Hello, Hello!

I'll admit that I didn't really spend a lot of time trying to get Frazier to wave or clap his hands or sign until recently...but in my defense, he wasn't really interested in doing any of the above until recently. Either way, he waves now! And here's proof:

That's also the sign for milk, by the way...but I'm pretty sure this was just a two handed wave.

The night after he got the waving thing down, he was up from 2-3am...just practicing waving in bed! :)

Goodbye, goodbye!

Ode To The Turkey Baster Among Other Random Things

Why I have a turkey baster, I do not know. I truly don't even remember buying it and I'm pretty sure I've never basted a turkey. Make that certain I've never basted a turkey. But many bathtimes ago when we had few bathtoys, I sought out measuring cups and a turkey baster and, much to my surprise, there was one in my kitchen. With a blue bulb no less. It's like I subconsciously bought Frazier a turkey baster before I even knew we'd have him. At any rate, it's a favorite toy...and it's escaped the bathroom and he plays with it all over the house. It is excellent for banging out a rhythm on, well, anything. Last night we actually had to go get it out of the car before bathtime! We had Frazier's nine month appointment on Monday and it was pretty uneventful. For the first time we had to wait in the regular waiting room and not the infant one. No shots this time which was nice, but we did have to do an anemia test so they had to take blood. Frazier just sat in my lap and watched...he didn't even cry! I was impressed. They gave him a big shiny band-aid with which he was quite enamored and I think almost made the sticking of his finger worth it. Apparently, his iron levels were a little low- which was frustrating since I can't imagine there are mothers who take more care in their baby's nutrition than I. They recommended a supplement about which I am not at all happy. He weighed 21 lbs 12 oz, which is only a little over three pounds more than he weighed at his 6 month appointment. I can't imagine he'll be triple his birth weight by a year. I forget how long (or tall) he was and they didn't even give me the percentages. It seemed they were excessively busy- more so than usual- so we were in and out very quickly and I was glad of it, too. There were way too many potentially sick kids around for my comfort.

I made bagels this week and if I may say so myself, they were AMAZING. This is the recipe I used, and though I've never had this particular bagel at Panera Bread, the copycats were so yummy, I'm anxious to do so. I also used a dried berry mix of cranberries, blueberries and cherries instead of just the cranberries...and probably a few more than the recipe called for.

Our schedule is going swimmingly and we're getting pretty darn good at sticking to it. I find that I do less, however, because I feel I have to be home at 9, at 11, 12:30, 3, and 5:30 then be in for good to put him to bed around 8. So that doesn't leave a lot of leeway for going out and about or for working around other people's schedules.

Frazier likes to be chased these days and it's pretty adorable. He gets all excited when you go for him and starts laughing and crawling really fast! Today he emptied a sippy cup onto the living room floor and played in the puddle and the other day he closed himself in the spare room while I was hanging up clothes in his closet. He then planted himself right in front of the door so I had trouble getting him out. It was not as funny at the time as it seems in hindsight. Something else that's funnier in hindsight than it was at the time: This evening I was sending an email on the computer in the breakfast room and Frazier was playing on the floor next to me with a ball. It rolled into the dining room and he followed it. For a few seconds I heard him pit patting around, but then silence ensued. Naturally I worry...so I walk in there asking loudly where he is and what he's doing. More silence...which is so unusual it's pretty much nonexistent. So I panic a little and call him again walking towards the living room wondering how he could have gone so far in so little time. And as I pass the dining table something goes slap slap slap on one of the dining chairs. Scared me to pieces...but he thinks this is funny. Here's where he was:

*A note to Nama and Papa- we're sporting the Penn State sippy cup these days! :) The weather is still lovely, though already quite warm in the afternoons. We had a park visit today (pictures below) and another scheduled for tomorrow, weather permitting, so we're looking forward to that.

And I suppose that's all she wrote...for today anyway. :)

Happy Earth Day,

There's Something About Beatrix

In addition to the books that I collected before Frazier was born, a few books that were Josh's when he was a kid, and the books we've bought for Frazier since then, we now also have all the books that belonged to me and Ross when we were little...which is quite a collection. We were big book people and I'd been looking forward to getting all the books I remember reading as a kid since we knew we were having one. Finally, when we cleaned out the Ruston house, we got them (all three boxes of them) and I set up a little library for Frazier in the breakfast room: (there's also a collection of board books in the living room and the bookshelf in his room holds the ones that won't fit the other two places)...we have books everywhere.

