month our life went from the speed of one of the fair rides that throws you against the wall to warp speed spin art. And then came the sickness to end all sickness. I remember distinctly that last July was a complete blur, so I'm trying to slow it all down this year.

Letter or not, Carter continues to grow and learn new tricks constantly and I wanted to capture a few of them so I don't completely lose track.

He's not walking yet, although I think that's just because he's stubborn. He's a really fast crawler and get around MORE than quickly.

He loves balls. We have quite a collection now and he positively delights in throwing them and chasing them around the house. It's endless entertainment.

He still loves trucks and airplanes. I don't see that changing any time soon.

He still loves Stella. He calls her "shteh-zha" or something like that. A few days ago we went to the dog park and Stella and Seth played inside and Carter and I sat just outside the fence. All the dogs loved coming over and checking him out, probably because they could smell his goldfish. Stella was adorably protective and kept a close eye on all the others around Carter.

He's doing really well at daycare and is adjusting right on schedule, albeit not without several bumps in the road. He loves watching the other kids and the fact that he gets all kinds of snacks. Our daycare provider cannot believe how much he eats. I think we're going to have to send extra food and quite possibly take out a loan to finance our food budget.

Sort of alive

I'm back at work today after being hit with whatever hellishness Seth and I had over the weekend. Seriously, it was awful. We even enlisted grandparents to take care of Carter because we struggled to make it from the bed to the couch and chasing after an extremely active toddler was not in the realm of possibility. I ended up in urgent care Sunday with an ear infection, sinus infection, maybe some other stuff, who knows. And then last night a very large piece of my toenail decided to declare its independence. Five years ago, mere days before our wedding, I dropped a camping stove on my toe and walked down the aisle missing part of that toenail and it's never really been the same. Apparently said toe wanted to celebrate our upcoming anniversary nostalgically.

All in all, perfectly fitting of our life recently.

the end of Infographic Friday.

Apparently the site I was using for inspiration is tripping out the filters. So, in an effort not to infect everyone with malware or the alleged threat of it, I'm taking them down. whomp whomp

My babies and my baby daddy

Happy Father's Day to a really awesome dad. We all love you.

A moment.

A funny thing happened this weekend. We took a family trip to the fair, where I worked for 7 years when I was in high school and college. I know every type of fair goer and have experienced them all from the register side of the counter. This time, I was on the customer side of the counter. When I walked up to buy my cinnamon roll (seriously, one of the best things at the fair) with a baby strapped to my chest and my husband pushing a stroller behind me, I suddenly realized I'm a MOM. Obviously, I knew that, and I've come to terms with the loss of my coolness. Well, I was never really cool, but now I've lost all potential. I know exactly how that teenager saw me, and how I saw many mothers who walked up to my counter in the past.

I wouldn't trade in the baby in that pouch for all the cool in the world. Still, it was a weird moment.

12 Months!

Dear Carter,

I’m pretty sure this letter will be the one that mama wrote while crying. You are 12 months old today. You are ONE YEAR OLD. I’ve had a few occasions recently when I’ve come to come face to face with that revelation. When you crawl over to the nerf box and fling darts and weapons around in joy, I know that you’re becoming a little boy. When I tell you “no” and remind you once again that you cannot play in the dog’s water and you repeat “no” back to me, I know that you’re growing up. I think Daddy is really happy to get to play nerf with you and takes such pride in showing you the ropes. When you push away jars of food and demand a waffle (or five) for breakfast, I know your baby days are behind us. I do miss the baby time, and I will always cherish those times with you. But I love the boy you’re becoming and it makes us so happy to see you growing and figuring out the world.

Sometimes it feels like a brief fleeting moment since you came crashing into our lives. More often, I can't remember life without you. It's like you've always been a part of our world and nothing else would ever do. I think a child’s birthday is a celebration of their life, of course, but also a milestone of achievement for his parents. We made it! We all survived another year! We’ve kept you safe and healthy for this long! I sure hope you turn out to be more patient than your mother because we’re still figuring this whole thing out.  Last night, the earth celebrated your upcoming birthday with a little shaking and rolling. I was in bed when the house started shaking, and after about 0.7 seconds, I realized that it wasn’t going to stop. I bolt out of bed and flung myself out the door just as your dad was coming around the corner to scoop you up. Here’s the thing, I ran to get you and didn’t even stop to glance at my phone or anything else. We even left the dog inside before I pulled her out in the front yard with us. You were cool with the whole thing and I’m pretty sure you thought it was funny. You just snuggled into my arms and laid your head on my chest or hung out in daddy’s arms watching the dark neighborhood. It was precious. And then when it was all over and we knew it was safe, we took you back inside and plopped you back in bed and you went right back to sleep. Welcome to life in California. Don’t ask me what to do in a tornado or hurricane, but earthquakes?  I got that training. In a few years you’ll be crawling under your desk in earthquake drills (not that it will actually help you. Just run outside, okay?).

There have been some delightful and wonderful moments this month. We had a lovely memorial day filled with family and fun. You went swimming twice that day and LOVED every minute. You cried when we took you out of the pool. You are such a little water baby. Your auntie came home from college and you love her! It warms my heart to see you two together. You’re closer to walking and just about the fastest crawler I’ve ever seen. You’re talking more and you are a little parrot, repeating sounds and words all the time. You’re making noise almost constantly. Strangers still get a kick out of you out. You love animals, especially Stella, but pretty much every animal. You’re a very sweet child, and especially now that you give hugs, my heart practically explodes with contentment. You give such great hugs and nuzzle into my neck and throw your arms around me. That right there was all I ever needed in life. Daddy doesn’t really get too many hugs. The funniest thing is when you give inanimate objects hugs. Apparently you think “hug” means “smash against your face.” Hugging your ball involves clobbering your forehead with it. You also do a funny thing we call night-night-wake-up! You rest your head on something for about 2 seconds and then abruptly pop up and laugh. It’s even funnier when you come night-night on the laundry basket or the dog.

