Argh!

Happy Labor Day!

It's Labor Day! Are you working? I'm not. THANK GOD. My husband took the Pirate to work with him, which kind of turned out to be a bad idea, but for now they are gone. The bug is sleeping on my lap. It is quiet. Ahhhh. I'd go back to bed but I hate to waste time to myself that way.

We've had a hugely busy weekend. On Saturday I took the boys to the park where we discovered a PIRATE SHIP. Ok, not really, but a large wooden play structure that seemed very much LIKE a pirate ship. We played on it for hours, literally. Saturday evening the Pirate and his daddy went to a local high school football game and watched his cousin play his first Varsity game. The bug and I stayed home and I did some sewing. Yesterday, the boys and I met a friend at the newly found pirate ship and then went for lunch. Things fell apart yesterday afternoon, when the Pirate CLEARLY didn't nap enough. Fortunately, we have today to try and recover.
















(Yeah, that COULD have been a good picture!)


I've been reading and reading- I finished Death's Acre and hope to review it today or tomorrow. I've been working hard to read A Nation of Wimps. My online discussion starts on Wednesday and it's not looking good for finishing it. I really want to read it, but it's just killing me. The idea is that parents are too overprotective and are raising kids who can't think on their own and (I think this is his point) will weaken our country when they are in charge. It should have been left as a magazine article. The author repeats himself over and over. I think a high school senior could have written it better. Plus, he keeps talking about how it's the Stay at Home Moms who are increasingly insane about parenting, and is so insulting that I want to scream. And I'm NOT a SAHM. Anyway, you can look forward to that review soon too.

Finally, I got some sewing done and posted two new items to my store this morning. This is called the Christine Correspondence Kit, named after a good friend of mine who persists in sending actual letters through the mail, even when I suck at returning them. Head on over and check them out.

Baby Update, books read, book giveaway!

The baby is awesome, thanks for asking! He's just over two weeks now, and he's cuter than cute. The jaundice is no longer a problem and he seems to be eating like a champ. The pirate is still pretty ambivalent about him, but occasionally is super cute. I'm not really sure what I've been doing with my time off, it seems I must be spending all my time sitting around holding the baby cause I sure can't figure out what else I'm doing.

I have done a little reading. I finished off the third Jim Butcher, Grave Peril, and will hopefully post a review one day. Then I went out of my usual pattern to start The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke. This is my first Burke, but I heard it was really good and painted a very accurate picture of post-Katrina New Orleans. It does. I'm not sure I'd want to read a lot of Burke otherwise, but am enjoying this one.

Speaking of books, Natasha at Maw Books is giving away 20 books in celebration of her 100th post. Maw Books is a new blog to me, I found a link on another blog this evening. Go check it out and leave some comments. I have already added her to my Google Reader!

I finally managed to take some pictures of the baby's room- I didn't finish everything I wanted to do, I kinda ran out of time... Here's a little peek. I made the quilt the baby is laying on and the pillows. My husband made the built-ins in the closet. I still need to do something with that big long shelf.

Hello there baby!

I had an eventful week, how about you?

The baby decided that April 10 was just as good a birthday as May 10 and surprised us on Wednesday night. We did not have a bag packed, a name chosen, clothing washed, a firm plan on what to do with the Pirate, nothin'! He arrived in a mere 6 hours from the time my water broke at home until he was in our arms. For not quite 36 weeks he's healthy- weighed in at 6lb 1oz, 18 inches long. We finally named him yesterday when he was a full 48 hours old. He has a touch of jaundice and is spending his time cuddling with a biliblanket, so hopefully they won't readmit him tomorrow. Otherwise, he seems good. He looks exactly like his brother did at birth. The pirate is thrilled beyond belief, if you can't tell from this picture. Now he just needs a blogger nickname...

Happy Birthday to my Pirate..

The pirate monkey turns three today! I can't believe it. It seems crazy that there's been a small person in my house for three years already. We had his party on Saturday and it seemed to be hugely successful. The pirate raced around chasing other kids with swords for a couple of hours, had some cake and soda and collapsed into bed at 8. So did his parents. I didn't get many pictures from the party as my camera batteries died (of course) but a couple of my in-laws did and promise to forward them on. In the meantime, here's one action shot that I did get.

Yesterday we tried to take it easy to recover from the chaos. The pirate decided that he had an ear ache, even though he was running no fever or and is not prone to ear infections. Last night he cried for his mommy no less than 15 times. Possibly as many as two dozen. I lost count at some point. It was without a doubt the greatest number of times I have ever gotten up with him in one night and I did not sleep for more than 45 minutes in any one stretch. Then if you add in the times his daddy got up for him it becomes a comedy. To somebody not us. I can't remember ever being this tired. He woke up in a good mood though, and says nothing hurts and he's fine today. Still no fever.