So, in our collection ,we have a book called Treasured Tales from Beatrix Potter which I purchased, A Peter Rabbit Pop Up Book that was Josh's and a set of Beatrix Potter tales that came with the books from my parents' house. This latter set has 12 little white books in it with one story each. As I put them on the shelf I thought to myself that while I remembered many, most really, of the books we had, I didn't remember many of these. I vaguely remembered the story of Peter, but beyond that...very little. So I decided to read one a night to Frazier at bedtime and looked forward to it.

I will get right to the point and say I have been terribly disappointed. (Terribly being a carefully chosen word.) How these are such classics I do not know. Night after night I found the stories to be harsh and morbid and scary among other things. There is an owl who determines to skin a squirrel (who only escapes because his tail breaks)...and that's one of the better ones. There are the flopsy bunnies who are caught by Mr. Mc Gregor, tied up in a sack, and though they're saved by a mouse, Mr. Mc Gregor still takes the sack home thinking he has them in it and he and his wife have an argument over whether to behead and skin them all or sell them to buy "baccy"...yeah, that's right, "baccy". Not to mention all these bunnies' parents are cousins! And of course, there's Peter Rabbit's family...his mother's a widow because his father was put into a pie.

"Well," you may say, "it is a fact of life that owls eat squirrels, that humans eat rabbits (sometimes in some places) and even that some rabbits may marry their cousins". To which I reply- "naturally" (pun totally intended). But to personify them, dress them and give them dialogue then apply to them the sad rules of nature, makes the facts of life too harsh for little ones at bedtime...or mommies like me at bedtime.

By far, I think the worst story is the Tale of Jemima Puddleduck who wants most in the world only to hatch her own eggs. However in the farm where she lives they are always taken away so she goes off into the woods to build a nest only to be conned by a fox into building her nest in his shed...which is full of feathers presumably from all the other ducks he's murdered. Then, to make matters worse the fox sends Jemima to get the herbs and vegetables he'll eat with her and her eggs! Fortunately, while doing so she encounters the farm Collie dog who figures out the fox's plan (because everyone knows Collie dogs are all wise like Lassie) and he runs into town, fetches a couple of fox hounds and saves the day by having them slaughter the fox. Just when you think everything could be turning out for the best (except that the fox is dead), Beatrix writes that the fox hounds "gobble up all the eggs" and Jemima goes back to her farm weeping for the eggs she lost. Then she lays some more that June and only half of them hatch. I mean, please. Who needs that? Can anybody even find a moral to that story? That life isn't fair? And it's even less fair for people too "simple" to spot a con? Is that it? All that to say, we've read these books for the first and last time. I may keep The Tale of Mrs. Tiggywinkle, and The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse in our rotation of books we read on occasion. Maybe another one or two if I get a chance to reread and screen them. I know the general consensus is that these are classics and have been beloved by children for generations. And I have no trouble with them being beloved by other people's kids...if that's possible. But I think I'll spare my children the images of sweet furry animals in pinafores and waistcoats having their heads chopped off and being skinned for cloak linings. I think we can do without the stories of laziness, deceipt, thievery, murder and incest, too.

Sweet dreams,

Month the 9th

Frazier is nine-months-old today. Are the month-birthday posts getting closer together or is it just me? 9 months means that in three months he'll be a WHOLE YEAR! I have to say that month 9 has been my favorite thus far. Or at least my favorite in a while. Maybe it's just because months 7 and 8 were not favorites. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, just not as much as the ones that preceded them or this one that has followed them. I think it is because for a couple of months there he changed so drastically I didn't know what to do with him. He was suddenly too mobile for me, but not mobile enough to be as independent as he wanted to be. So we were both frustrated a lot. I felt like I never knew what he wanted and he felt like I never knew what he wanted and was angry not only that I didn't, but also that he couldn't do it either. He also didn't nap well so he didn't sleep well at night and meals were hit and miss. It seemed that everything was a battle. But magically, things are smoother now.

After months of army crawling (which was too inefficient for him to get where he wanted to go as fast as he wanted to get there), he is now crawling on all fours and getting from here to there far faster. I can't go anywhere anymore without him following me, and it's wonderful. He really only crawls, though, until he gets somewhere he can stand...and that's anywhere there's something to hold on to...tables, ottomans, doorfacings, dining chairs, me. And once standing, he's not only pretty surefooted, he's also able to walk the perimeter of something (like the coffee table), move from one object to another (like coffee table to couch) and go from sitting to squatting to standing and back down again easily! So he rarely bonks his head, thank God. He's loving the new freedom of movement and because it entertains him, I am too! Not that he doesn't have to still be watched all the time, but since it's more like, only every other second now, I actually get other stuff done some days. Like laundry and cleaning my kitchen.