 You treat boundaries as challenges, and when we won’t let you do something, you have two responses: all out TANTRUM complete with total drama and carefully calculated protruding bottom lip or charm us into letting you do it. Hey, look how cute I am playing with this forbidden danger. My smile, isn’t it great? Don’t you love how happy I am right now? You are a total con artist and I fear for the future, but for now it’s very amusing.

You are so vibrant. You are absolutely full of life, bursting at the seams with activity and sparkle . This doesn’t surprise me. I knew from the moment I felt you kick we were in trouble. And as you continued to grow in my tummy you continued to crash into my ribs and fling yourself around in there like it was your own personal mosh pit. You were born kicking, it was the first thing you did. You kicked the nurse, right before you peed on her. And then on your dad. You weighed 8 pounds and 15 ounces by the time they weighed you, but I’ve decided I’m taking credit for all nine pounds that you probably weighed prior to the peeing. You continue to be the most active kid I’ve ever seen and completely a maniac. And you are completely hilarious and a performer on top of that. You keep us laughing all the time, especially when you check to make sure we’re laughing appropriately.

We had a great party with you over the weekend. It was a great time surrounded by about fifty of your closest friends and family. You weren’t so sure about cupcakes, which was shocking. You sure loved trucks and presents that made noise though! I loved making signs and banners and centerpieces and generally going all out to celebrate you. A few people complimented us on the party and I wanted to correct them and tell them the best thing I’ve ever made is you. Sure, the cupcake may have been cute and the banner was alright, but you are my most prized and proudest accomplishment. And yet, I really can’t take credit for how awesome you are, I’m just thankful for the huge and undeserved blessing to have as a child.

You have made your father and I better people and I hope that over time we are better and better parents.  I want nothing less than the absolute best for you. I cherish you so much little boy. I never knew my heart could be so full and my joy so complete. I am so, so proud to call you my son. I am so happy to celebrate your birth and the first year of your life and I look forward to many wonderful years to come.

Happy birthday sweet monkey.

Love,

Mama

And it continues!

That cold Carter has? Seth took him to the doctor to check it out and it is (at this point anyway) just a cold. But the doctor did figure out he has two molars pushing through, which explains a lot. Poor daddy had to tend to the screaming baby the whole hour in the doctor's office.

Yesterday, my sister crashed her car. Thank God everyone is okay. Except the car. and the car in front of her. and then the car in front of that car.

And my grandpa's sister died. I didn't know her well, but it makes me sad for my grandparents, since both my grandpa and grandma were close to her.

Maybe we're getting it all out of the way. Maybe June is when our luck turns and the rest of 2010 is going to rock our socks off. Not like we wear socks, this is San Diego after all.

The Haps.

I know I’ve said before that I sometimes feel like our lives are spinning out of control. It’s been a year of trials and challenges, yes, of immense blessing as well, but there have been some bumps in the road. I almost have to laugh when I think through all of the things we’ve come through in the last year… a flood, multiple house repairs including 3 separate plumbing problems, the scary process of the MRI of our 6 month old’s spine, work challenges for both Seth and I, family issues I don’t ever even touch on this blog, the general insanity of a maintaining a home with two full time working parents and a very active youngster.

Well, the last month or so has really stepped up its game. All I can really do is laugh sometimes, take deep breathes and remember there's a reason for everything.

About 2, maybe 3, months ago we came to the inevitable conclusion that the slow drain in our master bathroom was not going to fix itself. A variety of home methods that would have worked for at least 90% of similar symptoms didn’t make a difference. Turns out we need to replace the pipe. Which is underground. Meaning, a plumber needs to pull out the toilet and jackhammer through the floor to get under the shower and replace the pipe and there’s a good chance that will fix it. The only other option around this massive, and as you can imagine expensive, process would be to convert our shower to a nice closet. Given the weight of the financial implications, we were waiting on that decision.

Then, two weeks ago, we found out that my mother in law, who has cared for Carter since I went back to work, would no longer be able to take care of him. This was through no fault of her own but other reasons I won’t get into. Unfortunately, we didn’t find out until very late in the process and had two weeks to figure out a plan. It’s been an absolutely insane two weeks on that front, but I think we figured out a daycare we’re going to try and hopefully we'll still be able to afford food. Now we just have to figure out a few weeks of gap between when he starts and when my mother in law will no longer be available, so I’m rearranging my vacation time for the summer and asking for help where I can.

Oh, and I’ve been very fortunate to work about 36 hours for the last 6 months, and for the last 2 have taken off Fridays altogether while I had some remaining maternity leave. That’s up next week so I’ll be back to 40 hours starting the week after next. Not really great timing for that. I literally cannot fathom how the heck I’m going to get everything done.

We spent our Memorial Day weekend transforming this:

To this:

In hindsight, had we known about the daycare stuff and in light of the other things going on, we would have waited on getting a giant load of bark dropped on our driveway. Someday we'll replant that dead palm tree and I'd really like jasmine bushes along the house, but that's not happening anytime soon.

Yesterday a co-worker unexpectedly went out on bed rest and I'm taking over 3 of her business groups. That made for the craziest day I've had in a long while.

We're also excited to celebrate Carter’s first birthday this weekend with about 50 of his closest friends and family. Unfortunately, Carter came down with a cold and is now sick. We’re just praying it passes before Saturday and that Seth and I are spared.

Suffice it to say, the shower remains in the same sorry state. Our solution? Shut the door. If only other areas of our life had doors we could easily close and allow for long-term ignoring. 

childcare providers: listen up.

You would be so lucky to know my little boy. 

He is a joy and treasure. He is hilarious beyond his 11 months. He already hides behind doors to scare me and laughs so heartily he nearly falls over. He is absolutely wonderfully complex. He is curious and smart. He is a bright soul and has tender, sweet moments that would melt your heart.

Honestly, you should be paying me. Or at least not poisoning his mind by spelling "kids" with a z. 

