Air Travel News

A Flier Strikes Back - A flier sues over a weather related flight cancellation and wins. Sure, he won a default judgment because Delta didn't bother to show up, but a win's a win. And I'm sure it felt really, really good.

United Keeps Free Food on International Flights - It just goes to show that fliers still have some power. Just remember that airlines might actually listen to complaints if they get enough of them. That said, it's entirely unreasonable for United to eliminate the expectation of food on a long haul flight. Leaving fliers to worry about bringing enough food for a 12 hour flight with weight limitations and security restrictions?!? Not cool.

How Fast They Grow

Genetics are a funny thing. When people say MetaBoy has my eyes, but otherwise looks just like his dad, I just say "hmmm," or some variation thereof. I have a hard time seeing any of my features on him, and can only see a small few similarities to MetaDaddy. To me, I always figured MetaBoy was his own person, so he doesn't look "just like" anyone.

Then MetaGirl comes along and throws that theory out the window. She looks just like her brother. Sure, there are a few small personality differences (e.g., she startles if you whisper, which is usually hilarious), but visually...wow. The view of her when she's nursing is that much more impressive to me. I keep having flashbacks to the early days of MetaBoy. So weird.

She's growing fast, too...just like her brother. Though, hopefully she won't grow at quite the same pace. She was born at 6.5 pounds, and was 7.8 pounds at her 2 week appointment. Relatively speaking, she's nipping at her brother's heels. He was born weighing 7.11 pounds at 41 weeks. She was born at 39 weeks, and 2 weeks later, she almost matched his birth weight. He then went on to gain 2 pounds by the time he was 2 weeks old. And he doubled his weight by 2 months.

To make a short story long, she's getting big fast. I hope she stays as wee as she is for a bit longer than MetaBoy did.

Oh, and breastfed babies can grow at impressive rates. Always nice to reiterate :-D

Breastfed Babies Don't Get Constipated

Our pediatrician says breastfed babies don't get constipated. Yes, they might not poop as often as babies on formula, but it's because their bodies use breastmilk more efficiently, so there isn't the same amount of waste produced.

This is what he told us when we called frantically two years ago when MetaBoy hadn't pooped in days. Maybe it was two days, but he'd gone from pooping several times a day to nothing. He put our minds at ease, though we were still careful and suspicious.

Later that day, MetaBoy pooped. Oh boy did he poop. He pooped so much it filled and leaked out of his diaper, and ruined his onesie.

What we learned: this is how MetaBoy deals with poop.

The other day, I was nursing MetaGirl. When she finished, she nodded off and I held her for a while. She can be so ridiculously cuddly.

Suddenly, she made a pooping noise. (Note: Newborns poop really loud for such small creatures.) She hadn't pooped for a couple of days, so we knew it was coming. I was wondering whether or not I should wait for some more action (inevitable that there would be more), when I noticed she felt squishier than usual. I could feel the new squishiness through the blanket she was wrapped in. Not good.

I move her a bit to inspect the damage, and suddenly...drip, drip. Yellow, mustard-like goo on me. On my pants. Do you have any idea how few pants I have that fit me right now? I'm in a strange stage where my tummy isn't as big as when I was heavily pregnant, but I can't stand even the mildest pressure on my tummy below my belly button. I have very few bottoms with very adjustable waistlines that are high enough to wear like grandpa pants.

So, MetaDaddy helped me up and we changed her. As expected, there was poop absolutely everywhere. We had to cut her out of her onesie. It was an ugly affair, let me tell you.

A wardrobe change for her and a wardrobe change for me later, we were walking back to the living room to sit for a few minutes to wind down before getting to bed. I started feeding her again because...well, she was suddenly quite hungry. After nursing, she nodded off. Then, her diaper leaked.

Ya, she peed on me.

These are not the fun days of nursing.

Caffeine

Oh, heck!!

I just realized I haven't had caffeine in like 3 years. No wonder I'm so tired!!!

Milk Supply Tip

I swear, it's become so hard to find time to post these days. You'd think I have some weird new something in my life consuming all of my mental energy.

But what?

Oh, right.

So, a lactation consultant gave me some great advice that I could really have used the first time when I was breastfeeding MetaBoy. I had so much milk, I was in severe pain every 2-3 hours due to engorgement, which eventually led to a plugged duct, mastitis, and an abscess. Ugly business, folks.

So, for those out there facing breastfeeding challenges, here's what I learned.

Increase your milk supply - start nursing on one side for a couple of minutes, then on the other side for a couple of minutes, and continue switching off. Feed frequently, even if it means waking the baby every couple of hours.

Reduce milk supply - start nursing on one side for a couple of minutes, then finish nursing on the other.

Spontaneous Sleep

Poor MetaDaddy was falling asleep on the sofa. You know how it goes when you're tired and had a long day. But falling asleep on the sofa will just leave you with a sore neck, and hardly more rested.

But now, I have the perfect solution. And she comes in a wee little onesie.

No worries, folks. MetaDaddy's cured from falling asleep on the sofa.

May all your days be as fortunate :-)

xoxo,
Bleary-eyed MetaMommy

Surviving and Such

I spend all day thinking of things to blog. For example, while I'm nursing and trying to keep from passing out from a combination of exhaustion and that lovely warm feeling from having my little hot water bottle on my chest.

And yet, when I have computer time, I literally forget everything I so meticulously edited in my head.

Le sigh.

So, we're all sleeping, if slightly more erratically than usual. We're all still eating well (enough) despite my being farmers' market free for a little while longer. Oh so antsy to get back to those killer tomatoes! And MetaBoy is handling things as well as can be expected, but he's slightly cranky for no good reason. It might be the family addition, or he might have a slight cold. That said, I hope he doesn't have a cold because there's nothing more scary than the thought of sneezing while recovering from a c-section.

Eek!

PhotoStory Friday: Expanding Family

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

MetaBoy has an announcement to make.

Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrumroll, please.



MetaBoy has a brand spanking new baby sister, MetaGirl, for whom he has vowed to look after and protect as much as any two year old can. He's promised to try to be "gentle" and "quiet"...within reason. And seems to even empathize with her pain, as he's been known to cry if he hears her crying.

MetaGirl, for her part, does what she can to keep herself pacified.



She's found and lost her thumb several times. When not seeking out such comforts, she's either nursing, sleeping, hiccuping, or intensely staring at one of her new family member.

All in all, we're all happy, if a little tired...

The Verdict

So, did we have any wagers out there?

The verdict:

MetaBoy

And

MetaGirl

MamaGeek was totally right!!

Pix soon.

G'night

Why It's My Choice

Funny thing is I didn't expect the intensity of the comments posted so far from my prior post. Naive? Perhaps.

Funnier yet, two of the three posters sent me to ICAN-Online, which is the website I referenced in that very post.

The point of concern with the commenters is that I am allowing my obstetrician to decide how I will deliver M2 (i.e., VBAC or C-Section). However, I don't consider myself an unknowing participant in this endeavor. I've read up on VBACs, spoken to people who have chosen in favor and against them, and I have developed all sorts of opinions that are completely independent of my doctor's. My first labor has a lot to do with where I am today, so I'll start there.

I had a doula, and every intention and expectation to follow through with a drug-free childbirth. I expressed my desire for as little medical interference as possible in my birth plan, though I was not interested in going the route of using a midwife.

