2009 in Review: February

The month of February began the season of baby showers. Andrew's lovely Aunt Wendy hosted the first of my four showers, a shower for my "work friends". This was the debut of my maternity dress. (When you're pregnant, you're entitled to purchase one dress. This dress is an important part of your pregnancy arsenal. You wear it to every shower, every 'formal' event you are invited to, and any time you feel fat. So, it's important to find a good one. I tried on twelve before settling on this little number. But, I digress...) This shower was also my introduction to a fantastic year-long tradition that I have been enjoying since May 10th. My friends brought me twelve books, one for each month of the year. I was to open them on the day of the month that our baby was born (which happened to be the 10th). Just today, January 10th, I got to enjoy a fantastic read from Linda: Walter the Farting Dog. I have been enjoying these books (admittedly more than Rose for the time being), and am already sad for the end of their streak. The good news is, I have a few more months left.

The other cool thing from February was that Andrew and I went to a Valentine's weekend marriage retreat. Our friends Steve and Jean introduced us to this retreat a few years back, and it has been a blast every time. There are always fantastic (and challenging) talks, as well as lots of time for fun and games. Andrew was a force on the broomball court (until we realized that his slip-on traction thingies were illegal), and we had a respectable human ice bowling score. Sadly, I could only pin-set for our team, as pregnancy and dangerous games on ice don't mix. There's actually a picture of our team (and information about the retreat) here.

Next up, March.

2009 in Review: January

I've heard that the winter is a time to reflect. To examine your past for future improvements. Well, I look back at 2009 and see a serious lack of blog posts. Sorry about that. Perhaps you will forgive me if I summarize my past year in a month-by-month 12-post-retrospective series. You will? Oh, how gracious of you. Thank you. I begin with January.

January was the month of eating! It's strange to think back to life BB (Before Baby), but there was a time when I had free time. And when that free time would be spent wasting time on the couch watching movies and reading books. And eating. It's true that I was/am a picky eater (many of you know that my body reacts strongly to foods I dislike, which I blame for my picky-eating-tendencies), but the food I did like, I ate often.

Well, pregnancy magnified my picky tendencies. You know what, that's an understatement. It was a total protonic reversal. I couldn't eat anything! The blandest food imaginable would still push the eject button in my stomach. I survived off of crackers, toast, and ... uh, yeah, I think that was it. Oh, I discovered clementines in December. Those helped get me through Christmas.

But then, January happened. Oh, sweet, blessed January. In January, my appetite returned and my stomach's protest ceased. That's when the fun started. Have you heard of these magical inventions called onion rings? I had not discovered them until January. They are bliss, plain and simple. They also have a close relative called the onion straw. These miniature versions can be placed on cheeseburgers. Fantastic, delicious cheeseburgers. Needless to say, Red Robin became my second home in January. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Therefore, I dub January the month of eating.

I'm taking over.

Hi folks, Rose here. I've decided to take matters into my own hands. Like the e-trade baby, I have learned to type, and will be soon taking over the family finances. But, to warm up, I'm starting with learning to blog. Let's face it, I can't be worse than my mother.

Speaking of mom, she's hovering over me right now. She tries not to hover too often, but she can't help herself sometimes. Truthfully, I don't really mind, but daughters are supposed to complain about their mothers. So, there you have it.

My dad isn't too bad. I really like falling asleep in the crook of his arm while he lazes on the couch. As a matter of fact, I think I may do that as soon as I'm done with this blog post. Give me a pacifier, a belly-full of rice cereal, and my daddy, and I am one happy baby.

Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm eating solid foods now. I turned six months old today, and so I decided to celebrate with a big bowl of rice cereal and a dash of oatmeal for dessert. I also like sitting up on my own, though I'm still a little wobbly. Momma bought a new rug for the living room, with a very soft and squishy pad underneath. (Remember what I said about hovering? She wasn't hovering close enough last night when I tipped over...good thing she bought that cushy rug pad.)

Well, I had better let you all go. I have to catch the rest of Dancing With the Stars (it's my guilty pleasure). I will leave you with a couple pictures of yours truly.

Enjoy.

Rose

Rose's 3 month photo shoot.

Today Rose turned three months old. To celebrate, we decided to go to another out-of-state wedding this weekend. This one was in the Chicago area, so we just drove. Rose was a model traveler (of course). After the wedding, we drove north to spend some time with my (Becky's) family. We did lots of wonderful things, but of course I didn't think about taking any pictures until the drive home. Not really much of a surprise, when you think about it...

Anyway, I give you Rose Elizabeth. The bulky cloth diaper makes her look like she's got a lot of junk in her trunk, but I promise you that she's actually quite small in the patootie. Oh, and there are a couple more pictures on Facebook; these are just the highlights.

Caption contest winner announced!

You may remember in May how I challenged my three blog readers to come up with a caption to a particular picture of Rose. I just realized that I never actually told you about the winner. Perhaps I'm biased, but I loved my husband's lolcats-like caption. I'm not a photo editor (and not very good with lol-speak either), so please excuse the paltry modification. But, I think you get the idea...

What? Michael Jackson passed away!? I hadn't heard.

So, like the rest of the world, I have been listening to a lot of Michael Jackson the past week or so. I've always had a soft spot for his duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl is Mine". The laid-back beat, the painfully memorable lyrics ("'Cause she said I blow her mind"), the ridiculous voice-over (Michael: Paul, I think I told you, I'm a lover not a fighter. Paul: I've heard it all before, Michael. She told me that I'm her forever lover, you know, don't you remember?). It's all just too perfect.



But then, as I began to think about, I started to feel bad for Paul and Michael. I mean, this girl is two-timing them! And they're both oblivious. Michael's off sending her roses and telling her that he'll love her endlessly, and all the while she's telling Paul that she's her "forever lover". Wake up, boys - she's using you both! And let's look at the two of them. They only have one thing in common: their fame. Can you say "gold digger"? Geesh. They shouldn't be fighting over a girl like her. She probably moved on to Hall & Oates soon after. Typical.

Two Months Old!

Rose celebrated two months of age on Friday. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped of her.