11 Months

[editor's note... as of 6 days ago.]

Dear Carter,

You’re ELEVEN months old! Every month I think that you sound so much older than the previous month. And it’s true this month, too. The difference between 10 months and 11 months is huge. What’s even more mind blowing is that we have a mere 30 days until we have a one year old running around. I’m even planning your first birthday party. It is so bittersweet for me. I have loved every moment and every stage with you, and I can’t believe we’re leaving babyhood behind as you’re starting to become a toddler. I may start crying now. Anyway…

You are honest to goodness MOBILE now. Last month you were army crawling a little and getting up on your knees here and there. Now you really crawl and I think you enjoy it. You’re pretty darn fast, which is not surprising because you do everything with speed and chaos. You creep along furniture and stand up in your crib ALL THE TIME (especially when you’re supposed to be taking naps). Sometimes you wiggle yourself right out of your pants. You are so very active sometimes your father and I just collapse at the end of the day. We’re two grown adults who outnumber you two to one and yet you still wear us the heck out! You tried to crawl out of your highchair the other day and came far too close to succeeding. I glanced away for mere seconds and when I looked back you had broken free from the straps and were standing up and trying to climb over the back of it. Before you were born I didn’t have any gray hairs. At this rate, I’ll be all gray before I’m 30.

You’re obsessed with clocks and wind chimes. You love to play guitar with your dad, or just crawl over there and try to grab the guitar when you think we’re not looking. Side note: we’re always looking - keep that in mind. You are constantly chattering up a storm and sometimes we still can’t believe the noises that come out of you, from growling to screeching and everything in between. You signed your first word about a week ago: more. It’s really the only sign I’ve taught you and you have fully embraced it. You ALWAYS want more puffs. You start out cute and smiling, but if I don’t give you more of whatever you want, you get very angry in your signing. Your brow furrows and you practically smash your hands together.  I think it’s funny that your first word was up and your first sign was more. That’s you in a nutshell: you don’t want to sit still and you don’t want to stop eating. 

Sometimes I give you things that you don’t like to eat. You haven’t fully embraced table food, but you don’t like to sit still while we feed you jars. I gave you a few pieces of banana and watermelon a couple of days ago. If you don’t want it, you respond in one of three ways: 1. frantically wave your hands all over the tray until all the food has successfully been flung on the floor 2. rub it in your hair or 3. pick it up, slowly extend your arm out over the side of the highchair and defiantly drop it on the floor. This thrills you and Stella.

Your nickname these days is crazy maniac. No other labels seem to fit you as well as that one. You love disorder and you’re very mischievous. If things are stacked neatly, you want to destroy that order. The other day there was a nice pile of papers on the end table and you crawled right over, pulled yourself up and tossed every single one of them on the floor. Once they were on the floor, you sat back down and proceeded to fling them all around. You laugh when people cry or cough, which is a little distressing in public situations. When we were at Costco a few weeks ago a poor little girl fell down and cried. Unlike most babies who would cry when other kids cry, you leaned back and chuckled. You also laugh when people cough. I almost choked to death on my water last night and you couldn’t contain your delight. I think this is bad news for the future.

While you are a curious explorer most of the time, you do sometimes get a little clingy in new situations. You’re very observant and alert and dare I say subdued and well behaved in those first few moments. You prefer to sit in my lap and take it all in until you’ve deemed the situation acceptable, at which point the façade ends and you showcase that you really are a crazy maniac.

We had a handful of less exciting milestones this month. We all came down with a nasty cold. As a mother, my first instinct with you has always been a. freak out b. google it, which is always followed by c. increase freaking out to epic proportions due to horror stories found through google. I want to take you to the doctor’s office with every sniffle and bump, but I don’t want to be that mom. You’re a kid, you get sick, it’s part of growing up and your immunities are probably pretty strong by now. But this particular cold didn’t let up and on day 10 of sucking snot of your nose (because I love you THAT MUCH) I finally took you to the doctor. To my absolute horror, you had ear infections in both ears and a possible sinus infection. From now on, I’m sticking to the plan of taking you in for every sniffle. We trudged off the pharmacy and picked up Baby’s First Antibiotic, a milestone I didn’t mark on the calendar . Add to that a few new teeth (a total of 8 now with more coming up!) and what I’m pretty sure is a growth spurt and you were one unhappy kid for a while there. The good news is that you LOVE your medicine. I think it’s probably full of sugar, which I don’t give you much of, and the sweetest thing you’ve ever had in your life. You actually get mad when we put it away and won’t give you more.

Two days following that trip to the doctor we celebrated my first Mother’s Day. Despite your illness and a range of other things that didn’t go as planned, it was still a very special day for me. Last year, I was 8½ months pregnant and you were already measuring 7 pounds as I waddled around on Mother’s Day. I could not WAIT to meet you and hold you in my arms. This year, you didn’t want to be held or cuddled or anything remotely confining, but I enjoyed just spending the day with you. When I attempted to rock you to sleep, you pushed off of me and tried to wriggle out of my arms. I gave up and put you to bed. But the next morning after I fed you, you actually fell back asleep in my arms. Go figure. You haven’t done that in at least six months. That was the best Mother’s Day present ever.

You are such a wonderful little person. As we experience life with you we are just so very thankful that we have been blessed by you.

Love,

Mama

real life products!

With Carter's birthday fast approaching and his ever-growing love of books, here are a few ideas I stumbled across

The Baby Be of Use Series
It's about time those babies do something useful.

Hola! Jalepeno

We live in San Diego. This introduction to Mexican food is practically overdue at this point.

Urban Babies Wear Black

Follow the baby in the city while he takes in the local art scene, sips on lattes and goes to yoga class. Other books chronicle rocker babies, foodie babies, eco babies, jet set babies and more!

theme song.

I'd never heard of mikeschair before I heard this song, but it seems so appropriate for the challenges of late that I wanted to put it here, mostly so I don't forget about it in 5 seconds. 




