Wednesday, December 19, 2012

A Box Full of Red...or...White

I am not going to lie.  Most days are mass chaos at our house right now.  I wish I could say organized chaos, but that would be giving too much credit to the situation. 


A shinning example is this box.  Pretend it is still taped shut.  I came home one day recently to find this sitting in my kitchen.  Little Pope is adamant about being fed at the time so I go on and not worry about it because it is addressed to the Nutrition Nazi.  Oooh maybe he ordered Christmas or birthday presents!  He gets home a little later and I quiz him about the box, and then this is where the craziness of our life all comes to light.  He tells me that he does not remember ordering anything, and am I sure it is not for me.  Huh?  Then he tells me not to look at the box just in case he did order something for me.  Make up your mind, look at it or don't.


So finally I look at the box and tell him he may want to look at the top of the box where it says that the box contains alcohol, and also to not deliver to an intoxicated person.  Good to know.  After a short debate he finally opens up the box to reveal a case of wine that a very gracious friend had sent as a baby/Christmas present.


I was really tempted to make up my own version of the 12 Days of Christmas, but figure you get enough useless humor already from my wit!


Little Pope could not be more excited! 


And one more thing...

From our family to yours we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Monday, December 10, 2012

Her New Love Affair

It is a sad day in the Nutrition Nazi's life today.  In previous posts I have written about how the Team Leader and NN were in a love affair.  They really were inseparable, like two peas in a pod...until a few weeks ago.  The Team Leader has a new man in her life now, though.  In the beginning she wasn't sure what to make of this little man, but with each passing week she became more and more intrigued with his presence.


At first she was more of a protector, than friend.  She would make decisions that conveyed to us that she was there to right our questionable parenting decisions.  You see that is what sucks about having a dog smarter than you is that they point out your deficiencies as a person.

So a few days ago I look over to see this, much to NN's dismay.  My babies have finally crossed over from protector and protectee to best friends.  She actually has an interest in being around him just to be around him!


They look like two little girls gossiping at a sleepover!


I might be a little biased, but this melts my heart!  Little Pope actually reached over to touch her paw all on his own.  He has really started to get into touching her fur.  Hopefully she remains tolerant.


And before you go freaking out thinking I let the 60 lb Team Leader just freely play with 15ish lb Little Pope while I take pics, don't worry because NN is never too far!  


I am sure as time goes on this will be a regular occurrence at our house, but I don't think I will ever get tired of watching her new love affair infold.  And maybe now I can finally spend some time with NN!

Have a great week and get ready because Christmas will be here soon!





Sunday, November 25, 2012

Baby's Just a Little Bit Tired of the City

Right about now the Nutrition Nazi is probably loudly finishing the first verse with 'Billboards and bull$hit got her down.  Seem like you need a little Hill Country, A little backroads driving, Little bit of that old top down.  Everybody gotta get away sometime, Forget about yourself for awhile, Seems to me that all you need is a ragtop car and a ride with me, Ok, alright, Carry on.' 

About mid October every year there are two Pat Green songs that religiously get thrown into the short list of songs on my favorite mix - Carry On and Three Days.  It makes me smile when they do because I know we are heading to the Hill Country soon.  I can smell the ribs at the Gristmill and feel myself getting fatter just thinking about all the food I am going to eat.  It is also when we start our Christmas shopping at the outlet mall, and who doesn't like shopping?  Don't even think about raising your hand if you don't.  This year was no different and we were so excited to take Little Pope on his first mini-vacation!


Little Pope was so excited when we finally did get to the Gristmill that he could not be bothered with pictures.  He had a big decision to make...the half rack or full rack of ribs.


This is the view from our hotel room.  It has 80 something gas pumps, and is the size of a small Walmart.  I have never felt overwhelmed at convenience store until now.


Now this is what I am talking about.  Ok so maybe not everyone in the group shares my enthusiasm for shopping.


This Pottery Barn is where the Nutrition Nazi likes to play Let's Make a Deal.  In the past he has convinced them to discount already marked down furniture even lower.  I did not know that was even possible.


I asked NN to feed Little Pope while I was finishing up in Coach, and this is what I find when I come out.  I think he was hoping I would not see him in the truck and just keep moving on.  That thought might work if he did not wear canoes for shoes and have lower legs as long as my whole legs!


It was a long day, but a productive one!


We finally made it to the river on Saturday, but seeing as how the Comal is 63 degrees in the summer, you can guess why it is so calm!  The Team Leader would have had no problem getting in, though, since she is so obsessed with swimming with little regard to the temperature!


Not a soul in sight on this beautiful day!


Alas all good things must come to an end...until next year!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and now it is time to unleash the holiday spirit!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Forever Grateful, Yours Truly, Little Miss Fajita

No matter how much I try I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for all of the wonderful blessings of this year.  Last year I put a picture for each person I was thankful for, but this year I would still be adding pictures at Christmas.  So this year I selected three pictures to sum up the year and my immense thankfulness to all of our family, friends, and the medical staff that helped us when we truly needed it.


