The Birthday Girl

Yesterday, I turned 32 years old. I really can't believe that I'm in my thirties. I guess when you're really young, you think that 30 is old. Then, you get there, and you realize that it's not at all. A lot has happened in the past year. We've moved to a new town, I've made some great new friends, I'm closer to my family, and I just feel settled in life. Some days that's really good, and some days it's not, but that's okay. I spent the first day of my 32nd year on this planet with the two men in my life. Even though I got up before the boys, my husband still made me breakfast in bed. Then, I went to the eye doctor to pick up my new glasses (Juicy Couture; I couldn't help myself), and we went to the mall to do a little shopping. I also picked up an iced mocha from Panera Bread, one of my favorite morning drinks. I don't get it very often, so it was a real treat. At the mall, I bought a couple of cute tops from Old Navy to wear with a skirt I'd bought there previously. I just happened to be wearing the skirt at the time, so it helped me to find exactly what I wanted. The only bad thing about the day was my husband had scheduled a surgery, even though he wasn't on-call over the weekend. I guess he decided that he wanted to be responsible for that particular patient. He sort of apologized in his own way for scheduling it, but it didn't bother me too much. I've gotten used to him having to forgo holidays with the family because of his job. Happily, the surgery didn't take very long, and he was home fairly quickly after it was over. I spent that time playing a fun video game, called "Viva Pinata", on the XBox 360. It's a cute little game, very family-friendly, and very similar to "The Sims". The player builds gardens to attract living pinata animals. You can get them to "romance" to make more pinatas, and you can plant different seeds that grow into plants to feed and/or attract the pinatas. It can be very addictive and sometimes frustrating, but I always seem to come back for more! After both my husband and I had spent some time on the XBox, we loaded our son's diaper bag up and took him over to a friend's house. Then, Hubby and I went to see the new "Star Trek" movie. It was phenomenal! We both agreed that the retcon to the series' plot was done very well, and I adored all of the main characters. The cinematography was beautiful, the acting was superb, and overall, it was just a fun movie to watch. It will definitely be a film I add to my DVD collection. Afterward, we headed to a local Italian place for a very late dinner. I went ahead and ordered a glass of Mosel Riesling wine, which B and I shared. Actually, we shared the entire dinner: appetizer, salad, bread, entree, and dessert! It was very nice, and enough food for both of us. The rigatoni con pollo (large tube pasta with chicken, wilted spinach, roasted tomatoes, and an alfredo sauce) was excellent, and I absolutely loved the tirimisu. It was a little pricey, but we had a gift card, and since we shared the entire meal, we only paid about $15 (including tip) for dinner. Since "Star Trek" has been in theaters for a while, it had moved to the $5 per screening rate, so all told, we only spent about $30 or so for our entire evening out! It was a great way to end the day, and I'm so glad we were able to spend it together. Oh, and my husband tried to get me a bread machine for my birthday, but none of the stores around here carry them for some reason. He ended up buying it on-line, so I look forward to receiving it in the mail. It's always fun to get new appliances! And, I'm looking forward to the next year of my life, as well.
Namaste,
Amanda