Let The Waters Rise


Don't know where to begin
Its like my world's caving in
And I try but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here?

sometimes its so hard to pray
When You feel so far away
But I am willing to go
Where you want me to
God, I trust You

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
'Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You'll never out of reach

God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

[Chorus]


God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding onto You
God Your love is enough
I will follow You
I will follow You

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

You're welcome in advance

Today's post is brought to you by my favorite Trader Joe's items that you should be buying right this minute. A few of them aren't specifically Trader Joe's brand, but can be found on their shelves.

1. Organic Brown Rice
If you only pick one of these suggestions, try this rice.
I'm not good at making rice. I also don't always have time to properly make rice even if I was the world's greatest rice chef. This stuff is great. You just microwave it for 3 minutes and you're ready to go. Practically instant side dish! I try to keep a few bags in my freezer. It's about 2 servings, so it's not going to supply rice fest 2010, but if I'm just making dinner after a long day, it's my go to.

2.  All things chocolate covered. To be more specific...
Dark Chocolate Edamame- A little sweet, a little salty, very addicting. Not everyone loves it, but it's worth trying.
Chocolate Covered Cherries- If the edamame isn't for you, try the Dilettante Bing Cherries in premium chocolate. A warning though- don't go for the slightly cheaper cherries. The fancy ones are really much better, though they are pricey. I sometimes keep them at work and snack on one or two after lunch. They're rich and delicious.

3. No Pudge Fudge
Did you know you can mix 2 tablespoons of this stuff with 1 tablespoon vanilla yogurt for a single serve brownie?  Or 4 tablespoons mix and 2 tablespoons yogurt if it's been a particularly tough day. I think they recently redesigned the package so it no longer features a pig quite so prominently. Good job marketing team.


4. Pita Puffs
These are new (I think?). They're air popped with a little bit of sea salt, a mere 120 calories for 30 puffs! I love them, though I will say that Seth could take them or leave them. They might be tasty with some Spicy Black Bean Dip.

5. French Market Sparkling Lemonades
Similar to the Lorina's variety pictured below, these are probably the most beautiful beverage containers I've seen. I particularly love the sparkling limeade, perhaps alongside a lime wedge-adorned goblet. I think that may appear on our dinner table tonight.

Mothering doesn't take vacations.

I tend to put a lot of stock in "special" days. Birthdays are right up there with national observances. As an adult in my mid-twenties, I still can't sleep the night before Christmas. I start getting excited for holidays weeks ahead of time. So as Mother's Day approached, naturally I began to think of that. Both of my own mother and now for my son. However, my son is 10 months old and doesn't quite understand, well, most things like this. Throw in ear infections in both ears, a crop of new teeth still coming in and uncooperative weather... it was not the most sacred and special Mother's Day ever. When bedtime rolled around I just wanted to snuggle my baby for a minute and rock him. Carter wanted none of that mainly because it involved him staying still for more than 12 seconds. So, as he fought and climbed his way up my torso and tried to launch himself over the back of the rocking chair, I decided to give up my ideals and put him to bed. I'm not ashamed to admit that I did sneak back in later after he was asleep to hold him for a few minutes. I know this is total creeper mom status, but I don't really care. I just wanted a few still moments with my little boy.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be a mother and have this amazing blessing in my arms who squirms out of my arms. I definitely do not take that for granted and I pray that I never do. The worst, or best, Mother's Day on record couldn't change that. I'm just happy to be a mom.

And, in a shocking twist of events, Carter snuggled up with me this morning and fell back asleep in my arms this morning for the first time in at least 6 months. Go figure.

Ahhh, spring.

Maybe I'd feel differently with some Claritin in my system, but right now I would like every blooming plant to die. And then I'd like some rain clouds to come and obliterate the wafting pollen.

Happy Earth Day.

I don't hug trees. I don't think I buy global warming (especially since it was 39 degrees when I left my house this morning). I drive an SUV and I usually forget my reusable shopping bags.

But I do think it's important to be mindful of the decisions we make and how they impact the world around us, be it environmentally or otherwise. My SUV has an eco mode and I now keep my reusable bags in my car, especially now that Target gives your 5 cents off for each one you use.

One thing I've really tried to change in how much bottled water I drink. All the junk in our water concerns me enough that I stay away from straight tap water, but I try to buy large (2.5-5 gallon) jugs and refill reusable water bottles and sometimes I drink the brita water. Yes, I still buy bottles for those times when I have a baby in one arm and 20 pound diaper bag draped across me and I'm trying to get the dog outside and make it out the door. But I'm trying, dangit! So I say this completely hypocritically, but bottled water is a ridiculous luxury and so defining of American mentality.

So in honor of Earth day, here you go:

Presented by Online Education

10 Months.

Dear Carter,

You’re ten months old today! We’ve hit double digits! I was feeding you this morning and I just can’t believe you’re such a little boy. My sweet baby is gone. Well, sometimes I still see glimpses of a sweet baby… when you’re asleep. When you’re awake, you are wild and active and LOUD. To be honest, you’ve been a bit of a tyrant this month. I can’t blame you, it seems like you’ve been teething for three weeks straight. You did finally bust 2 new teeth through, which means you have a grand total of 6 razor sharp teeth to bite me with. The other issue, which seems to frustrate you more than anything, is that you just want to get up and run around! You look at me like “MOM! I’m not a BABY! I want to PLAY!” and chomp on that remote! And steal your cell phone! And pull Stella’s tail! And eat that paper!

We celebrated your first St. Patrick’s Day and your first Easter in the last month. Neither were too monumental for you. I will mention that Easter grass was a big hit. More importantly, both occasions gave me a really great opportunity to take adorable pictures of you. Then again, I use every day for that particular activity.

