Smiles

This weekend, at about 3.5 weeks, Lena had some exciting accomplishments. My hands-down favorite is she began giving us genuine smiles - definitely not to be confused with gas! If you're holding her and she's content with a full belly she'll stare at your face. If you give her a big smile and talk in a silly or sweet voice, she'll give you a big toothless grin. It makes your heart happy. Since she was born, I've been asking Mike "do you think she loves me or do you think she just sees me as her food source?" When she smiles at me, I know the answer to that question. I took the picture below at 2:30 am after a feeding (explains the poor quality).

The other notable accomplishment is that she's spending a lot more time entertaining herself and actually falling asleep on her own. Before she was born, we set up a Pack 'N play with the bassinet insert assuming that would be her temporary crib for the first month. She did not like to sleep in it. She would fall asleep all cuddly and swaddled in your arms and the moment you out her in it she would wake up crying. I wondered if it was too drafty for her, since it was under the window. So, I swapped it with the smaller Pack 'N Play cradle I scored (in brand new condition for $30!) at a garage sale and moved it away from the window. She took one successful nap in it and then decided it was not for her. By now I was really exhausted. The only time I'd get any sleep was when I'd lay on my back on the couch, and wrap her in my arms in my chest. I never purposefully fell asleep this way. I'd wake up two hours later, simultaneously relieved to have gotten some rest and terrified that it was with her sleeping on me. Despite sleeping like a corpse my entire life, I had visions of me rolling over onto her or her rolling off and suffocating into a pillow or the mattress (Baby Care classes use SIDS threats to scare the cosleeping out of you). Even though I really like the feeling if sleeping with her, I knew I was too paranoid to make it a habit. Then, one if my friends, whose daughter is about five weeks older than Lena, told me about the Fisher Price Rock 'N Cradle. It has been a godsend.

We used that original Pack N Play for tummy time and she's starting to have more interest in things in there. It's fun to see her gain more and more interest.  



A big smile during a 2 am feeding
 

Tummy time on the activity mat (she always rolls on her side)

Sleeping on mom

Swaddled in her Rock 'N Cradle

Templeton

Our cat, Jasper, adopted us the first day I moved to Oregon. Mike had moved in already and I came up about a month later. The first night, after dinner, Jasper followed us up the stairs, ate a leftover piece of shrimp (just the start of his begging) and decided we would be the perfect couple to feed and house him.

Fast forward five years.

Jasper is one of those stereotypical, I'll-love-you-when-I-want-food, pet-me-when-I-want-it cats. The only times he's affectionate are when 1) he's really sick or 2) we're moving. He absolutely FLIPS when we move (and this is our fourth move with him). He was abandoned when he found us and I'm pretty sure he's terrified that we'll leave him, too. So when I scored a truckload of free boxes on Craigslist this week and threw them all in the garage, he started flipping out. Gone was our aloof cat. In his place was a super needy, clingy replica. That first night, he woke us up with his cries EVERY hour all night long. I gave him more food. He woke me up. I let him out the front door. He ran to back of the house, came through the kitty door, and woke me up. He sat staring at me while I slept and would let out little "MEOWs". He sat on my laptop while I tried to work. He cried outside the bathroom while I took a shower. For a few days there, I was exhausted. Then, he calmed down a bit. Until two nights ago.

I was awakened at 1 am by Mike, who very calmly said: "Babe, wake up, there's a gopher in our bed." Thinking that Mike was either a) sleep-talking (which he never does) or b) pulling my leg , my reply: "Shut up." I mean, the guy was completely composed! Here's a rundown of our conversation after that:

"No, Christy, wake up. There's a gopher in the bed." Again, completely composed.

"Shut up."

"Babe, I just felt it's f-ing foot. I'm serious! There's a gopher in our bed. Jasper brought it in and put it on me. I thought it was Merlin so I started petting it and then I felt it's foot. Can you please turn the light on so I can get it out!"

"Oh, SHIT! Okay." Turns to side table to turn light on. Light bulb is out (has been for about a week). Jumps out of bed and runs to doorway light switch. "Ok, on the count of three, I'm going to turn the light on. One, two, three...." Simultaneously turns light switch on and bolts down hallway to bathroom. Locks herself in bathroom. Yells through door: "Okay, just get it out, I don't want to look at it."

" Are you serious?" Laughing. "You've trapped rats for two jobs! You scraped dead rats out of cages in Hawaii! How can you not be able to look at this?"

"I dunno, it's in my house, it's in our bed, I can't! Just through it away, PLEASE!" Not composed.

"Okay."

Listens to Mike's steps as he walks from bedroom to garage and pens garage door. Hears a little bit of clanging. Garage door shuts again. Slowly opens door and peers through it. No one in hallway. Steps out of bathroom. Mike jumps into the doorway, holding a dead rat wrapped partially in a sock. "Who ate all the pecan sandies? Charlotte? I named him Templeton! Get it, after Charlotte's web?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

New Year, back to blogging

Yikes, I have been baaaaad about posting. So much for last year's New Years Resolution. Here's a recap of the last twelve months in one sentence each:

January: Long weekend in Tahoe

February: Started a book club and met great girls

March: Mike's birthday night out: great night, queue 36 hour hangover

April: Became President of the Morro Coast Audubon Society

May: Competed in my first 10k - but ran 10k before the race, so it was really a 20k

June: Completed my first half-marathon

July: Began tearing up the backyard to relandscape

August: The kids I used to nanny came to visit - they've grown up!