While this may not seem like a great pic at first glance, this pic was taken on the day Little Pope finally got to come home from the hospital.  He has no leads or breathing assistance or IVs or feeding tubes or isolettes to regulate his temperature.  He is simply a normal, albeit small, baby going home.  It makes me tear up every time I think of this day and the happiness of finally getting to bring him to our home.


I chose this one because it reminds me of how far he has come.  He was so little when he came home that the car seat all but swallowed him.  You can see the size difference of my brother's hands to his body.  He weighed 4 lbs, 9 oz on that day and we thought he looked big!


And this one to prove to myself that in crunch time when all the doctors told us he would be ok at the end of the day that they were right.  Sometimes doubt is my worst enemy, but I believed, along with all of you, and now he is perfectly fine, and still a Handsome Tiger!


I thought I was a strong person for the things I had made it through before this year, but I learned how truly strong and blessed I am, and though I never want to live through it again I am grateful for being given the chance to witness such greatness.  Again thank you to all of our wonderful family, friends, and medical staff!

We hope that you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

A Difference of Opinion

Most days I feel like I am doing ok in life and then I stumble upon a day where I actually lose my mind.    A couple of Sundays ago was a classic example of this.  You see I think I am Wonder Woman when it comes to seeing baked goods on the internet and then translating them into real life, while trying to manage day-to-day life with a 5 month old.  


It all started out harmless when I made a batch of mini chocolate cupcakes, but it was short-lived.  If you look in the top right hand corner the screen on my iPad you  can see where this is going.  


 A while back I saw these over on Bakerella's amazing site, and I was all of course I can make those.  So I set-up my assembly line and off I went to start making my very own little set of pandas.


Contrary to what Bakerella says about them being easy, I have to say they were one of the biggest pains in the a$$ that I have ever made.  Putting the little mouths on was horrible!


Now you may be saying, Little Miss Fajita, I see you finished them, though.  That is because I am so OCD that once I start a project it is very hard for me to walk away, even if it takes way too much time.


At the end of the day they were a big hit with my co-workers who put on a belated baby shower, and the Nutrition Nazi said they were in the top 3 of the desserts I have ever made.  Even Little Pope was trying to get one.  

Have a great week!





Monday, November 5, 2012

I am guessing they missed the memo

Little Pope celebrated his first Halloween this year, and as you would expect he was full of enthusiasm!


See he even has a onesie that says it's his first, just in case you may have been confused.


I just don't think he likes orange.  Normally he will smile for pics, but not on this particular day.  Guess he's not going to UT.


My other child was less than enthusiastic, as well.  Normally she will sit and pose, but apparently she missed the memo just like the baby.  Maybe she is upset she's not the baby anymore.


She might also be a little agitated because her costume does not fit so well!  


He's so excited that he fell asleep!


Finally a little happiness from the little bear or ewok depending upon your personal preference.


Sweet boy!


We also went to a Halloween party at NN's step-brother's house.  I tried my hardest to get a pic of the 3 cousins, but trying to get a 4 1/2 month old, 4 year old, and almost 8 year old in the same spot on Halloween is impossible,


I did get a good pic of the brothers.  Now I can at least show him his cousins!

Have a great week!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Four Months in the Making

A few weeks ago our little one hit the big 4-month mark, which earned him a trip to the doctor to be poked and prodded, and lots of sympathy from us.  He now weighs 11 lbs and is 24 inches long.  In a big achievement his head circumference and his length have made it onto the percentile chart, where he is in the 25% percentile.  This is a huge improvement from two months ago when he was below the chart!  He is such a happy baby, and now he is starting to eat rice cereal.  Let me show you how that is going.


If you will notice Little Pope is clean and smiling, so the disaster has not begun!


Chatting with the Nutrition Nazi about all the college football upsets.  Mom pipes in that while we love college football in our house, she would really prefer he did not play football of any kind.


Dammit I've been hoodwinked into eating something that is the consistency of paste with no nutritional value or taste!


What is this crap?


Never mind I'll just chew on my hand.


Is there anything the Team Leader doesn't eat?


Something else has his attention...


...the ceiling fan!


I think he is telling the Nutrition Nazi 'No way Jose' to any more of that rice cereal!


Ok maybe one more bite!


Still smiling at the last bite or maybe because it's the last bite!

  
Have I mentioned that he has this one wrapped around his finger?  I bought him a sign that says 'Who needs Santa when you have Gramma?'  It is so true, luckily for him!

 

The Team Leader is turning into quite the protector of her little brother.  She does not necessarily want him in her personal space, but she wants to know what you are doing with him and where he is all the time.  Finally we start seeing some returns on our investment!

Have a great week and let's hope really hard for some fall weather!