My Son, The Talker

I realized, recently, how verbal my son has become this year. It's been really hot lately, and Wednesday afternoon, I decided to pull his kiddie pools out to the driveway, so we could cool off a bit. I absolutely love his little rigid pool because I can lay out in it, and there's still enough room for him to play, too. The water felt great, and we both had fun splashing around and trying to get as wet as possible. At one point, I sat back and looked up at the sky. The clouds were big and fluffy, and I thought it might be fun to do a little "cloud-gazing" with V. I pointed to one and said it looked like a dragon with fire coming out of its mouth, and then, a hissing snake. He looked at another cloud and said it looked like "Franklin", which I assumed he meant "Franklin, the Turtle" from the Noggin Channel. In a way, the cloud did look like a turtle. He said another one looked like a "doggie", and one more looked like "Wii Bike!", which is his name for the game, MarioKart. I really could see what he was seeing in the clouds, and I marveled at how imaginative he's become just over the past month or two. I've noticed little things that show me his intellectual and verbal growth, and they all amaze me. He's started "reading" some of his books to himself, and at bed time, he likes to read his favorite book, Moo, Baa, La La La, along with B or I. He answers questions fairly clearly and asks for things, as well, though sometimes, it takes me a few tries before I get it right. He can count up to ten, knows a few of his shapes, and even knows most of his colors, though he likes to argue with me when I try to explain that blue is blue, not purple. I love that he knows his own name, and one day at the park, he even introduced himself to a much older boy, pointing to his chest and saying "I Vincent". Sometimes, he wants me to carry him "downstairs" when he really wants to go "upstairs", but at least, he understands the concept. Just this past week, I noticed him answering the puppy, Blue, on "Blue's Room" when she asked a question. He did it with Dora on "Dora the Explorer", too, saying "yes" or "no" when her backpack was trying to find the right tool for her job. It really kind of floored me that he suddenly started "participating" instead of just passively watching his favorite shows. He sings along with many of the shows' theme songs, though he gets embarrassed when I notice and hates it when I try to sing with him. Lately, I've been telling a lot of new moms I meet that he'll be three years old in August. Every time I say it, I can't believe that it's already been three years since his birth. The time has really, truly flown by, and lately, my son never ceases to amaze me. I really hope I can keep up with him in the coming years, so I don't miss anything new and special. Like, today, when I noticed he was upset about something. I said, "Are you mad?" and he said, with a pout, "Yeah". When I asked him why he was mad, he said, "Because..." How did my baby suddenly get to be so grown up?!?

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I just can't pass up a giveaway for a pretty dress! Plus, the makers of said dress help women living in poverty. It's a win-win situation all around! Yay!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Water Fun!

This past Christmas, my sister-in-law gave V a rigid kiddie pool. I decided that, since we already had two inflatable baby pools, we might as well pull out the new pool, too, and have a baby pool party in our backyard. Earlier this week, I was sweeping out the garage, and I realized that V really needed something to keep him entertained. I love the fact that we have a water faucet and a hose right in our garage. I inflated one of the baby pools, drug out some pool toys and V's Elmo sprinkler, and let him have at it. He loved it, and I realized that our driveway would be a much better spot for the pool party than our backyard, especially after all the rain we've had lately. For the pool party, I filled up the big, rigid pool and the two baby pools, and the Elmo sprinkler was turned on full-force. I also provided a bucket of water and some paintbrushes, so the kids could water paint on the driveway. There was sidewalk chalk for them to use, as well, but I think it just ended up getting all wet (and eaten, by some of the smaller babies). I provided the standard, long, skinny ice pops for the kids and some gourmet, raspberry-mint ice pops for the moms (here's a link to Giada's Italian Ice Pops). Some of the moms even packed a picnic lunch, and we sat out in the front yard or in the driveway to eat. It was so much fun, and I plan on doing more water fun days, this summer. (Below are some photos of V enjoying his pools. For privacy purposes, I'm not going to post pictures from the pool party.)

And All That Jazz....

