disjointed brain vomit- hopefully this will pass as a post

Sorry about the little hiatus. Although I guess I'm only really apologizing to myself, cause you know, New Year's resolutions and all.

I wanted to blog, but Sean and I also wanted to keep our pregnancy a secret*. It felt really fake to blog about the normal trivia and minutiae with this huge life changing event going on. Turns out that the pregnancy wasn't viable though, so here I am again-all honest and stuff.

So it was a crazy emotional roller coaster for Sean and I, but we got through it! And might I add that I am so grateful for way we deal with hormonal craziness in this house? It goes a little like this-

1. I say something, or overreact with hormonal rage and/or tears
2. Sean stares at me incredulously
3. Sean tries to stifle a giggle, or most of the time laughs out loud
4. I try to be angry at his reaction, but I can't because it's just so justified
5. I laugh at myself

The miscarriage has also made me feel nostalgic for my teenage years, if only because I really thought I had it all figured out. I miss that blind certainty of all things. It was definitely easier to sleep at night.

For the past week this telemarketing "research" center has been calling our house upwards of four times a day. Today, when I finally picked up with the intention to beg them to take me off of their calling list, the man on the end of the line asked "Is your mom or dad home?" I laughed and said "I wish." He doesn't know the half of it.

He did say he'd call back later though.

*you know, in case it doesn't happen, and then we wouldn't have to tell anyone...

A boy after my very own heart

The bittersweet thing about the twin bed is that it allows Kelan certain freedoms. The rules are basically to be in bed by eight and then do whatever, as long as you don't come and bug us.

Sean and I listen for loud noises and commotion, but so far he hasn't been too wild. We are learning, however, that he is quite the little night owl- sometimes up in his room talking to himself and turning on and off his light for an hour or so before falling asleep.

The other night Sean captured this little moment in time when he went up to check on him.

I would use this as evidence of his amazing intellect, falling asleep with books and all, but I'll wait until he's falling asleep with Nietzsche to get all braggy about it. And there is the whole talking to himself thing, I mean, what is that all about??

I was tempted to say that this was the funniest thing that happened all week, but Sean discovered that you can change titles of DVR recordings and got all clever (read: kind of obscene) with some recordings...I'll call it a tie.

Hey, whaddya got there?

Who knows where he learns these phrases.

Certainly not from me...

We got Kelan a bike today. I think it's safe to say he likes it. As usual, we put it together during his nap and surprised him with it. Here is the unveiling...

That person you hear in the middle of the video is our neighbor. We had to scavenge for a bike pump after futzing with ours for a good 15 minutes. We don't know about that shaggy haired weirdo at the end, she must have wondered up from the street.

I give it a week before the bell mysteriously disappears from the bike, but how cute is it when kids say stuff like "That's pretty cool!"

Culture shock for this mama

It's been a long winter and I've been forced to get creative with indoor entertainment. Even so, like any SAHM (well any SAHM that isn't lying through her teeth, or employing lots of outside help), I have to admit that if the TV broke for more than a day, I would probably require inpatient mental health care.

Earlier this winter, I realized that The Bad Girl's Club was probably not appropriate for the preschool crowd. When Kelan looked up from his fire truck one day and asked, "Why she crying? She need a hug mommy?" I knew my reign over the TV was done. Since then, it's been locked on Nickelodeon and PBS.

Let me tell you, I strive to keep an open mind. I have seen a lot in my twenty six years of life and it's kind of hard to shock me, but seeeeeeriously what in the world is up with children's programming??? And is Nick Jr. actually for kids, or is it a cover for daytime stoner television, because it would be so embarrassing if I made that mix up...

First of all-Yo Gabba Gabba. Need I say more? I would describe it as Teletubbies on acid. It never fails that when Kelan is parked in front of that show, I'll look up from my book/email and see something that makes me do a double take. Usually it is a group of people in spandex with drawn-on mustaches "rocking out", or kids with beehive hairdos dancing to techno music. I'm not making this stuff up.

Just as odd, Lazy Town. I just recently discovered this one, and it actually scared Kelan at first- which is saying a lot. When he saw the tall back-flipping guy in the blue spandex fighting with a guy in a banana suit, he ran over to me and said, "I need a hug" which translates to "This is freaking me right out."

Oh, and also, Toot and Puddle should just come out already, it's 2010.

There's more. So. Much. More. A few shows that I don't mind, like even. Who could hate Oswald? How soothing is Fred Savage's voice? Very. Franklin and Little Bear? Tolerable! I could go on, but I think I've made my point.

THANK GOD FOR SPRING!!!!

Semantics and parenting

Where is our plaque?


Because clearly we are parents of the year.


Besides throwing our kid into a twin bed without so much as a warning- because transition schmansition (another post entirely), Sean and I had this amazing parenting moment this past week:


Sean: (to Kelan) You can have a piece of gum if you get your clothes on nicely.

(turns to me) Is bribery a frowned upon parenting technique?

Me: er, it's not bribery! It's... reward as incentive.

Then something amazing happened. We both looked at each other and a light bulb went on.

Both in harmony: Positive reinforcement!


It was special.

And it's not "crappy parenting"- it's... well yeah, it's that.

Think Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice, only 20 pounds heavier with an asymmetrical face

I got bangs y'all! Bangs!

Yeah, I know this is minutiae that you could probably live without, but if you're looking for some major news, head on over to Yahoo.

In any event, I did it, and I now have a love/hate relationship with my new 'do. I will explain by making a couple of random points. First of all, the last time I had bangs* was elementary school, so it is still a bit jarring to look in the mirror. Second, I feel that I should point out that they're not the full on straight-across-the-forehead type, but rather the pushed-to-the-side-you-might-not-even-notice-them kind**.

Even so, they have taken on this whole personality of their own and I am really annoyed. If you have a hard time believing this, just ask that gal that you know who still has the overgrown bob with the bangs so perfectly curled under that the only way you know there isn't a curling iron in there is because you can't see a cord dangling--I'm sure she'll tell you her bangs have been in charge for the last 15 years or so.

So yeah, I did it and now I have to live with the extra 15 minutes of getting ready and trying to look presentable. Because when people see me, I want them to see straight past the utter fear of getting older and having a dated look*** and think oooooh, she's trendy.



* I think they might be called "fringe" or "fringes" now, but I'm not certain.

** I should just put a picture up to save you the time of reading this, but I'll do that later.

***Or even worse... the dreaded "frumpy mom" that only makes appearances in the privacy of my home.

I kid. I kid because I love

So you think you know your husband. The man you've chosen to spend your life with. The father of your child. You feel you have gotten to the point of the relationship that is free of surprises.

And then one day he plops himself in front of the T.V, turns on the winter olympics and proceeds to cheer for the mens figure skating "free skate" competition like he is watching the Packers play in the superbowl. And you stand corrected.

That is what happened last night folks.

So I did a double take, and then sat down and watched it with him- just in case I was missing something. I thought for a second that he was trying to be ironic, or it was some jab at me for the hours and hours I spent 2 summers ago, parked in front of the gymnastics competitions. It wasn't. He was serious.

I watched Sean's (almost tearful-I swear) reaction to Evan Lysacek's gold medal performance with a mixture of shock and awe.

Then I asked the question that needed to be asked. "Um... ARE YOU FUR REAL?"

He swears it is just his passion for the olympic spirit that made him so excited for Evan, and I'm not one to judge.

Still, we all know what he was thinking when he was watching that competition....





Tee Hee