I also instituted a schedule which has made all the difference in the world. Frazier sleeps from 8 to 8 with one feeding in the early morning. Breakfast is at 9ish, nap at 11ish, lunch 12-1ish, nap 3ish, dinner 5-6ish, bathtime 7:30ish followed by bedtime. There are roughly five nursing sessions in there, too. We adhere to it as strictly as I can, which is a bit limiting, but works best for everyone in the end.

I imagine the pendulum will swing back and one day putting him in the carseat will be a battle again. And then there's walking (which is close) and will present a whole new set of challenges. Already, all I have to do is look at him sideways and say "What do you have?" or "What are you doing?" and he's off...even if he doesn't really have anything he isn't supposed to! Chasing him down is super easy right now...

Well, come what may, I'm loving having a nine-month-old. So I'll just revel in that for now. :)

Frazier, Mommy's thrilled with you. Cheers, darling!

The Lost Art of Arnin'

I don't iron now for the same reason I don't light candles or leave breakable items on low surfaces.

I didn't iron before Frazier because I don't particularly like to...and it's a lot of trouble...and I'm too lazy to get out the ironing board.

But one of the documentaries I watched recently was called "I Always Do My Collars First" and was a whole documentary just about ironing...or arnin'...as it was told through interviews with four women from south Louisiana. These ladies were serious about their arnin', too. They did so every day and to pretty much everything they washed. Every one of them had a system, and while they differed in some respects, when it came to dress shirts they all did the collars first. Hence, the title.

They said it was about pride and self-satisfaction. They prayed while they arned, or meditated, or watched TV. They felt it was more than a chore. And they judged women who didn't. Rumpled families in public meant some wife or mother had failed. A little harsh, me thinks.

I think there is something to be said for fresh pressed linens and dress shirts, and I should probably iron more often. My grandmother, much like those ladies on the documentary, is a master arner. She can dewrinkle anything. I've sought her ironing advice on more than one occasion (because there is an art to arnin' which I'm about as good at as I am gardening). And more often than that, I've taken my clothes to her to iron. She's probably ironed more of my clothes than I have.

My mom, who is not a bad arner herself, has blogged about the Belgian obsession with ironing several times: here and here, for example. They'd probably have even more to say about ironing than the ladies on my documentary.

So, did "I Always Do My Collars First" make me want to go iron some dress shirts? A little. But not as much as the documentary "The Rise of The Southern Biscuit" made me want to make biscuits from scratch.

On the subject of arnin'- here are some pictures I took of Frazier in one of the few outfits we have for him that has to be ironed. And Mae Mae ironed it. If you'd seen the wrinkled wad I took it to her in you'd be impressed...no pun intended. ;)

Why, oh why is it that he smiles all the time...until I get him all dressed up and my camera out?

A Blogpost For Josh

Josh informed me yesterday that (and I quote) I "never blog about him". To which I say the following: I resent the implication and I beg to differ.

Furthermore, I offer as evidence the following:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Exhibit D

Exhibit E

Exhibit F

Exhibit G

Exhibit H

Exhibit I

Exhibit J

*This list is by no means exhaustive, but I think I've made my point.

However, I would also like to point out 1.) that Josh has (and always has had) a standing invitation to be a guest blogger on Ob-la-di-da at anytime about anything and 2.) to date, he has declined to do so. Therefore, I can truthfully say that he has never posted about me. As a matter of fact, the day I gave birth I even did my own blogpost.

Exhibit K

And I have never complained.

Now, having said all that, in the interest of domestic tranquility (and because I will -reluctantly-concede that the blog may be a bit Randi and Frazier heavy), here is an update on Josh.

Last Friday he played in a golf tournament. They didn't win, but the weather was beautiful and he said they had fun anyway. He still plays ultimate frisbee on Mondays. On Tuesdays he plays kickball and his team (the Ballbusters) has only lost one game. If the games aren't too late we go watch. See pictures below. (Which, for the record, I was going to post anyway). He is one of the best players on his team. And that isn't just me being partial. The rest of the time he goes to work and then he comes home. When he's here (which is a lot) it's nice; when he's gone we miss him. And, in all fairness, he probably doesn't get appreciated enough for all the little things he does. I suppose he deserves a blogpost of his own. Some blogaccolades for being a really fabulous husband and dad. He's pretty great, afterall...and I couldn't do it without him. Wouldn't want to anyway.

Also, he makes really awesome pancakes.

...definitely blogworthy pancakes.

Why I Haven't Blogged In Awhile

Happy Wednesday,

A Number Of Things

Here are some odds and ends that wouldn't fit in a blogpost of their own:

1. You know that game where someone dangles a dollar bill over your thumb and forefinger and then drops it and you see if you can catch it with those two fingers? If you haven't tried this, it's next to impossible even though you think it'd be easy. Anyway, that's about how easy it is to catch Frazier when he falls. Fortunately he's getting more steady on his feet!