My doctor began seriously suggesting that we induce at week 40, but my husband and I stalled until week 41. At that point, I was put on pitocin and she broke my water, only to discover there was meconium in the fluid (descriptions on Natural Childbirth.org and Kids Health.org). This was potentially due to my pregnancy having gone into week 41, although I suspect that's debatable. She did an amnioinfusion (diluted the amniotic fluid with saline to wash meconium out of the amniotic sac before the baby has a chance to inhale it at birth), which was to be one of many bags I was hooked up during my labor. Being hooked up to various bags prevents you from moving around, which in turn prevents you from dealing with your pain in a medicine-free way. I labored through the night with the help of my doula, but after 7 hours, I was exhausted and there was no position in which I didn't feel pain, even between contractions. I went for the epidural. After that, my doula stayed and helped us get through things, emotionally and physically. At one point, we were informed that during contractions, our son's heart rate was normal, but on the low side of normal. They took me off of the pitocin to see if that remedied the problem, but it didn't. What it did do was slow down the contractions. Between the slowing of the labor and the concern over my son's heart rate, the doctor "seriously" suggested a c-section. I don't know about you, but if someone says your baby's life is in danger and you should really have this done to help him, I'm not about to point to my birth plan and remind them of how much I really don't want a c-section.

So, he was born kicking and screaming, and hasn't stopped since. While a c-section was the one thing I truly didn't want, I genuinely couldn't put my preference above the well-being of my child. And I can't say that I truly blame the doctor, either. Being an obstetrician comes with it's set of troubles, which includes soaring malpractice-insurance premiums. It's an environment which impels a conservative approach (i.e., better safe than sorry).

I seriously considered going to a new doctor, but in the end, I guess you could say my reason to stay with the same doctor was the age old reason: better the devil you know than the devil you don't. When I was pregnant last time, I asked her all sorts of questions, including her c-section rate (~15%). And since I have no way of knowing how another doctor might have handled the same situation, how can I know things would have turned out different. What I do know is that my recovery went very well, and I haven't experienced any real pain or complications from the surgery. I've spoken to a few people who have not been so fortunate. I don't really like her bedside manner, but now that I know the nuances of her demeanor, I can take her "matter of fact" approach with a grain of salt. That, and I can mock her accent...it's hilarious.

Besides that, I know that a lot of doctors will not do a VBAC. She said she was open to the possibility, and quelled my concern of uterine rupture by saying the rate was well below 1%. But it's still a serious concern of mine. I know women who've experienced it, and it's not something I'd like to deal with first hand.

Maybe I'm just trying to make lemonade out of these lemons, but I can find merit to a VBAC and a c-section. My body has not really experienced labor, so there would be new and wonderfully painful things to recover from there. I have friends and family who seriously worry about a VBAC. I try to reason out why it's possibly safer than a c-section, but I can't help but think of the little things that can go wrong. Rare? Ya. Impossible? No.

Either method isn't making me jump up and down with excitement. But I'm not pregnant because I want to experience labor. I'm pregnant because my husband and I want to share our meager little home with a kid. We're doing that existential thing where we breed because we can and that's what we're biologically meant to do. Well, maybe that's an argument for another day, but my point is that I never cared about the empowerment or experience of labor, I just want to assure the safety of the baby and me. If I can still pick up and hug my toddler after the fact, that's just gravy.

Quick, Quick!!

A lot of stuff has come to a head because my doctor is concerned about the size of M2. MetaToddler was expected to be about 9 pounds when he was born at 41 weeks, but he was 7.11 pounds. So, ya...the docs were wrong. I've expressed my preference for a VBAC, and my doctor is willing to let it happen, but only if it happens by week 39. In other words, I have until this weekend to go into spontaneous labor. Otherwise, she's calling the game.

I have some friends and family horrified at the thought of a VBAC. But my reasoning is simple. A c-section is major surgery, something I'd prefer to avoid if at all possible. And perhaps more important, my recovery time would be significantly greater than with a regular birth, forcing me to deal with a serious recovery, a newborn, and a two-year-old. I'd prefer to be able to get back to my life sooner than later.

I suddenly feel so behind on my nesting. We have our car seat, assembled crib, laundered clothes , and various other readied things. I've made a few frozen meals to have on standby for those rough first few weeks. I don't have anywhere near as much as I did the last time, which is unfortunate. Oh well. We'll have a few easy meals on hand, and a few reliable favorite restaurants that deliver, so we should be fine on the food front. Sleep is another issue all together, but nothing you can do about that beast.

Le sigh.

I've had to accept that I won't be able to go to the farmers' market for a while. It's my weekly thing, and since I'm likely to have a c-section again, I'll have to forego seasonal treats for recovery. This is hard. Well, I'm finding a few things hard this time around. Before, I wasn't as involved in cooking, cleaning, and obviously, parenting. It was just MetaDaddy and me, so I cooked several meals that were frozen into two person portions, but no stress. I had gained much more weight, and couldn't clean, so MetaDaddy was doing all of the cleaning at home. And well, there was no one to parent.

This time, I've slowly had to accept that I couldn't keep cleaning to the level that I felt appropriate, so per MetaDaddy's insistence, we've had someone come over once a week to help out. We just have to maintain it, which isn't easy, but nowhere near as bad as cleaning it in the first place. And she's pretty meticulous, which I truly appreciate. Not as meticulous as I am, but hey, I'm a self-admitted PITA.

Also at MetaDaddy's insistence, we've also gotten a referral from a few friends for a nanny. Everyone loves this particular person, and our circle of friends have known her for years. MetaDaddy's concerns stemmed from knowing how hard the c-section was on me last time, and he's worried about how I'll manage at keeping MetaToddler happy while caring for M2. After all, it's me and the kid(s) alone all day. So any extra help will go a long way. I kept putting it off, and eventually, he won. We have a part time nanny. It's just so hard to give up caring for MetaToddler 100% that I can't easily let go. But I want to be fair to him and avoid his feeling neglected. He doesn't go to day care or preschool, so it's all me. And if I can't give 100%, well...boo! He's been getting used to the nanny over the past few weeks. She keeps up pretty well, so he's getting a lot of attention and excitement from her, which I'm having a hard time providing these days with my size and all.

So ya...if I don't go into labor over the next few days, it's c-section #2. I mean, it's not like in a perfect world I would go for a regular birth. In a perfect world, I'd aim for an "oh, it's a baby!" thing where it just magically appears after months of jabbing me in the ribs and bladder. Either way, another August birthday is about to hit the MetaHome.

We'll keep you posted on the deets.

How to Pick a Baby Name

I have no idea.

It was pretty hard picking a name for MetaToddler. We didn't know his sex beforehand, either, so we had to pick a name for a boy and girl, just in case. In the end, we were really lucky he was a boy because we were only able to compromise on one name, and it wouldn't have worked for a girl.

Our problem is that MetaDaddy prefers something familiar, strong, traditional. I want a name that's unique and has character, but isn't so rare that people look at you funny when you say it. Having grown up with a name no one has ever heard of, I can assure you that getting through school is a tough row to hoe. If you're teacher can't get it right, well...you're screwed for that school year.

So, how did we find something that's unique enough to me, but strong and traditional enough for MetaDaddy? We went to Ireland. There are a lot of very unique non-American names, but like I said, I didn't want it to be too hard to spell or pronounce. So Niamh (pronounced like Neve) and the like were off the table. Oh sure, we considered them, but in the end, they just didn't last on the short list.

Here are some of the sites I visited often then, and have come back to a lot over the past few weeks:

Think Baby Names - Scroll through a whole bunch of popular names in the U.S., and several other countries.

Baby Names World - You can search by sex, cultural origin, popularity ratings, and various other criteria. Very refined results.

Baby Name Network - International names from various different cultures.

Baby Name World - International names from various different cultures.

Nymbler - Enter up to 6 names as "inspiration," and the Nymbler returns a bunch of names that you might like.