We're back from our vacations to Chicago and Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. B and I had such a lovely time in the Windy City. I kept myself very busy while he attended his conference lectures. I discovered on my own that Millennium Park was only two blocks away from our hotel and a very short walk from there directly to the lake! We had a great time walking the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. and window shopping along the way. I took the time to get a facial at our hotel spa. It lasted TWO HOURS and consisted of two different masques, a hand massage complete with paraffin gloves, a foot massage, a scalp massage, and eyebrow waxing. The girl who did my facial was simply amazing. If you're ever in Chicago, I highly recommend Spa Chakra! And, The Palmer House Hilton, where it's located, is such a lovely hotel. After my facial, I enjoyed a high English tea in the gorgeous lobby of the Palmer House. The tea included an exquisite Earl Grey loose tea (with milk, of course!) and a selection of mini cucumber sandwiches, scones, and delicious petit fours. I took the bus one morning to the Museum of Science and Industry to witness firsthand "Harry Potter: The Exhibition". It's a definite must see if you're in Chicago, especially for any Harry Potter fan. The props, costumes, and set decorations on display were beautiful, and I couldn't believe how much detail was put into each movie. Though the exhibit wasn't huge by any means, I stayed in it for about an hour and a half, taking notes and sketching details from some of the costumes. I spent the rest of my day walking around the other exhibits in the museum, which were also pretty amazing. That evening, B and I were able to meet up with some of the doctors he worked with in Ohio, one of his old attendings and two of the girls who were in his residency year. We had a wonderful dinner, and it was so nice to catch up with people we hadn't seen in a while. On B's final day of his conference, he decided to spend the day with me at the Art Institute of Chicago, since it was also only two blocks away from our hotel. I got to see my favorite painting, "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat (think: the painting Cameron stood in front of in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), as well as many other great works of art from a wide range of time periods. Afterward, we decided to see Chicago from the SkyDeck of the Sears Tower. It's such a lovely view, and you can see for miles in all directions! That night, we had the best meal of the trip at Moto Restaurant. It was an amazing experience, and I wished I'd taken pictures, but I'm not sure if it would have been allowed. The chef specializes in molecular gastronomy and "playing with food". To understand that, you'll have to watch this clip on YouTube. It was the perfect way to end our trip in Chicago. V had fun staying with my parents, and B and I had fun enjoying some time alone together. We ended our week in Pigeon Forge with my in-laws at their cabin in the mountains. We helped them do their annual massive cleaning, and then, we did some great shopping at one of the local outlet malls and my favorite pottery shop, Alewine Pottery. Mr. Alewine is a true artist, and he makes beautiful, functional pieces from clay. I brought home a kitchen utensil holder, a sugar bowl, a creamer, an oil lamp (a gift from my in-laws for my birthday), a batter bowl complete with a whisk, and two mugs. I've used just about every piece so far! I didn't get any pics while in Pigeon Forge, but we had a good time. I also ended up meeting a Twitter friend who happens to live in the area and her husband. He's a doctor as well, so we had a lot to talk about. He and B talked about their occupations, while she and I gabbed about our family lives. All in all, we had a great week. I'm glad to be back home, but I'm also happy that we were able to make so many lovely memories.













The front and back pictures of me in the brown top and skirt were taken after our dinner at Moto. I made the top over the course of several sewing lessons, and I made the skirt at home on my own. I was so happy to be able to wear something I've made in public, and the ensemble worked very well for our outing! I'm looking forward to my next sewing lessons, during which I'll be making a black cloak for myself and a blue one with sleeves for my husband. I've also got an idea (and fabric) for a costume I'll be making for GenCon. Should be fun!
Amanda
Amanda

Murphy's Law States....