2. I'm aware produce is a gamble. And avocados are an even greater gamble than most produce, but the organic avocados at Brookshire's cost $1 each and they're, like, the size of apricots so I have higher expectations for them. You have to buy them by the bag of 5, hence $5 and though I've bought numerous bags that were decent, I bought one yesterday that didn't contain one good avocado. Not one! So I took the whole bag back, with my receipt and returned them. I informed the girl I returned them to, not that it mattered one bit, that while their organic produce shipments might be few and far between, they shouldn't leave what they have out past when it is fresh. Because this is their problem; I've bought enough organic produce there to know. They just leave the avocados out until the next shipment comes so they wither up and get mushy waiting. It's gross. They did take them back, however, and I returned home with a crisp five dollar bill. So there's that.

3. Today Frazier was crawling around on the floor and came across one of those pollen pods we call caterpillars. (Which Josh must have JUST tracked in after work, because I'd just vacuumed my floor!) Anyway, he put it in his mouth before I could get to him (crying "no no!" and flailing my arms) so I calmly got it out. Three seconds later he found a piece of fuzz on the living room curtain and, looking straight at me, started to put it in his mouth. This time I'm faster, but SO IS HE! As I lunge toward him he shoves it in his mouth and crawls quickly away! Obviously, I caught him and got the fuzz out of his mouth, but that's not the point. The point is, he knew he wasn't supposed to eat it and not only that, but he knew I was coming to take it away and he tried to thwart me! Ah- so it begins. :)

4. As of a week or so ago we have a new channel on our Direct TV...The Documentary Channel. Now you may recall that I'm a documentary junkie, so you can only imagine my excitement. A whole channel that ONLY broadcasts documentaries. It's a dream come true. So far I've watched documentaries about food allergies, cockroaches, yoga, polygamy, a drug addict who gardened his way to rehabilitation and this schizophrenic guy who rode from Monroe to New Orleans on a bicycle looking for his invisible girlfriend. I've DVRed documentaries about Second life, Scrabble competitions, North Carolina's Outer Banks, the Angola Prison Rodeo, wild horses and biscuits. They're cleverly titled, too: Weed It And Reap, You Only Live Twice, The Rise of the Southern Biscuit, and Circumcise Me (The Comedy of Yisrael Campbell). I know you're jealous. ;)

5. I was attacked in my kitchen a couple of nights ago by a mosquito hawk and then the following day I walked out my front door and into a swarm of gnats. There are plenty of things I find charming about living in the south. The spring influx of insects isn't one of them.

6. Bugs aside, we've had the most incredible weather lately. I suppose it's always this nice in the early spring, but I think the summer's so miserably hot and the winter so wet-cold that I forget and am always pleasantly surprised. I've had my windows (all the ones with screens on them-on account of the bugs) open all week.

All for now- happy Friday!

We affectionately refer to this as...

...Frazier's gremlin voice.

For obvious reasons. (You may note the grunting and sputtering intermittently. These, too, are favorite noises he's discovered.)

It's all fun and games at home, but it's something weird when he suddenly speaks gremlin in the shopping cart at Target. Not that I care, but people look at you funny.

Annoying? Maybe. Charming? Usually. Adorable? Definitely. Something I love? Always.

Dreaming of A Yellow Easter

Well we're back from our Easter weekend in Ruston. It was wonderful and lovely...but "it was all yellow". I guess there's pollen like this around here every year, but somewhere between May and March I seem to forget. On the happy side, none of us have allergy troubles yet. Also everything in my yard is blooming- everything my black thumb hasn't killed that is. Any plant living in my yard is decidedly stubborn and undeniably hearty because I am the exact opposite of a good gardener.

Pictures from my yard:Anyway, back to our Easter weekend. We left on Thursday afternoon and got back Sunday night and I have to say I think traveling with Frazier is getting easier. Or maybe just still difficult only in different ways. Either way this visit went rather well. We celebrated my grandfather and brother's birthdays on Friday and then got to spend the weekend with Josh's half sister and her family who came from Florida for Easter! We were really excited about getting to see them as it's an extremely rare occurrence. Our visit was just long enough to make us wish we had more time and could get together more often!
Naturally, I took a bunch of pictures. I know you're shocked. :) I'll try and limit this post to some highlights.Frazier had a really great time with his cousins- they were so good with him!Frazier's outfit Mae Mae and I picked out at The Children's Shop:Celinah, Frazier, Auseta and Jai:Frazier's first Easter basket:OK- so that's a lot of pictures, but hey- there were lots of highlights. :)