Name Nerds - Find yourself a good, strong Irish name :-)

So, in the end I've learned this. Picking a name for a human being other than yourself is a daunting challenge. How to do help this poor kid get through life without the embarrassment of a name that's too weak, unfamiliar, generic, etc. I know that you can come to appreciate your rare name, but heck, there's a whole lotta pain and suffering to get to that point. And honestly, if you're not leaving the kid a mega trust fund, it just hardly seems fair to pick celebrity names like Apple, Poppy Honey, Fifi Trixibelle or Moon Unit.

I'm just saying.

Dry Cat Food

So, is this weird? I keep smelling dry cat food. I bought potatoes at the farmers' market, and they smelled like dry cat food. I was walking down the street with MetaToddler, and despite the lack of cats and their apparent food, I smelled dry cat food. And it happened a few other instances of dry cat food.

Is this normal?

Is some dry cat food company conducting tests on pregnant women?

Is this a sign of labor infrequently discussed?

Any theories would be appreciated :-)

Cheap Music: Death Cab for Cutie

If you want to try out some good music, how about Death Cab for Cutie? As Liz commented here, their latest album Narrow Stairs is a whopping $5 on Amazon (today through Sunday, only).

Seriously, can you do better than that?

Ya, I don't think so.

Mo Willems Captions

Do you know Mo Willems? He wrote Knuffle Bunny (a MetaToddler favorite) and the Pigeon books after winning 6 Emmys for his writing for Sesame Street.

Needless to say, he knows funny. He knows kids, too, but that's another post.

He's teamed up with NPR's All Things Considered for a caption contest. He drew and captioned four cartoons, but anyone can take a look and submit a caption of their own. It's cute and fun, so go on and check it out if you're looking for a few minutes of amusement :-)

Music: Two of a Kind

Sometimes, you feel fooled and tricked for no good reason.

Today's trickery involves music of the indie nature.

A while back, a friend of mine turned me on to The Postal Service. I love their album and listened to it again, and again, and again. MetaDaddy's favorite trick, but not really mine. So this album, Give Up, is a favorite indeed. But they haven't come out with a second, so I've had to settle with nothing new for a while.

My favorite radio station, KCRW, tends to play a great variety of music. I kept hearing this one band and thinking "they came out with a new album!!" only to find out that it wasn't The Postal Service, but some other band called Death Cab for Cutie. So they've grown on me, even though they still confuse the bejeesus out of me.

Get this, my friend just realized that the lead singer in both bands is Ben Gibbard. That's right, the same person...both bands...singing. Ugh!! No wonder I was so frustrated!!!

I'm annoyed, but relieved to know that I'm not crazy or paranoid. Well, not crazy. Well, at least...

Whatever, they tricked me. And I can still claim the pregnancy hormone card, so I deserve an apology!!

I'll be here when you're ready, Ben Gibbard.

Dancing Toddler with the Pink Stroller

Dancing in his high chair. Why? Because of something he heard me playing on You Tube. A rather malicious "friend" sent me a link to a NKOTB video. Don't know the anacronym? You obviously didn't grow up a girl in the late 80s/early 90s.

So, it's bad enough that it played on my computer. I'm embarrassed for myself, and the only other person here was MetaToddler. Which brings me to my point of concern. Whatever about the pink piano, or the pink stroller. How much should I worry when my little boy starts dancing to NKOTB?!?

Here, you try. Play it for your toddler and see what happens. You can blame my evil "friend" for whatever happens ;-)

LA's Earthquake

Did you hear? There was an earthquake in the Los Angeles area yesterday. It was initially reported to be 5.8 in magnitude, but has since been downgraded to 5.4.

Of all places, we were in a shopping center in the Valley, very near the dreaded Northridge of the 1994 Northridge Quake fame. Worse still, the car was in a parking structure, the last place you want to be in the event of an earthquake.

When the shaking started, I was walking around with MetaToddler. I wasn't sure if the rumbling was normal (e.g., truck driving by), but a sales associate gasped "it's an earthquake. Everyone to the counter." I looked around and decided she was right. There were a lot of wonky racks and shelves, but there were no fixed structures other than the counter. I calmly picked him up and walked over there, so he remained pretty calm, in turn. When it was over, I saw a lot of people rushing to the exit, but our choices were essentially:

(1) stay in the department store next to the glass doors,
(2) go outside the building and stand in the parking structure,
(3) go down to the first floor and stand outside the building, or
(4) go to your car and leave.

When I saw that there wasn't a huge exodus in the parking lot, I chose to leave. It seemed the best of the four unpleasant options. I hurried (as much as I can these days) to the car, and we were out of the structure in a few minutes. The ironic thing is I always try to avoid parking structures, but in this case, this was the only parking option. Figures.

The most frustrating part was that I couldn't to make calls on my cell because they kept failing. I heard today that the network was overloaded. This was a big problem all over, apparently.

"Sprint Nextel Corp. reported a spike of 800 percent right after the quake and Verizon Wireless saw the volume jump by 400 percent over that of a typical day. It wasn't clear how long the systems were overloaded but they were back to normal Wednesday."

Overall, nerves were shaken, but very little damage has been reported. Personally, I heard one glass item crash in the department store, but nothing was out of place when we got home. MetaDaddy's dry erase markers fell to the floor. Not bad.

Baby Clothes

Oh, how time flies.

I was digging out some of MetaToddler's old clothes for M2 and I've come to a few conclusions.

1. I can't believe he was ever that small.


2. I can't believe how lucky we've been with his wardrobe. Between gifts and hand-me-downs from his younger cousin (ya, he's way bigger), we've had very little stress in keeping him well clothed. We love the one piece footed outfits from Ireland because they're well-made, soft, cotton, inexpensive, and adorable. I've found similar items here at much higher prices, so we've tried to get him new ones every time we go back to Dublin. That said, he's at that cusp where we can't find footed ones that fit him any more. The footed ones are particularly beneficial in keeping him from climbing out of his crib because he climbs much better in his bare feet. He can't get a proper foothold when he's bound in his jammies.


3. We hardly need anything for M2. We've got clothes, toys, etc. aplenty. Unfortunately, no excuses for shopping. Eh, I'm sure I'll find something. We always need something when it's particularly cute ;-)


4. I'm really excited to revisit some of the things that I really loved seeing MetaToddler wear. The opposite of that sad feeling you get when you admit to yourself that your child no longer fits into that little shirt that you love seeing him in. That's what today did for me. Gave me a big sense of "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....I forgot how much I loved this shirt!!!"

Now, the unpleasant part. Laundry.

PhotoStory Friday: You Call Those Toys?!?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

So as MetaToddler's birthday approaches, I'm sure he'll get some gifts. Since I'm debating birthday party ideas, and I'm hoping to follow through with a party of some sort (cross your fingers for us), that's all the more reason to expect gifts. We just have to time it right so that he gets a party, preferably before M2 arrives. Eep!!

With gifts on my mind, I'm reminded of my prior inclination against an abundance of cheap, plastic toys. I've mentioned reasons why here and here, and a few alternate gift ideas here.

As time goes by, I'm only more and more convinced that he doesn't need the big, plastic, fancy, flashing, noise-makers. Why do I say that? Here are a couple of his favorite toys these days.


A red plastic box that his Lego-like bricks came in. The box is usually empty, so he climbs on it, wears it like a hat to play peek-a-boo (usually resulting in walking into walls, as in the photo), rides it like a fire truck, etc. Other times, he fills it with toys, empties it, fills it, empties it, and so on.


And his other favorite? Empty cardboard containers that he wears on his head like a crown. At those times, we refer to him as King MetaToddler.

Never Buy from BabyAge.com

So, I'm closing in on 37 weeks. About time to start nesting, n'est pas?

The crib we have for MetaToddler converts into a toddler bed, so he'll be keeping that one. We'll need a new bed for our new Wee one, which we'll call M2 (as in Meta 2) for now. Thought about Wee 2, or W2, but that seemed to close to Wii...which might confuse some people (you know who you are).