Your curiosity for life and the world around you is incredible to watch. You are incredibly observant and alert to the world around you. You have a mild obsession with heater vents. Whenever the heater comes on, whether you’re at home or Grammy’s house or somewhere else, you look around to find the vent and stare at it. I’m not sure what you think is going to come out of it. Maybe a puppy? Speaking of puppies, you love animals. You still adore Stella and screech joyfully when she’s around. Our morning routine now involves some Stella time. After I feed you, I sit you up and let Stella up on the bed. It’s usually a good 2-5 minutes of extra time before you grow unbearably restless again. When we visited your new baby cousin Sawyer you were quite delighted by their cats. You laughed at them and waved exuberantly. We saw a lizard in the yard a few weeks ago and as soon as you spotted him your eyes followed him until he scurried away. Bunnies, birds, you love them all. We took a trip to the Wild Animal Park last weekend and you were much more interested in checking it out, despite your general displeasure and the teething situation. We took you through the butterfly jungle and you were almost still, mesmerized by all the movement and colors. While I was holding you, a butterfly landed on my arm and you tried so frantically to grab it you just about launched yourself out of my arms.

You love music, both listening to and playing it. It’s one of the only ways we can get you to actually calm down sometimes. You’ve expanded your repertoire outside of just rap and hip hop and now you like just about everything. And you DANCE! I love when you dance. It’s more of a silly torso wiggle, not all that different from how I dance, but it’s precious. Speaking of music, and more specifically noise, you’re still very loud but your sounds now include a few more words and real noises along with the babbling. You mimic our sounds and noises, which is just about the cutest thing ever. You have a book with a car on one page and when I read you the book, I always pointed to the car and told you a car says vroom vroom. A few weeks ago we were reading and when I flipped to the car, you pointed and said “bbbrrrmm bbbrrrmmm” completely unprompted. I proceeded to flip the pages about 20 times just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, but sure enough you are all about “bbbrrrrmmm bbbbrrrrmmm.” You still shriek and yell and make this weird howl/scream that actually hurts your throat.

You’re still not consistently crawling, though you do get up on your knees every once in a while. Mostly you belly crawl and pull yourself across the floor. It is the most frenetic chaotic movement I’ve ever seen, but you’re still getting where you need to go. You’re pulling yourself up on your crib too, making naps and bedtime even more of a challenge. When you finally fall asleep after much thrashing, you end up in the craziest positions. I wish I could take pictures of you, but I’m not taking the risk of waking you up.

You love your mama lately. And I’m not even bribing you! Yet, but the time is coming, we both know this. It warms my heart so much to see you looking for me and watching me. You love your daddy too, and your dog, and your sophie, and your bathtub… hmm, I’m suddenly feeling like I’m not all that special. In all seriousness, you are fiercely love those you know and adore. Everyone else, well, they better watch out. You’re extremely watchful in situations you’re not quite sure of, and you’ve been known to glare at strangers. Mostly men, but you love the ladies. And the ladies love you, especially those over 60 or so.

Your hair has reached the peak of its ridiculousness. It sticks straight up no matter what I do. Which is especially funny because now I have all this new post-baby hair growing in, so mine sticks straight up too. Strangers stop us to tell me how adorable your hair is. It is incredibly precious (on a baby, not a college student. Keep that in mind for later). Your eyes are still blue, and I think they’re staying that way. It’s still a complete wonder to me that I have a child who looks anything like me, but you picked up all the Hood traits.

You love to laugh. We’re not always sure what you’re laughing at, but it’s always the highlight of my day. Yes, even when you’re laughing because you just bit me or smacked me in the face or something along those line. Sometimes you get yourself so worked up that you have tears streaming down your face and you have to gasp for air. You’re just a happy kid, most of the time with the exception of this month’s tyranny. There’s no sweeter music to my ears than your sweet, sweet laughter. Luckily, you are incredibly ticklish, just like your mama. Tickling you and hearing those beautiful peals of laughter is like a drug for me. There’s nothing like it. I can’t even tell you how much you and your laugh have blessed me in the last ten months.

Love,

Mama

Easter.

Amidst the chaos of our lives, I'm so thankful for Easter. Yes, for what it means- I am eternally and always thankful for a savior who came to save the world, my own broken and sinful self included. But the thing about life is that it just keeps marching on and if you don't slow down it is far too easy to forget about the blessings. Days like Easter, the holiday and celebration aspect even aside from the meaning, make it impossible to forget the undeserved blessings I have, many, many blessings. I'm so thankful for a God of grace who has given me so much that I don't deserve.

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter.

A win.

Last night, Carter munched on some organic chicken and sweet potatoes, followed by some all natural green veggie puffs. Seth and I dined on Florentine Pork Roast, butternut squash I made myself from a real life squash! (I have the burn marks to prove it... curse my impatience) and brussel sprouts, accompanied by sparkling apple pomegranate juice.

I won't tell you what we had the night before, but at least last night was a success in the healthy eating realm. And then I ate some Robin's Eggs loaded with calories and chemicals. In moderation, of course.

Nine months, take 2.

Dear Carter,

Today you’re nine months old. Nine months is so old! In nine months, you went from a tiny spec to a hefty 9 pound newborn with a gigantic head. A lot can happen in 9 months, and looking at you, it’s hard to believe where we were 9 months ago.

That means you’ve officially been an outside baby longer than you were an inside baby. And my goodness, you have picked up some new skills in this ninth month of your life. It’s almost hard to believe you couldn’t do these things a mere 4 weeks ago.