That whenever something major happens with my son (illness, accident, whatever), my husband is working and in the middle of something, so he usually can't get away to help. This was the case, yesterday. V and I had a great morning babysitting two of his little friends from my moms' group while their mother spent time unpacking and baby-proofing their new home. Then, we were supposed to go to our neighbors' house for a dinner party. As we were walking over to their house and across their driveway, which is concrete embedded with stones, V tripped (over his feet or on the driveway, I don't know) and fell. He smacked his forehead against the rocks in the driveway, and when he stood up screaming, the wound started bleeding like crazy! I dropped the salad and dressing I was carrying on the driveway and ran him back over to our house, which is just a short distance away from where we were going. After wetting a towel and cleaning his face, I realized the wound was just a small gash in his forehead. However, it was open enough and deep enough that I was afraid he might need stitches. I didn't know if I should take him to the ER at the hospital where B was working, or if I should take him to the much closer Promptcare. After calling and getting through to B, I decided to just take V to Promptcare, even though B volunteered to look at him himself. B was in the middle of a delivery, and I didn't want to take him away from his work, so I rushed V over to the closest Promptcare (after giving my neighbors the salad and dressing I'd left on their driveway, still in one piece, thank God!, and explaining what was going on), all the while making sure he didn't fall asleep on me. I found out later that it would have been fine if he fell asleep; it's only when a person has had a concussion that you want them to stay awake. The ladies at Promptcare were all super nice, from the receptionists to the nurses to the doctor. I think it helped that we'd been there before on Halloween, when V dropped the pizza stone on his toe. There was very little paperwork for me to do, and we were taken back to an exam room very quickly, at least, within ten minutes of getting there. V fought and screamed the moment we went back, when they tried to weigh him and get his vitals, while the nurse and an assistant cleaned his wound, and when the doctor came in to look at it. She said we could do stitches or Dermabond, and even though she asked me which one I wanted done, I think she had already pretty much decided the Dermabond was the way to go. It's a liquid skin adhesive that basically helps glue the edges of a wound together. It's clear, so you can still see the wound through it after it's applied. Plus, you don't need to numb the wound site to apply it, which means, no shots! It took me holding V's hands, the nurse holding the rest of him down, and the doctor standing over us to get the Dermabond on his forehead, but she managed to get it done quickly. Once it was over, there was a little more screaming while she tried to check his pupils, his ears for bleeding, his back for any other injuries, and his lungs. The doctor was amazing (she told me she had a grandchild his age), and she used stickers to make sure he was coherent by asking him the names of the characters on the stickers. Then, she held them away from him and moved them to watch his eye movements and pupils. Once she was sure he was just fine, she wrote me up some instructions for wound care and head injuries, and we were done! Both V and I were glad to leave and go home. We changed our clothes, since we were both covered in his blood still. I noticed, then, that he had really scratched up his face around his right eye under the forehead wound. We went ahead and walked back over to our neighbors' house, anyway. Luckily, they hadn't started dinner yet, even though it was over an hour later than when it was supposed to start. The other family that was coming for it had to come late, too, so we were all able to relax and let the kids play before we sat down to eat. The evening ended on such a lighter and happier note than it started, even though B never made it to the dinner. He was able to come home after the delivery, and amazingly, he didn't have any calls during the night! It was nice to be able to sleep all night long. V fell asleep in my lap almost as soon as we sat down on our couch after the party, he was so worn out from the day. Now, we're just hanging out in the family room watching some TV. We haven't had a good, relaxing morning in a while, and it's nice to be able to sit in our PJs for a bit. The day looks like it's going to be a beautiful one, and I hope to get him outside to play, maybe even at one of our local parks. I'm a little nervous about getting him out in public with his fresh head injury, since it's very noticeable through the Dermabond. Oh, well. I guess if anyone has any questions, they can always ask me. Kids have accidents all the time, and even though I was upset that it happened, it's just one of those things. Luckily, it wasn't any worse than it was. This coming Friday, B and I leave for Chicago for a few days, while my parents watch V for us. I'm really looking forward to a mini-vacation free of stress and kids for a while! ;) I love my son, but I think we need a break from each other. I'm sure I'll miss him while we're apart, and we're going to spend the end of the week with his other grandparents in Gatlinburg, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to have fun as a family over B's week long vacation.
Before I go, here's a pic of the morning after V's accident. Yeah, it ain't pretty!

Hope you're all having a better weekend than we've had!
Best,
Amanda

Happy Easter!

I just realized it's been a while since I posted here. We've been busy, especially with traveling over the past few weekends. We're still not done, either! This weekend was Easter at my in-laws', which was so much fun! Next weekend, we're going to spend some time near Louisville with our college friends at "Thunder Over Louisville", a super awesome, super LOUD fireworks display that kicks off the festival leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The next weekend, we'll be close to home because B will be on-call, but the first weekend of May, he and I will be going to Chicago for five days ALONE for the annual national OB/GYN conference. V's going to stay with my parents while we're away, and I think everyone is going to have fun in their respective locations. I've already made reservations for an awesome restaurant called Moto, which specializes in molecular gastronomy (think "high-tech" and "chemistry" meet "food"). Should be lots of fun, especially from what I've heard from people who've been there. I've also been looking into other restaurants close to our hotel, the shopping on the Magnificent Mile, and the spa at our hotel! I'm hoping to spend one morning getting pampered with a massage, facial, and whatever else I can dream up. If you can't tell, I'm really looking forward to it, especially the ability to sleep in! Since we put V on his new bedtime routine, he's been waking up earlier in the morning. However, I've not been going to bed any earlier at night. I know I must change that, but it can be hard, especially when I'm in the middle of a great sewing project! Anyway, here are some Easter photos from the past week to make up for the lack of recent posting. Hope you all had a great weekend!
Amanda