Anyway, I order the crib online at www.BabyAge.com. I've heard of the site in a few places, they've been around for a while, and I know they sell through Amazon, so I thought "why not." Free shipping, no tax, and the crib retails for the same price everywhere. Once I placed my order, I saw a strange pop up message that requested more information in order to fulfill my order. I click on it, and it requested the last four digits of my social security number and my year of birth. That screams alarm bells, but I'd already placed my order at that point. I decide to ignore it and see what happens.

The next day, I receive an email message asking that I call Baby Age in order to provide some information before they can complete my order.

Grr.

I call, but I'm already annoyed. Sure enough, they ask me for my social and year of birth. I ask them why they need it, and they say that this is risk management because I'm making a large purchase. *Just the other day I stopped a fraudulent order by doing this* blah, blah. I say "I'm not comfortable providing that information. Are you saying that I can either provide my private information or cancel my order?" He said "yes." So, I canceled my order.

Duh.

I then called American Express, and they said:

1) I was right to not provide the vendor with that information.
2) Vendors can ask for things like the security code on the card or your zip code, but not your SSN or year of birth.
3) BabyAge already put a charge through on my card, so keep an eye on the card to make sure they cancel it immediately.

Unfortunately, when I found out that the charge had been put through, it was too late to call Baby Age again. However, I will follow up with them to assure they have canceled my order and refunded my card. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that the credit will not be a problem. That said, American Express has been great when dealing with shady vendors and/or charges in the past, so I'm expecting them to be just as great this time :-)

Of course, after the fact I search on Google and find they make a practice of asking for credit card holder's social security number. How is this not phishing? Baby Age didn't have this info to verify it against my answers. How is this managing risk? After providing this info, they would have had my name, address, phone, email, credit card, last four of my SSN, and my year of birth. What else would they need to steal my identity? After all, American Express only asks for the last four of my SSN in order to access my account history.

Hopefully you don't have to deal with any vendors like these, but always be on the lookout for people who ask too much information. Never, ever give out any digits of your social or your year of birth, which is harder to get than the day and month of your birth. And never provide any information to people who call you. I once had Aetna call me to verify who I was. I asked them "I need to verify who you are first!"

Duh.

Summer at the Farmers' Market

Oh, how I love the farmers' market during the summer. Well, I love it and hate it. There's so much beautiful food, that I have to work hard to stay on my list. It's really quite easy to overspend. My summer downfall: fruit.

Cherry season is about mother's day through father's day, so they're long gone. But they overlapped nicely with peaches, my current obsession.

My favorite peach stand has the best peaches, nectarines, plums I've ever had. Ever. High end local restaurants haul away crates of Fitz's fruit, but he always has time to shoot the breeze and answer my silly questions. He's big into grilling his peaches these days. His recommendation is to take a full-flavored peach, which is usually a yellow fleshed peach; their acid content provides a more balanced flavor than white peaches, which tend to be much sweeter. Cut it in half, and take the pit out. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar and smear it on the flesh. Put the peach flesh side down on the grill and cook it for 3-5 minutes. Flip it and cook it on the skin side for another 3-5 minutes. Feel free to add a few more drops of balsamic vinegar, and serve.

When we grill peaches, we don't bother with the balsamic. Honestly, they're so good they just don't need it. We grill them, and if you have some pound cake lying around, toast some up on the grill. Pour over a little honey, syrup, cream, ice cream...whatever floats your boat. The result...O...M...G...So simple, so easy, so delicious. How did I not know about this sooner? I'd be bitter if I wasn't so happy.

But now I find out Fitz is only expecting to be at the market for another couple of weeks. This saddens me. Last year, I went cold turkey on peaches when his season ended. I actually did a little dance when I saw him this year, and I've been loyal all summer. I suspect I'll be peachless again once his season ends. He's truly spoiled me with those Carmen Mirandas nectarines.

Jib Jab - Time for Some Campaignin'

Oh, so excited! I've been looking forward to some new Jib Jab for a while, and here we are!!

Time for Some Campaignin'

Ice Cream for Dessert

Speaking of dessert (I'm sure someone's speaking of dessert somewhere, right?), here's my current relationship with ice cream.

I love several flavors of Ben & Jerry's. Ah, don't we all. My current flavor of choice (i.e., the flavor in the fridge) is Phish Food. But I'm starting to think Half Baked wouldn't go down bad right now. However, vanilla is a pretty good flavor, one very easily dressed up. So I'm always in favor of...well, I'm in favor of those flavors.

Looking around at ice cream at the grocery store, I noticed that Breyers has a nice list of ingredients that I can actually pronounce (e.g., sugar, cream). And it turns out that Breyers vanilla is much lighter and fluffier than the Ben & Jerry's, so a 1/2 cup serving of Breyers vanilla is nearly 1/2 the calories of the B & J.

Breyers Vanilla - 1/2 cup = 140 calories; 7g fat; 14 g carbohydrates
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food - 1/2 cup = 270 calories; 12 g fat; 37 g carbohydrates
Ben & Jerry's Half Baked - 1/2 cup = 270 calories; 13g fat; 33g carbohydrates

So if you'd like an ice cream treat, you might be better off going for the Breyers if you're going the all natural but low calorie route. Even better, add a couple of slices of fresh fruit like banana, strawberry, berries, some nuts and call it a deconstructed banana split :-)

Google: Jerks or Fumblers?

Google stock is down today in after hours trading. Personally, I'd say it's because they're jerks (see below). But no, it's just that their second-quarter earnings that fell below analysts' expectations.

Why are Google heads jerks?

On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble

"Parents who had been paying $1,425 a month for infant care would see their costs rise to nearly $2,500 — well above the market rate. For parents with toddlers and preschoolers, who were charged less, the price increases were equally eye-popping. Under the new plan, parents with two kids in Google day care would most likely see their annual day care bill grow to more than $57,000 from around $33,000."

It's essentially a ridiculous tale where Google kept one-upping its day care facilities, and before it knew it, they had an over-the-top program that it was subsidizing to the tune of $37K per child per year. The price increase served to fix their other problem, too: the ridiculously long wait list.

"Google has also started charging people several hundred dollars to stay on the waiting list; as a result the list has dropped to around 300 parents. By next fall, Google plans to open new facilities with another 300 places. See? No more waiting list."

Just to drive the point home, Google co-founder Sergey Brin was reported to have said "he had no sympathy for the parents, and that he was tired of “Googlers” who felt entitled to perks like 'bottled water and M&Ms.'"

Since when has day care been equatable to a packet of "free" M&Ms?

My Italian Toddler

MetaToddler's speech is regressing. He went from being close to pronouncing a few words correctly (in English) to making them sound just that little bit more Italian.

Actual word --> Former Pronunciation --> Current Pronunciation

Down --> Dow --> Downah
Green --> Geen --> Geenah
Spoon --> Pooh --> Poonah
Brown --> Bwow --> Bwownah

I don't even speak to him in Italian. I speak to him in Spanish. Where's the Spanish?!?

I shutter to think of what's next. Greek? German? Swahili?

Response: No Mo Mama Drama

My buddy, Mama Geek, over at What Works for Us has had a hard week. Think floods and other assorted summer mayhem. I seriously feel for her, and I'll be partaking in dessert on her behalf ;-)

So, my turn to commiserate.

MetaDaddy goes into the closet where the water heater is housed, only to notice a slight bit of water pooled underneath. We couldn't tell if it was a leak or condensation. So, I call the plumber the next day, and he comes out. Leak. Replace. Better still, they no longer make the same version, so we had to buy the fancy new insulated model, which happens to be twice the price. Bye, bye three car payments!