First there was clapping. You love clapping, and we love watching you clap. You haven’t quite figured out appropriate times for clapping, but that’s okay. It’s nice to get applause complete with a happy grinning baby anytime. Then came finger foods. You can now deftly pick something up with your fingers and delicately place it in your mouth and chomp on it. This is a big step from smashing something into your mouth with a flat palm. Also, it means we’re in big trouble. As I write this we’re seriously contemplating a robot vacuum and steam mop to better prepare for you sticking every single thing imaginable in your mouth because if you want it and can envision moving toward it, it is for sure going in your mouth. You wave now, but you’re moody about it. Some people get a wave sometimes when you feel like it. You also reach for us to pick you up. When you’ve grown bored with sitting or laying or breathing, you want to pull yourself up. This happened all of the sudden one day. You were sitting on our bed and your dad absent mindedly stuck out his hands for you to play with. Five seconds later you were on your feet with no help. Your father and I realized at that moment that we are in very large buckets of trouble. You are so very dissatisfied with your lack of mobility. Even the thought of crawling seems dismal to you. You want to walk run. ASAP. You’re almost starting to say a few words. Mostly up, mama, and occasionally something vaguely similar to “bye-bye” will make an appearance, complete with the wave!

Some new tricks are not as fun (but secretly still entertaining). I wonder sometimes if we’re raising a baby or wrestling an alligator. Diaper changes require restraints now. Seriously, we strap you to the table, and you still flip from under the strap. You’re especially mobile with your dad. I’m not entirely sure the force of your kicking is normal baby behavior. You lift your legs as high as they will possibly go and THUMP them ridiculously hard on the changing table. The neighbors may even hear it. When I feed you, you’re a ball of energy with limbs all over the place. Your foot usually ends up wedged under my chin or resting on my shoulder. And you bite. Worse still is that you think biting is funny. I try to limit my reaction because, just like your father, you like to get a reaction out of me. So I very calmly look at you and say “Carter, no biting. That’s not nice.” Every time I do that, you proceed to laugh. Typically, it’s a somewhat evil sounding laugh. Your dad can verify, I’m not making this up.

You love food and the eating process. We rarely have to coax you to finish a jar of food or try something you don’t like. Even peas and squash, which are not your favorite, are usually gobbled up. Every once in a while I give you something you don’t like and you gag yourself and stick out your tongue for me to retrieve said offensive food. I gave you a pea a couple weeks ago and you looked at me like I was trying to poison you. But most things, especially puffs, all fruit, and most vegetables, you love.

You also love sweatshirt strings and anything else you can pull on. Fan cords are especially tempting. At some point your dad thought you might like to pull on the fan cord. He was right, you love it. The problem is that your dad is almost a foot taller than me, so he can lift you up to the fan cord no problem. I have to hoist you into the air while you proceed to explore the fan cord, bat at it a few times, hold it between your fingers, and eventually maybe pull on it while I’m trying not to drop you or fall over.

The most heartwarming thing has happened over the last month: you and Stella are finally buddies! She’s starting to like you and is usually close by when you’re eating. She’s even started to follow you and plop down by you when you’re just playing on the floor with no food involved. But you take the relationship to a new level. You absolutely love her! When you spot her you shriek with delight. When you hear the distinct jingle of her collar in your vicinity, your head pops up and you spastically search for her. Last week you woke up around 2am and as I carried you through the hallway you spotted her in the dark (not sure how, she’s a black dog in a dark house) and were beyond delighted. You were flailing your arms, kicking your legs, and joyfully screeching. That in itself was enough to warm my heart and ease the pain of being up at 2am.

We watched a lot of Olympic sports over the last month, and every time I watched an award ceremony and watched someone freshly adorned with a medal as their country’s anthem played, I thought that someday, that could be you. If you could avoid skeleton, your mother would be so obliged as that seriously freaks me out. You can be whatever you want to be, and you have an amazing opportunity to be born in a country where we have freedom and unmatched opportunities. You could be an Olympian, or a musician in the Symphony, or an acclaimed author, or maybe the President. I don’t know where your path will lead you, but I promise that just being yourself, just being Carter, is more than any accomplishment you can put in your biography.

I think we’re right on the cusp of chaos with you. I’m already planning your first birthday party. In another month or two you’ll be crawling, talking, maybe walking. So for today, right now, we’re savoring every still moment, be they ever so rare, reveling in every new skill you master, and celebrating you at every milestone.

Love,

Mama

Nine months.

Dear Carter,

Today you are nine months old. However, the time I planned to spend finishing your Nine-Month letter was reallocated to soothing, rocking, and singing you to sleep. For over an hour. While you screamed. Time change, I loathe you.

So the letter will be coming soon.

Love,

Your very exhausted mother

More fun with robots.

I was telling Seth that I'm creeped out by roombas roaming the house while we sleep. I don't know why, it's just weird, okay?!

This is the resulting chat:

Seth: i think you need some help. the roomba isn't out to get you

Rachel: who are you?! you're the one who told our 4 month old son not to trust robots! [background: one of the words in Carter’s 100 first words book is robot]

Seth: it's a double-edged sword.

roomba is fine

until it learns to combine forces with other robots

he's smart

other robots are dangerous

as long as they stay separate, we're ok

as if I need more cleaning products.

Preface: I have a Dyson. I love my Dyson. I also have a hand vacuum. I use my hand vacuum to clean my Dyson. It’s a sickness really.

Since life here in Family Jobin is insane (see below re: floods, MRI, baby who won’t sleep, two full-time working parents, etc.) we've been reevaluating our time and process improving our routines. We thought long and hard about a housekeeping service and decided in the end that it was just way too much money. But we are thinking about getting a little robot friend to help the Dyson out.

the roomba.

now, imagine me singing that in the same style as the simpsons intro... the roooombaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !

With a dog who sheds more than a small rodent daily and a baby who is currently rolling all over the floor and about to start crawling, we’re going to have to increase the frequency of our vacuuming or get someone else to do it. I vote the latter. So I’ve been doing some research.

I have never been more amused by consumer reviews:

· “Pros: Cleans Willingly.”

o That’s just a weird thing to say about a cleaning product

· “As for teasing Helen, it's tempting to rearrange the furniture or put obstacles in his path while he's working, just to see how he copes.”

o Okay, one, you name your vacuum. That’s weird, but I do it too so I guess I understand. Two, you’re taunting your vacuum. That’s weirder. And why is your male robot named Helen?