September: Got another year older, celebrated 3 years of marriage

October: Started taking a kick-your-ass yoga class weekly

November: Helped our friends move to the Central Coast from Santa Cruz

December: Started physical therapy for the third time in my life

Follow Up

In December, I posted (Book Club Read) about a book I read and really liked. On goodreads.com, I also posted a review. Imagine my surprise last week when the author of the book sent me a message, thanking me for my review! I love that the author is involved and taking the time to reach out to his readers.

Pride for my Company

This month, my work sent out an email detailing it's new ec0-friendly approach to its cafeterias and canteens. It has banished foam food and beverage containers in favor of more eco-friendly materials. We will be using recyclable, compostable and renewable products that are compostable and made of fully renewalbe resources. Foam clamshell containers and plates will be replaced by EarthSmart™ Products LLC (www.earthsmartllc.com) bagasse takeout containers and plates.

I'm really happy my work, which is a very large company (40,000 people world-wide) is taking this important step - it sets a good example for its employees. If we could also convince employees to bring their own ceramic mugs and plates, we'd be even better!

Travels ...

...is taking on a whole new meaning. Mike and I signed up for a half-marathon. We'll be running in the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on June 20th. It will be the summer solstice - 19 hours and 22 minutes of daylight! Hopefully that will be enough time to finish the 13.1 miles...

If you want to follow my progress, check out my other all-about-running blog: Running to Alaska

Wish me luck!

I didn't know Contra Costa County went all the way out here....

Famous last words! Mike and I have an ongoing debate - every time we visit his parents, he wants to leave late and get there even later (it's a 5+ hour drive, so we get there around 1 am). I, on the other hand, much prefer to get up really early and get there around 10 am. This weekend, we're going to Tahoe, and we have planned to spend Thursday at his parents' house. Mike wanted to leave Wednesday night, I wanted to leave Thursday morning. This time, though, Mike had a good point - he teaches in Paso Robles all day on Wednesday (until 8:30 pm)and it didn't make much sense for him to drive all the way down to Arroyo Grande Wednesday night, only to get up early Thursday morning and drive (it would add 1.5 hrs to his time in the car). So, we left from Paso last night at 9 pm. Mike took the first leg of the drive and I slept. Then at midnight, we switched places. At this point, we only had 130 miles to go. I turned to Mike and said, "you know, it hasn't rained our whole trip; we got lucky." Then I immediately chided myself for jinxing us and thought to myself "knock on wood." I didn't want to say it out loud and sound paranoid...I also thought to myself, "It's a good thing Mike took the first leg of the drive, because this is a straight shot and I won't get lost." Swear to God I thought that. Mike fell asleep about 30 seconds later and almost immediately it started raining. Hard. With large semis spraying water everywhere and a light fog making everything hazy at night. Then, I veered left. I distinctly remember thinking to myself "I hate driving these high, curvy overpasses in the rain!" Which was precisely when I got on 580 instead of staying on Hwy 5.
For the next thirty minutes I battled potholes and pooled water, trying my hardest not to hydroplane, all the while getting sprayed from every direction. I spent most of the time staring at the road, trying to anticipate potential hydroplaning moments. Here's what I also remember:
the countless signs marking down how many miles to San Francisco. But, in my defense, Hwy 80 travels West-East from San Francisco through Sacramento, so I just thought the signs were on Hwy 5 signally that. Then, I saw a sign that read "Contra Costa County" and I thought "I didn't know Contra Costa County went all the way out here...." Dumbass.
Then we hit a pothole and Mike woke up. He looked around and said "BABE, WHY ARE WE IN LIVERMORE?" and which point I just sat there, silent, because I really didn't know why. Which is when we saw the exit for "Vasco Road," which I am very familiar with, because it's the exit to get to my Grandma's house. I then realized we were on 580. Mike repeated his question and I turned to him and said "I have no idea how we got here!" He then realized that I split onto Hwy 580 from 5. At which point I got a mini-lecture on needing to pay attention. At which point he got a mini-lecture about how I hate driving unfamiliar places in the rain, by myself, at night and this is why I hate driving so late! Then we just sat and stewed, the rain coming down harder and harder by the minute. Then, the weirdest thing happened. It's only happened once before in my life - I got somewhat hysterical. In the sense that I really really really had to supress the urge to laugh uncontrollably. The mix of driving in stressful conditions, arguing with Mike, and realizing that I had just added an hour-plus onto our late, long drive just shot my nerves. But I couldn't laugh because I knew that would just infuriate Mike.

Aside: This has only happened once before. A few years ago, my dad was recovering from chemo and radiation treatments and got a really bad cold. He was super dehydrated and passed out in the bathroom. We took him to the doctor and he passed out again, when I was in the room with him. Seeing him unconscious again made me all of a sudden want to laugh. Hard. Not because I thought it was even remotely funny. Just because my nerves were SHOT. I'm not proud of this.

Mike and I decide to pull over and let the rain ease up. We ended up in the parking lot of the hotel we stayed at for Nik's wedding. Mike crawled in the back of the 4Runner with the dogs and I stayed in the front seat. After five frazzling minutes of trying to get Nugget to lay down, all was calm. I was wired though, and realized that the rain was a lot lighter than I thought. So, we got back in the car (not until after I annoyed Mike - who was trying to sleep - by trying to take pictures of the dogs. If you're bummed that I haven't posted super-cute cuddle pictures of them, blame Mike) and headed up 580 to 680 and then back over to Sacramento. All in all, in only added 60 miles to our drive, but our stop put us back a little ways, so we got in at 3:30 am! Yikes!

A rant: I despise Hwy 580. If I lived in that county and had to drive that freeway all the time, I would be emailing my congressperson and Caltrans weekly until they fixed that road. It's awful.