Plumber comes the following day to install the gi-normous thing...upstairs. He and his assistant were seriously struggling. I would have offered to help...but well, I'm no use to anyone these days :-P

Day 3: A little something needed to be readjusted from the installation, so the plumber had to come back the following day.

Plumbing finally all up to snuff. A couple of days later, we find a leak in the bathroom. I'm destined to be best friends with our plumber. Time to call again.

We have top-down-bottom-up blinds in a large window, and they're wonderful. They allow us to pull the blinds all the way up to maximize light and exposure. And for those times when we prefer a bit more privacy, we can pull the blinds partially down and still get warmth and sunshine, along with a pleasant breeze. It's the perfect compromise for us because I prefer sun with privacy, and MetaDaddy prefers all sunshine all the time. I think it's the Irish in him. Have I mentioned that he gets kinda depressed when it rains here? Specifically here in Los Angeles. He could care less if it rains when we're traveling. I think he feels robbed...like "I didn't move half way across the world for rain." Anywho, the only downside to the blinds is that the string that runs through the mechanism works overtime in holding up the full weight of the blinds. And the more it's used, the more likely something will go wrong. Today, one of the strings either broke or untied, or whatever. So we had to take it down, with the aid of a ladder, and we're going to see about getting it fixed. Obviously, I didn't hike up the ladder, but I was totally there for moral support.

That's all for now. I'm hoping that in writing this list, nothing else will magically break. I really can't handle much more right now.

Right, so where's that cake?

PhotoStory Friday: OCD in the Making

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I've probably mentioned a few little OCD habits I have. I chalk it up to being a Virgo, but others chalk it up to my being slightly anal. Eh, whatever. So I love my label maker. And I live and die by my lists. We all have our quirks :-)

But is it innate or learned?

MetaToddler was in his class, and with all the toys out to play, guess what he chose to do?



Yes, he lined those up...all by himself.

The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

A NY Times article listing The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating. The nice thing about it is that it's a nice brief list of nutritious foods that you can see about slowly integrating into your diet without a major overhaul of your cooking routine. A sprinkle of this, a tossing of that. It's all good!

Beets
We actually really like beets in salads, but after seeing what they did to MetaToddler's diapers, we wrote them off. To be fair, we were eating red beets, and there are lighter colors to choose from. So perhaps we'll give it another try with golden beets.

Cabbage
Salad, obviously. That said, napa cabbage works well in stir fries. I wonder if all cabbage would work, too.

Swiss Chard
Neither of us really like swiss chard. Something about the texture just doesn't please us, so um...ya. Maybe we'll try it again, but I might just as easily forget about it, too.

Cinnamon
This is a tricky one in the MetaHome. MetaDaddy doesn't like cinnamon in his coffee, and he feels it's overused in desserts, especially those containing apples. So when I bake, I omit cinnamon and go straight for the nutmeg, which we both love. Then he says "well, I don't hate cinnamon. You can use it in some things." Ah, but which! The saga rages on.

Pomegranate Juice
Honestly, I don't like pomegranate juice. It's unpleasantly sweet, even when diluted. I'd prefer to just eat a pomegranate. I did make a syrup a while back, and it was nice mixed in plain yogurt. It would probably work on pancakes, too, but well...ick!

Dried Plums
As is. Yum!!

Pumpkin Seeds
I mix roasted pumpkin seeds with a few other wonderfully tasty nuts and unsweetened dried fruit for a trail mix that I know I'll like. What usually makes the cut? Almonds, walnuts, black currants, cranberries, raw sunflower seeds, and of course, pumpkin seeds.

Sardines
After reading the health benefits of sardines, I'm seriously thinking about giving them another try. But it's really hard. I've slowly comes around to enjoying fish, and sardines...well, that's a tough one. Super salty, fishy, packed in oil. I can hardly watch MetaDaddy eat sardines on toast without gagging. Obviously, he'll have to introduce MetaToddler to that culinary treat. I'll work on coming around, but no promises.

Turmeric
I always have turmeric in my pantry, but I seldom use it. I don't remember the last time I even opened the tin! I'm going to work at sprinkling it around a bit more.

Blueberries
We're lucky enough to get fresh blueberries at the farmers' market right now. Nothing beats fresh, tasty blueberries just bursting with flavor. Most are so bland and watery, that it's easy to think you don't like blueberries at all. Just go find a good one and see what you're missing.

I tend to use frozen blueberries in muffins (when I'm feeling energetic), but it does throw the water content a bit off if you're not careful. The tip that's worked for me is keep them frozen until you mix them in, lightly coat with flour, and gently mix into the batter. This tends to prevent bleeding in the batter, too.

Canned Pumpkin
Hmmm...I don't know about this one. I'll think about it, but I'd prefer to have roasted squash. I chop it up and to toss it in when baking a chicken or something, and it makes for great leftovers.

How to Find An Ideal Husband

An interesting, yet amusing analysis of how to find "an ideal husband" by Maureen Dowd in the NY Times.

She interviewed Father Pat Connor, a 79-year-old Catholic priest born in Australia and based in Bordentown, N.J., who has spent many, many years in the field of marriage counseling. He summed it all up in a lecture he gives to high school seniors, which was then neatly wrapped up in this article.

A sample tip:

“Steer clear of someone whose life you can run, who never makes demands counter to yours. It’s good to have a doormat in the home, but not if it’s your husband."

The list is brief and to the point, and filled with common sense tips to keep in mind before you fall in love. That said, Father Connor says “after I regale a group with this talk, the despairing cry goes up: ‘But you’ve eliminated everyone!’ Life is unfair.”

Recipe: Grilled Corn & Arugula Salad

When you're cemented to braces, certain foods are out of the question. Corn on the cob, for example. It's an awful, tragic shame to walk past beautiful, fresh, sweet corn at the farmers' market. Cheap and all, but what's the point when you know you can't eat it. Or can you?

So, in an effort to satiate my corn impulses, I've found a couple of salad recipes that use the corn kernels. One of them is particularly tasty, uses leftover grilled corn (great for all of that leftover corn from your most recent bar-b-que), and is quick to assemble. I got the recipe for Grilled Corn & Arugula Salad from Russ Parson's How to Pick a Peach. I had a few of the ingredients on hand, but not others, so my variation of the recipe was as follows. I halved the dressing because we tend to like a lighter coat of dressing on our salads. Also, keep in mind that you can use any lettuce or lettuce mix. However, the pepperiness of the arugula is a nice contrast to the other flavors, so it's more a flavor component than a backdrop to everything else.

Dressing
1/2 garlic clove, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Salad
1/8 pound arugula
1/2 pound roma tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
2 ears corn, grilled & cooled, kernels sliced off

Whisk the dressing in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Lightly coat the arugula with some dressing in another bowl.

Finally, mix the tomatoes, scallions, and corn kernels in a small bowl. Coat with the remaining dressing.

To assemble, place some arugula on a plate. Spoon on the corn mixture.

Blue

Blue, as in blueberries, MetaToddler's favorite fruity snack.

Blue, as in MetaToddler's favorite animated dog.

Blue, as in the sea he gets ever-so-excited about when we walk on the beach.

Blue, as in the lightning bolt marks (aka veins) covering the pale part of my arms (the inside) and legs, which happen to be significantly paler than MetaDaddy's...and he's true Irish pale! (I saw a picture of myself in shorts the other day, and they actually reflected light.)

Blue, as in blue screen of death wife, my new name after errantly not saving an Excel spreadsheet MetaDaddy was working on. In my defense, I'm pregnant.

PhotoStory Friday: Santa Monica Parade

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

We don't get some things here in Santa Monica. Parades are one of those things. I guess someone figured that we needed to partake in parade season. So for the second year in a row, the Annual Santa Monica Fourth of July Parade. MetaDaddy led the way with MetaToddler, and we got lost in the fray, so I didn't get to see the wee little reactions. But I know they were probably entertaining. I mean, the kid goes nuts when he sees a mee maw (i.e., fire truck) driving quietly down the street. Nevermind when the sirens are blaring.