· “Robbie even cleans up peanuts that my bird throws on the floor. I turned Robbie loose in Storm's Room (My Parrot) with almost 3" high of bird seed and he cleaned it all up with me only having to empty the Dust Bin once between "Electric Broom Mode" and Vacuum mode.”

o Again, naming the vacuum. More importantly, who has THREE INCHES of bird seed on their floor?! Take out a ruler and look at the 3” mark! That guy also went on to explain that he’s taking Storm and his roomba with him on vacation in his RV.

· “It Cleans while we sleep”

o Somehow that creeps me out a little, especially since that’s the entire review. That’s all the person wrote!

I think I uncovered a weird cult of roomba enthusiasts. They all name their vacuums and embrace them as family members. Hmmm, isn’t that what robots want you to do so they can proceed to take over the world?

Eh, whatever. All I know is I want one.

8 Months.

I just realized that I never posted this letter. Oops. I blame it on sleep deprivation. Here it is!

Dear Carter,

Today you’re 8 months old and it feels like an accomplishment just that we’ve survived the last month. Something really weird happened a few weeks back. It rained, followed by a second storm. And then it rained some more. We got 7 inches of rain within a few days! This isn’t a lot for some places, places with actual weather, but we live in San Diego. 7 inches is a lot of rain for San Diego. The problem with all that rain is that it has nowhere to go so it just sits. In our case, it ran out of places to go and soaked into the house. So, for about a week we were the travelling gypsy family. We stayed with your grandparents, a few days with each. My goodness were you ever disrupted! I thought you would never get back to a normal schedule or sleep through the night ever again.

Shortly after we returned home, we threw in some more disruption to your life. You had to have an MRI at Children’s Hospital. That was not a fun day but it really could have been so much worse. You’re not yet at a stage where you could stay perfectly still for an hour while they scan your spine. You don’t even stay still when you’re asleep. So, they had to give you anesthesia and we couldn’t give you anything to eat or drink for 6 hours before. We were expecting meltdowns of monumental proportions, but you actually did really well. We walked around and played games and you chomped on toys. Toward the end you got a little fussy, but all in all it ended up okay. More importantly, the results all looked great. You are just so precious to us and we love you so, so much that the idea of having to go through surgery and all of that shook me. That was such a huge sigh of relief to hear that you were healthy.

We celebrated your first Valentine’s Day yesterday. It’s not a huge ordeal in our house, but we got to spend lots of time together as a family and that’s the best gift I could ask for.

You’re still just as loud this month as last month. You find so much joy in shrieking it’s hard not to laugh. I have to keep an eye on the windows and glasses when you really get going, just in case they all shatter.

You’ve got 4 impressive teeth now, two on the bottom and two on the top. The second top tooth just broke through yesterday. That’s kind of a crumby Valentine’s Day present if you ask me. But like always, you’re a champ. A little clingy and fussy and a lot less sleep, but we’re all surviving.

This month wore us out a little bit more than other months of our crazy life, but in a way that was a good message for us. It was a reminder to slow down and enjoy our time with you, enjoy every little thing we can. I'm trying to remember to enjoy every laugh, laugh at every shriek, and cherish every snuggle. Snuggles and quiet moments are harder to come by these days and I don't think I'll ever get enough of them!

Love,

Mama

And now we catch our breath.

It has been a crazy, crazy few weeks for us, but this morning I feel like I'm keeping up with the hamster wheel. We're back in our house, Carter's MRI is behind us (and went as well as we could have hoped, much thanks to those who prayed and encouraged us), and it's a new week. AND Carter slept well last night. I, on the other hand, could not get myself to settle down and sleep. Eh, all in all, this week is a breath of fresh air compared to the travelling circus that has been our life.

And on top of it all, we have to starve him.

When Carter was born, we, like all new parents, scoured every inch of him. And while he does have 10 fingers and 10 toes, he also has small shallow dimple at the base of his spine. At some point his pediatrician thought it might be good to check it out. Probably not a big deal, but better safe than sorry, so an ultrasound was ordered. Upon scheduling it, I was informed that Carter (who was 6 months old at the time) was too old. They only do ultrasounds for babies up to 3 months. Plus, you add all of Carter’s rolls and you get a wiggly baby and incomplete results. Back to the pediatrician we go. He still wasn’t terribly concerned, but thought it might be best to have a specialist look at it. Worst case scenario, Carter would need surgery so it’s really better just to rule that out. Plus, the alternative to the ultrasound is a sedated MRI and I was not thrilled about that option. Off to the pediatric neurosurgeon we went. To my disappointment, he recommended the MRI and it turns out the ultrasound may not have been too helpful anyway.

So, tomorrow morning Carter will asleep in an MRI machine. [excuse me while I breathe into a paper bag real quick like] Given the squirmy state of our son, this means my tiny baby (okay, really, he’s not tiny, but still!) needs an anesthesiologist. But even more terrifying, he can’t eat for at least 6 hours before. Um, I realize that someone went through many, many years of advanced specialized training to tell me this, but they clearly do not know Carter. The kid eats every 3 hours of his waking life. Our appointment is at 10am. We may or may not be able to buy ourselves some time in the car, but when we arrive at that hospital at 7:30am with a SCREAMING, ANGRY child I think someone may call CPS on us. And Carter takes anger up a notch, complete with clawing and slamming limbs. And I’ll probably be crying at that point too and more in need of sedation than Carter. And THEN he has to actually start the medical procedure. We really don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about, but we want to be sure of that. If it is something that requires surgery, it’s better to do it now.

So, if you could, please pray for us or keep us in your thoughts we would very much appreciate it.

Rain, rain, go away...

Normally, I love a good storm. I don't mind toting an umbrella, snuggling up with a warm drink in hand. I look to cold weather as a fun new opportunity for accessories of the scarf variety. I didn't even mind cleaning Stella for a full half hour when she decided a full body mud bath was in order.