Other than this strange and tiring night, he is such an awesome kid. He's so verbal and imaginative and smart. He loves puzzles and letters and I am certain he will be reading by his next birthday (except that I just jinxed him). He's usually fun to hang out with (see last night for an example of when he's NOT). I can't wait for summer when we can get outside and run and play. He's so excited about the new baby. I admit to being really nervous about his actual reaction when the new baby becomes an actual baby living in our house. I'm a bit nervous about MY reaction for that matter.

I am 34 days from my due date. I would like to make it until May 2nd. (May 10th being the official date.) I would also like to have a name in mind by then.

I finished one book this weekend and will review it soon. I started Snow Flower and the Secret Fan last night and got 1/4 into it. It goes really quickly. It's one of the books on my personal TBR challenge for this year and I hope to have it done by TBR Day on the 16th of this month.

Hope everyone else had a lovely and non-tiring weekend.

Weekly Recap. (On Thursday) (the parenthetical version)

SO busy and tired at our house this week! Saturday we went to the Home Show to browse hot tubs (not that we're in the market, just that 75% of the show is hot tubs) and lawn tractors (also not in the market, unless you are a two year old.) We hit up Target and the mall with the small boy to see what he was in the mood for when it comes to toys (his party is this Saturday) and to purchase more socks (the checker at Old Navy told me that they were retiring navy and khaki little boy socks for the summer, and that they do it every year, thus the $.49 socks. While I appreciate the price, I think she's mistaken as the monkey has only ever worn the ON socks and navy and khaki are always available.) By Saturday night the muscles holding up the giant belly were very angry, and even now on Thursday, I am still paying for this excess of walking.

What else? Preparations for the Pirate party are well underway (unless you count cleaning, and I'd rather not, thanks.) The baby's room is 90% done (or 90% of what I had hoped to be done is done, not counting the other stuff we haven't done. God I love that sentence.) The quilt is done (100%!) The pillows are done (ditto.) Just need a little more shelf straightening and it will be ready to go for the party. Eventually, I'd like to make some little canvas baskets for toys, and some pillows from the leftover quilt pieces, but neither of those were on the original list.

I spent Sunday evening in bed reading (see above for bellyaching) and managed to get a decent chunk of The Battle for God read. I also read the first 1/3 of Toddler and 5 or 6 chapters of Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. I'm not so sure about Harry Dresden. He's a bit annoying in his superiority (false modesty? something annoying about him though. I'm up to chapter 15 or so now, and the annoyance has not yet abated.) I'm also still reading Heat Stroke, and the other morning added Take Me by Bella Andre. None of the others were at hand and I NEEDED something to read. One day I might actually finish a book. (Ha.) (And no, I don't get them confused.)

This weekend is the party, and then the monkey turns 3 on Monday. Seems crazy. My offical due date for the baby is 38 days away. Things are happening too fast these days!

Ahoy, Matey!

With the (too) fast approaching arrival of his little brother, it was time to move my Monkey out of his crib and into a Big Boy bed. The monkey is closer to his 3rd birthday than to his 2nd, but until this week he's never questioned being in a crib. The last few weeks have focused heavily on potty training and being a Big Boy. One night he asked if he could have a Big Boy bed and give the crib to his brother, and we decided to get on with it.

We scoured the internets looking for a fun bed idea. We had previously talked of a fire truck bed or a firehouse loft, but his obsession with all things pirate gets stronger ever day and when we saw the first boat bed we knew we had a winner. My husband spend hours in the shop this week and the end result is a bed that rocks. The Monkey is in heaven. It's a very good thing it's build to be solid, as it often has to hold the weight of the Pirate Mommy and Pirate Daddy as well. The paint suffered a little on the snowy ride home in the back of a truck, and will be touched up when weather allows. The mast was added after these pictures were taken and the sail will (hopefully) go up tomorrow. I made him a blanket that looks like a pirate map and tomorrow he will get a matching pillowcase.


The Monkey has already taken his first nap in his Big Boy bed. I am afraid bedtime will be delayed by repeated attempts to get the Pirate parents to play. It's a big day and I'm a little sad to see my little baby ("I not a baby. I a Big Boy!") grow up. I try to tell him he will always be my baby and he argues with me that he won't- he'll be my pirate.