On that note, our humble little parade.


That Santa Monica tractor being put to good use again.


And the requisite Prius for all Santa Monica events. Sometimes, I think there are more Priuses than residents in Santa Monica.


And of course, no parade is complete without a "mee maw."

Hope you all had a great July 4th!

Andy Rooney: Women over 40

I like Andy Rooney. He's grumpy, like me. That said, I'm grumpier these days.

It doesn't help when I see someone driving and talking on a cell phone, even though it's been banned in California as of July 1, 2008.

It also doesn't help that I'm officially running hot these days. I'm the kind of person who wears a sweater when it's 80 degrees out. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I yam what I yam. The last time I was pregnant, I would drive to work at 7AM (~65 F), and find myself opening all of the car windows in a desperate attempt to cool off. I went from hating my desk under the vent, to asking if the air could be adjusted colder. Now, I find myself second-guessing if MetaToddler is hot or cold because I can't trust my comfort level any more. I also find myself using a lot more sunscreen because I'm exposing myself to the sun more than usual. And despite that, I still have a watch tan. Blagh.

But I digress. My point is Andy Rooney is fun because he's as grumpy as a pregnant woman in the middle of a Los Angeles summer. Need proof? Here's a great description of what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 40.

It starts...

"A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think."

...and it goes on from there.

Reassessing Property Taxes

Appraisers get it wrong. I had to deal with the Los Angeles County Assessor's office when resolving an issue at work, and...well, I should have been a dentist. (translation = I had to pull many, many teeth for many, many months)

FMF posted a while back on how to have your property taxes reassessed in some states. Definitely something worth looking into if you were unfortunate enough to buy property at the height of the market.

Property taxes in California, however, are different. They are tied to the purchase price of the property, as opposed to market value as in FMF's post. Why? This LA Times article on Property Tax Reassessment says:

"Property tax reductions due to falling home values were established by Proposition 8, which was approved by voters in November 1978 as an amendment to the tax-limiting Proposition 13, which passed in June of that year."

Here's the scoop:

"Assessors in the five-county Los Angeles area are now in the process of cutting property taxes on more than half a million homes because of plunging home values. Notifications will go out this month and next to lucky homeowners.

Keep in mind,

"Homes bought before 2004 are not being automatically reviewed because of the way property values are set.

When a home is sold, the taxable value is set at the sale price. After that, it can rise no more than 2% a year.

Because the market value of most homes sold before 2004 increased far more than 2% annually in the first part of the decade, those properties are probably still worth more than their taxable value, even when the recent slump is considered."

So if you think you're overpaying, check out the article to see how to try to have your taxes reassessed. And be very, very patient. They're not in the business of reducing their income.

Groovy Dancing Girl

My sister in law sent me a You Tube video. Apparently, Groovy Dancing Girl is a graphics designer who dances...possibly as a means to make sure she fits into those jeans ;-)

Watching it reminds me of how I feel on any given day chasing after MetaToddler. Except my version contains more falling, bruises, and broken things (like dishes and toes).

On that note, groove.

PhotoStory Friday: Tractors in Los Angeles

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

City girl that I am, I've never seen certain things.

I've seen cows, sheep, donkeys, etc. up close, but not until I was well past 20.

Although I vaguely remember seeing goats, chickens, ducks, etc. at a petting zoo when I was 8, they freaked me out.

Tractors, ploughs, combine harvesters (which make their way into many toddler picture books, btw) were as rare in my world as the Loch Ness monster. Mythological creatures, if you will.

This past week, I saw my first tractor in action. No, we didn't visit a tractor showroom. Nor did we visit Iowa. We just went down to the beach. Unfortunately, the photo was taken with my phone, so the tractor is teeny tiny. But it's there, I promise!!



On that note, more sand tractors, or proof thereof:

Someone else's sand tractor

One of the cuter sand tractors

Sand tractor tracks

Women Paying for Health Insurance

I'm so terribly offended by this phenomenon that I can't quite make enough sense of it. Per this article, women are charged more for health insurance than men, at least on individual policies. Group policies have enough people pooled together that the insurance company can spread the "risk" among everyone, thus negating the need to charge different rates for each insured person.

But insurance companies are in business to make money. Their actuaries crunched the numbers that concluded women are riskier to insure. Their results lead Blue Shield to deem "Hack and all other women are somehow more accident-prone, or more likely to break a bone, or more susceptible to costly ailments."

Come on? How many women do you know that walk around in casts? MetaDaddy broke his collar bone, and spent much of his childhood recovering from head dings and other random boy mishaps. Prior to my c-section, my worst injury was a bump on the head from a flying flute bumping me. Who was at the other end of the flute? Some clumsy guy. Go figure.

I was curious to know why we women are so dangerous. I came up with a few theories, and the article countered each one. Keep in mind that the article is referencing Blue Shield's policies in particular, although they do throw in some data from other insurance companies as a point of comparison.

• It's not about pregnancy because the policy in question doesn't cover pregnancy and maternity care.
• It's not about seeking more preventative care because that should make them better insurance risks. Someone in the article questioned whether or not the actuaries are assessing how much insurance is used vs. true risk. Interesting point.
  
• It's not a "women live longer" issue. As the article points out, on average, women pay more than men up until the age of 60, at which point the trend reverses and men are charged more than women. That said, men are "viewed as a lesser medical liability than women, who live longer on average because they tend to eat right, exercise more frequently and take better care of themselves." How contradictory can you get?
  

So, keep that in mind if you're shopping around for an insurance policy and you're a young, healthy woman. Even though you're likely a lesser risk than the clumsy slob down the hall who snowboards once a year and hasn't seen his ankles since Y2K was all the rage, you might still be paying more than him for the same insurance coverage.

Potter Fun

Warning: Seriously addictive ;-)
But fun and hilarious...fu-larious!

Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise"

Parents Say the Darndest Things

Things we never quite thought we'd say.

"No, you can't have any wine. Or beer."
--In general, I don't think either of us thought we'd be limiting anyone's alcohol intake. Especially for a toddler. What is it about MetaDaddy's glass that looks so much more enticing than his own?

"Take your shoe out of your mouth."
--Daily.

"Are you stinky?"
--Do I really have to break this one down?

"Take the bird out of your mouth."
--They're life-sized wooden birds. He calls them "bee bee" (birdie) in that high pitched voice. He kisses them. He loves them. Sometimes, he loves them too much.

"A clue! A clue!!"
--Blue's Clues. And no, not just around the toddler.

I'm sure your every day life is different to ours. Any fun moments?

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

MetaDaddy's been threatening to shave off his goatee for a while now. Something about not liking the recent natural "changes." He's had the goatee for as long as I've known him, so it's hardly something I suspect he'll follow through on. I've been threatening to cut my hair mega-short, but I'm hardly going to.

I was looking at older pictures of us recently, and I realized how much shorter his goatee has gotten over the years. In fact, it's hardly more than a shadow these days. I told him I was on to his little trick, and to stop being cheeky. But it's there for now, which is good for keeping the status quo.

So, I was upstairs tidying up in the kitchen. I came downstairs to help make our bed. MetaToddler was off playing in his room. We're chatting away, then I look at the man across from me and scream "ACK!" as a bounced back in horror. Thoughts running through my head:

This sounds like my husband.

He's saying things my husband would say.

He's wearing my husband's Hawaiian shirt.

But who the hell is this guy?!?