But now... now I've had enough. Now that the rain is no longer outside but INSIDE our house. Soaking through our carpets, threatening our foundation and walls and carpet and carpet pad and my preserved wedding dress sitting in the back of the closet. Why? I have no freaking clue. The roof seems okay, but all the floors on the south side of our house are damp. So, more adventures in home ownership. THIS is why it's not good when San Diego gets seven inches of rain in like 10 days. We lack drainage of any kind.

I'm trying oh so hard to resist the urge to breathe into a paper bag. God has been really faithful to us and I'm sorry to say that my first reaction was panic and fear. But, I'm working on faith and patience and just riding this out. People across the world are dealing with so much worse. We're still warm and mostly dry, our cupboards are full of food, and we're all safe.

Of course, this would be easier if I had gotten more sleep. But the poor little boy is sick, resulting in much crying at wee hours. Some of it his, some of it mine.

Heartbreak.

I am a San Diego sports fan. I love the Padres, even with their bad decisions. I love the Chargers, even though their capacity for choking is staggering. After spending my college years in LA I picked up a preference for the Lakers but don't talk to me about the Dodgers.

So needless to say, I'm depressed. I don't want to listen to sports talk, I don't want to see the news, the front page of msn.com makes me angry. Woe to us oh San Diego sports fans.

On the bright side, we live in San Diego. Beat that fake New York, aka New Jersey.

SEVEN months!

Dear Carter,

If I had to describe your seventh month of life in one word, that word would be LOUD. You have really come to understand your vocal capacity and utilize it to the fullest extent. I mean this very literally: people stare at you. When I take you with me on errands you tend to start babbling, then squawking, then full blown screeching the likes of which isn't typically heard outside of the jungle. More than once over the last month people have heard you in the vicinity, stopped what they're doing and searched for the source of the noise, only to be shocked to see a very small child wailing and flailing in his stroller. I just shrug and smile. It's all I really can do. Our neighbors probably wondered why we got a pterodactyl for Christmas.

You're like a different baby at seven months old than you were a month ago. You're still a lot of fun and mostly loving life but with a whole new set of skills. You're sitting up really well on your own. We do let you fall now and then depending on what the landing surface is. You think it's particularly funny to topple over on our bed. Not sure why, but it just is. You're much better with your hands and have more coordination which leads to whatever you can reach making it into your mouth at unprecedented speeds. Several weeks ago you re-mastered the tummy to back roll and now you're like a rotisserie chicken making a break for it. You did decide to feud with the nap this month, but you'll soon learn that I am stubborn and don't give up easily. The nap and I are joining forces and determined to have victory. It's for your own good, I promise. I know you think it's better to be so exhausted that you're a whiny mess with bags under your eyes, but sleep is really the way to go.

You are such a little charmer. A few weeks ago I took you and Stella on a walk to the coffee shop down the street (really, this sounds much more quaint than our neighborhood really is). We were sitting outside while I was enjoying my tea and you were wildly flinging your toys about. I looked away for a few seconds and when I looked back I realized that you had a captive audience of businessmen. They were inside, on the other side of a big window. All five of these older men in suits and ties had their attention diverted completely to you. They were smiling at you and waving as you smiled right back, laughing and flailing your limbs at them. After their meeting wrapped up and they were leaving, they passed us and told me how adorable you are and how fun it was to see you interacting with them. My future looks troubling.

You and Stella are tolerating each other much better these days. I knew she would come around as soon as you were eating real food. But you think she's funny now. You positively SCREECH with laughter at her sometimes. She still scares you every once in a while but you don't seem to mind her piercing barks of protection or her inquisitive sniffing.

You have teeth! Plural! A few weeks ago your bottom front teeth popped out. Your right tooth was the first to debut, closely followed by the left three days later. I can tell there's more on the way any day now. And those little teeth? They're deceptively sharp. You've almost taken off a few of my fingers and one of your dad's, too. Of course, you think that's funny. You also think pulling my hair is funny. And so is gnawing on my face if I let you get close enough. Your new trick is grabbing my hair with both fists so quickly I hardly even know what's going on. While I'm distracted with the freeing of my hair you launch at my face. It's actually pretty awesome.

You're an experienced eater now (of course, your DNA predestined you to that). We gave you sweet potatoes as your first real food and you loved them. You ate the entire jar and would have kept going if I'd cracked open a second jar. You've also tried carrots and squash (loved) and a few green veggies like sweet peas and green beans (merely tolerated). You made the most horrible face and your facial expression pleaded with me to stop forcing you to eat it. You really like fruits, especially plums but you've also tried apples and pears.

You celebrated your first Christmas a few weeks ago. You didn't quite get it, but there were a few things that you really liked. You loved the shiny bows and you liked to stare at the lights. Since you started rolling like a maniac right about the time we put the tree up you loved to roll yourself over and just watch the lights fade in and out. You also tried to grab the ornaments, so because of your persistence and Stella's hurricane tail the bottom few feet of the tree were sparse with completely unbreakable ornaments. We cherished the time with you and I can't wait until you understand the meaning of Christmas and the importance it holds in our lives.

You also rang in your first New Year! You and I celebrated by sleeping. Dude, midnight is super late when you have a small infant who demands your attention bright and early. We used to be a lot cooler than we are now, but you know, I wouldn't trade life with you to be young and hip and unfettered even for a moment. There were some challenges in our life this month. When I felt like the world was raining down on me, I snuck in to your room and gently lifted you into my arms and just held you. You would snuggle into my arms and nuzzle my neck and that was enough to make everything okay again. That will always be enough for me. Your dad and I are just so blessed to have you in our lives. And I promise to stop sneaking into your room by the time you're 18.

Love,

Mama

Breaking news!!

Carter has a TOOTH! Last Tuesday Carter's first tooth busted through! And he's got two more right behind it, explaining his fussier demeanor, whining, and general difficulty sleeping. I kept saying all I wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth, knowing that his teething was putting a serious damper on my generally happy baby. Close enough.