"What did you do!!" Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

He said he could grow it back in a couple of days, but that's hardly better. I need to know where we stand here. To goatee or not to goatee? That is the question. I can't have a goatee here today, but not tomorrow. I need more stability than that. This is not helping my nesting instinct!!

OK, it's not so bad. But seriously, I couldn't look at him for a while. It was too weird. It looks like him, but with a pale area in the center of his face. I'm slowly adjusting, but it might take some time before I can look at him without feeling like he looks a little naked.

I'm just saying.

PhotoStory Friday: Smart Cars

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
When we were in Europe a few years back (my, how time flies), we saw a lot of cool things. Old building, castles, towers. Had great food, met nice people, traveled the various metros. All good stuff. But it's the little things that really make you say "OMG, can you believe that?"

I kept seeing the Smart car. I've been hearing about it a lot more lately, and seen my fair share here in Santa Monica. There's even a dealership in Venice, just down the road. It's a small car, hence it gets great gas mileage. That said, it's a small car, so I'm hardly interested in driving Los Angeles freeways in it. When there's an accident, it's a doozy.

But I digress. It's not the miles per gallon, fun colors, lack of trunk space, or comedic size that caught my eye. It's the fact that it can be parked in non-existent parking spaces. Abso-lutely Awesome!!!

Changing Shampoos...Again

I've been trying to live a greener life. To that end, I've been revisiting my shampoo choices. Last year, I posted on trying out a new shampoo. The results? Blagh.

But it's been a while, so I figured I'd try changing again. This time, I went for the super organic hippie shampoo, Dr. Bronner's Classic Peppermint liquid soap. It's completely biodegradable, vegetable-based, organic, fair trade, and so on. There's even a lot of reading material to accompany the lathering process. And they claim there are 18 uses for their soap, though they only list 5 here. So I tried it as a shampoo. And guess what. Blagh.

Washing my hair with this soap left it squeaky clean. Interesting, but not bad. I tried using it with my usual conditioner, but it left me with that same heavy, unclean feeling I experienced with Avalon Organic Botanicals Nourishing Shampoo in lavender. I tried it a few times, just in case, but the heaviness only got worse. I couldn't get a comb, much less a brush, into my hair. Let me repeat that. I could not comb my hair. Pregnant...braces...straw for hair. It's a wonder why MetaToddler spends so much of the day laughing with (at?) me.

So, I'm back on the cheap drugstore shampoo. I did find the following tips on the Dr. Bronner's website, but honestly, it's going to take me a while to consider changing shampoos again. If you're thinking about it, however, here you go.

Can I shampoo and condition my hair organically?

1) Shampoo with your favorite Dr. Bronner’s soap. True soaps clean hair well but can leave a tangly look & feel; however…

2) Rinsing with our new Organic Shikakai Conditioning Rinse results in spectacular look and feel! Just stir 1- 2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair until hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds). Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair.

3) After drying lightly with a towel, massage in Dr. Bronner’s new USDA Organic Leave-In Conditioning Crème for added silkiness and softness.

Pregnancy's a Tough Racket

It's funny the things you conveniently forget about being pregnant. Some good, some not so good.

Getting big - Carrying around a bit of extra weight in tedious. Carrying around 30+ extra pounds that has a life of its own is seriously annoying. It's not weight that sits there, but it kicks and pokes your stomach, ribs, and (worst of all) bladder. It also sits in one spot which throws off your center of gravity, causing a change in posture and walking. This, in turn, has an impact on your back, knees, calves, and feet. I remembered getting big, and I remembered getting back pain, but I didn't remember the painful pressure from being on my feet too long (relative these days), constant cramps in my calves, knees that occasionally lock, and so on. Oddly enough, the back pain thus far has been a fraction of what it was the first time. I've got two months to make up for that ;-)

Kicking - I love the kicking. It's so bizarre to feel the little "somethings" (arms? legs?) feeling their way across my tummy. It's not so fun when the other appendages kick other things, but eh...it's hard to have it both ways, isn't it? As I sit on the sofa (which it seems to dislike, just as MetaToddler did way back when), the kicking starts in a serious way. Every night, I insist on sharing with MetaDaddy, but as it's rather removed from him, it's more an "ooo, look at that" reaction. I can't blame him. I do wish MetaToddler was old enough to experience and remember it. I can't think of anything else that's quite like it. Though the feeling of the movements compressing on my organs sometimes reminds me of being on the free-fall segment of a roller coaster (or sky diving, if that's your thing).

Anemia - It's not uncommon for a pregnant woman to become anemic. Pregnant women's blood expands by about 50%. The extra iron is required for the additional blood, as well as for the baby and placenta. My first pregnancy, I found out at the 6 month mark that I was anemic. After taking iron supplements, my energy levels increased dramatically. I had a terrible 2nd trimester because I was exhausted the whole time. In fact, as a result, the 3rd trimester was by far my "honeymoon" period. This time I found out at the 4 month mark, which has made a big difference in my energy levels. Whew!

Hunger - I eat a lot these days. I've never been a huge eater, in terms of quantity. When I was pregnant the first time, I had to get to month 5 before I was able to start enjoying food, thanks to morning (all day) sickness. But when I did, there was no kidding around. I would eat my meal and start nibbling at MetaDaddy's, much to his shock. My appetite stayed pretty hearty through the first 6 months of breastfeeding. As nursing lessened, so did my need for food. It was kind of a relief. But my appetite is back with a vengeance now. I need a hearty lunch and dinner, as well as a serious afternoon snack. And if I don't have an after-dinner something (e.g., snack, dessert), I wake up starving in the middle of the night. I'm usually too tired to actually get out of bed, but I have seriously thought about it, which says a lot for me.

Tired - If I don't sleep for 8 hours, I can barely survive the day. In fact, I probably need closer to 9, and if MetaToddler keeps me seriously active, there's no question as to whether or not I will need a nap. It's all I can do to avoid caffeine some days.

Sleeping - If I'm not waking up in the middle of the night with some bladder dilemma, I'm waking up to reposition the belly that gravity has taken a liking to. But this I remember. This is my body's way of saying "get used to surviving on no sleep." Oh, so afraid of what August holds. In fact, I know what it probably doesn't hold...it doesn't hold much computer time :-o

Around the Internet

Belly Flirt - Sometimes, you just gotta be yourself. And sometimes, when that self is pregnant, things can get ugly.
But I digress. Since shirts have stopped covering the lower part of my belly...the part I don't get to see any more...it might be time to invest in more shirts :-)

Kiva Nighthorse Go-Anywhere Tote - '07 Closeout - It's always worth keeping your eyes open for a good diaper bag. They can run pretty expensive, but other types of bags can be just as, or more useful. Except for occasional expeditions where you need everything, smaller and lighter bags are much more useful. So my advice? Don't spend a fortune. This one looks interesting. It's not a diaper bag, but it's interesting and has lots of pockets (dimensions:16" x 12" x 5"). And it's pretty darn cheap ;-)

Crumb Pod Tablecloth Sweeper by Casabella - I recently bought this at Bed Bath & Beyond, courtesy of their ever-abundant coupons. So far, I'm impressed. It's done what I hoped in that I no longer feel compelled to buy a useless mini cordless vacuum, which inevitably works for two days then conks out. Mind you, it's suited to clean up a few crumbs, not to de-crumb the whole backseat. I'm just saying.

I Am An Adult - Wow. Apparently, I've been an adult for a good few years. Like, I hardly remember not being one. I love, love, love concerts, but all those rowdy hooligans...ugh!

PhotoStory Friday: Debating Monks

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
Joining my ol' buddy MamaGeek in PhotoStory Friday. Ah, Friday mayhem :-)

We traveled to Lhasa, Tibet in 2004. There were many things to be said about the city, but one of the most intriguing to me were the monks. They were everywhere! It was such an interesting feeling. I don't know many (any) monks, but I always held them in a sort of reverence because they were so disconnected from the city life I know. It turns out they wear sneakers, use cell phones, and wander all over the city...just like real people. They were part of every day life.

Here's one exciting thing they do in Tibet. They debate. They gather in groups and debate religious issues, ending their point with a powerful *stomp* or *clap* to vanquish the evil perspectives. They were done with joy and excitement, not in a tedious or dire way. They enjoyed it so much, you'd hardly wonder if they were serious about their arguments at all! We consider ourselves truly fortunate to have been there to watch a few such exhibitions

I don't know how much has changed since we were there. I'm assuming a lot, but I'm hoping that it hasn't.

Quote: Otto von Bismarck

Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.
--Otto von Bismarck

Blogiversary? Already

Ah yes, it's been a year. Holy cracker jacks!! That certainly went by in a flash.

You turn around, and suddenly you're in your 30s, you're married, you're a parent, and then your blog turns one.

On the plus side, another excuse for cake.

Like I really need a reason. These days, taking a shower and getting dressed is enough to merit celebration.

On that note, MetaDaddy got me the one thing I truly wanted. He came back home :-)

The Beach

Sand up your nose,
and in your toes.
Sand in your hair.
Sand everywhere!

Gas Prices Soar...and Fast

I tend to drive locally, so I tend to fill up every 3 weeks on average. I've been doing a bit more driving over the past few weeks though, and I can't help but gasp every time I fill up. Primarily because of how fast prices have jumped. It's one thing for prices to go up, but this fast? Wowsers!!

Recent gas:
I filled up on 5/18 for 3.90/gallon

12 days later
I filled up on 5/30 for 4.10/gallon

9 days later
I filled up on 6/8 for 4.40/gallon

Honestly, the most frustrating thing is that the increases are obviously emotional. This is not a supply and demand problem. Personally, I think the problem is primarily in the commodities market where investors are so excited about the prospect of making a buck that they're creating a bubble, not unlike the tech or housing bubbles of recent years.

Let's see how this goes.

Ugh.

Juno on Apple TV

Despite feeling very Juno these days, I haven't seen the movie yet.

I know, I know. Shocking.

The thing is, we got an Apple TV recently. It's a fun gadget, but it didn't come with a cable. So MetaDaddy hijacked the DVD player's cable, which now doesn't work as a result. And he's away for the next few days, so I can't watch DVDs. So much for Netflix. I can, however, rent a movie on iTunes. Excellent, Smithers.

And so, I did. It's $4, downloads in no time, and you have 30 days to start watching it. Once you start watching it, you have 24 hours to finish. You can pause, forward, rewind, etc. No extras, but honestly, I never watch the extras. Well, I seldom do.

Very convenient, easy, and spontaneous. Netflix is great, but there's nothing spontaneous about it. And given where I'm at these days, it's nice to feel spontaneous. Apple does need a bigger selection. It's minuscule. Perfect for us though because we haven't seen movies in years! Ah, the joys.

As for the movie, it was cute. Juno and I are nothing alike, and yet I found myself relating to her completely with regards to the "getting bigger" part. After all, we're about the same size...which means we're both planets (and cranky) once the 8-9 month thing comes around (clip). For the record, I'm almost 7 months.

Incidentally, the ultrasound technician in the movie is...well, I don't buy her 'tude. Every UT I've been to has been super sweet. I figure it's the nature of their job. All they see are women giddy to see their little blob with fingers, toes, and a paunchy little belly. And I've seen a lot, lot, lot of UTs. I've had 5 so far. I think I had about 7 or 8 with MetaToddler. My obstetrician is a bit of a control freak. More on that later ;-)

The soundtrack is pretty fun, too. I had to buy it when I sampled it because Boogie started dancing around. Any excuse to see him spin in circles to a beat. If only everything was this easy.

Le sigh.

David Sedaris on The Daily Show

I've told you how much I enjoy David Sedaris.

His advice? Move to Japan for 3 months to quit smoking...for a mere $23K :-o

I wonder what happens if you move to France for 3 months.

Bubble Blowing Booby Trap

As a toddler mommy, I exposed a fatal flaw today. We went to visit a friend who had a bottle of soap for blowing bubbles. I tried to blow some, and I failed. I mean, nothing was happening, besides splooshing suds on myself. And by on myself, I mean on the belly, the most prominent part of my current self.

BTW, I do not recommend this look. Well, unless you're pregnant, cuz that's the only time it will ever, ever be completely overlooked. So guys, you're out of luck here. That said, you don't have to endure labor. Who won that one?

Ya, I thought so.

So tonight at bath time, I took out a bottle of bubbles that I've put off opening. Obviously, I've been avoiding it for a reason. But now, I was on a mission.

Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

Ah, but wait...

I eventually got the blowing pressure better and started to get a few bubbles out. Small, but I'm not picky. MetaToddler was really, really patient because (1) he was exhausted and (2) he loves bubbles. If anything, he was trying to take the wand from me because...well, he makes better bubbles than I do. But hey, that's cool. One day someone will ask "did you teach that champion bubble blower how to blow bubbles," and I'll proudly say "no, he's just naturally fabulous."

In the meantime, I'll work on blowing more bubbles. Or learn to feign wrist pain and pass the wand on to MetaDaddy. Or buy some idiot-proof wand so we can actually enjoy the summery sunshine.

If you have any tips for the bubble impaired, please share. I've read around and figured this is a start.

Coldplay: Living La Vida Live

Coldplay is so ridiculously good in concert, it's not even fair.

Here's what I missed out on:Coldplay Viva la Vida Live MTV Movie Awards 2008

...tip, tap, tapping the toes...bop, bop, bopping the head...whoooooaaaaa-o...whoooooaaaaa-a...

So excited about the new album (June 17). It's a good thing Boogie likes to dance, even if it is in wee little circles. I figure it's all of the Latin heat he got from me ;-)

Nina Simone: Interviews & Live Music

A beautiful, if depressing, compilation of interviews by Tom Schnabel with Nina Simone and some phenomenal live performances. She passed away in 2003 after a turbulent life. She saw and did so much, though by the sound of some things she says the interviews, she might have preferred less excitement and more potatoes. She speaks so honestly, you almost feel like you shouldn't be listening to such private thoughts. It's intimidating. But her music warmly invites you to listen and enjoy. So I did.

I'm not sure of how long it is because I listened to it over several time bursts. Ah, parenthood ;-) It's not short, though...perhaps an hour or more? But I highly recommend it if you like Nina, or you just feel like listening to some sweet, golden honey. But don't call her a jazz singer. She hated that.

Around the Internet

99 Luftballons - First of all, I'm annoyed that they don't do maternity sizes. Second, it's probably for the best cuz if I get this shirt, I'll end up singing the song every time I see it in a mirror. In fact, I'm singing it right now...
And MetaToddler will just spend the whole time pointing at me saying "bee-bah" (translation: balloon).
And yet, still tempting.


Good News/Bad News: Gordon Ramsay at the London - Gordon Ramsey finally makes it to L.A. Per some of the Chowhound comments (see link), L.A.'s not impressed. Wonder how Gordo would rate his own shabby performance...tee hee :-)

Web feast of frugal meals - More families are cutting back on their food budgets, and it's getting more than popular...it's getting trendy :-o
Whatever about that, I'm not going to be making butter or cream cheese out of powdered milk. But kudos to anyone with that amount of energy and drive. I'm impressed!

Hangover Observations: Taste of the Nation LA - Eater L.A.'s review of the event. We ate so much, we couldn't eat a real dinner. And MetaToddler definitely made out like a bandit. From pork belly to poached salmon to gelato, all he kept saying was "more!!" We even got to see a few foodie celebs, like Antonia from Top Chef.