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Apparently, I'm getting to be sooooo popular that people are spamming my comments! Am I cool or what?

Makes Mouths Happy

Mmmmmm...wooden spoons!

Stranger Danger

Today I took Rory to the outlet mall to try and find some clothes for him since my son is a baby giant and has outgrown EVERYTHING HE OWNS. Unfortunately, he has only so much patience for his stroller, so I decided to put him in the Baby Bjorn and carry him around to keep him happy (although my back will probably never forgive me for it.)

After doing a little shopping for him, I thought a little window shopping for myself was in order, so I headed over to the Nike outlet store to take a look at their sneakers. As I was waddling around the store with my 20 lb baby strapped to my body, I heard someone come up behind me and say "Your baby is so cute!". I turned to say thank you and saw a woman wearing the Nike store uniform standing there smiling strangely. She started talking really fast and saying "I just love babies! Babies are so cute! I'm really good with babies! Babies love me!" and she kept trying to grab Rory's hands. Now, I could tell right away that she was mentally challenged, so I was trying to be patient with her, but she kept grabbing at Rory's hands and face. I could tell that it was starting to scare him, and then he a few seconds later, he began to cry. So I said with as nice of a smile as I could muster, "Sorry, he doesn't really like strangers touching him. It upsets him." But she kept saying "Oh no, babies just LOVE me!" and she WOULDN"T STOP! I finally had to turn so my back was between her and Rory so she couldn't reach him. I quickly said "Ok, we've got to go now, thanks!" and I began to hurry out of the store with my hysterical son. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she actually FOLLOWED US to the door and I have to admit I was starting to freak out a little bit. However, when we got to the exit, she stopped and started waving like a maniac and yelling "Bye baby! Buh Bye, baby!"

It took me 20 minutes to calm Rory down after that and I was pretty shook up myself. I felt like I had just paid a visit to the twilight zone! Perhaps I didn't handle that right? If something like that should ever happen again in the future, any suggestions on how to manage the situation? How do you tell strangers not to touch your child without being rude?

(And by the way, don't take your babies to the Nike outlet in Camarillo! Consider yourselves warned!)

Six Months

Rory -
Well, you've officially turned six months old, and your father and I can barely belive it. You've been around now for HALF A YEAR - how is it possible that it's been that long? It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital, just a tiny helpless bundle with two new parents that didn't have a clue what we were in for. There wasn't much to you then really, you were sort of just this cute baby blob who cried, ate and pooped - pretty much in that order - all day, every day.

But as the months have gone by, amazing changes have taken place. Yes, you still cry, eat and poop, but now you can do so much more! You're sitting up by yourself, eating solid foods, rolling over, reaching out and grabbing things, trying to eat your feet, and laughing when your daddy and I tickle you. You've suddenly become a little HUMAN, with your own personality, right before our eyes. You know exactly what you like (insert big baby smile here) and what you don't like (insert ridiculously loud shrieking here), and you're not afraid to let us know exactly how you feel at any given moment.



And let's talk about the crazy growth spurt you've had. Twenty pounds at six months! Oye! I can barely carry you anymore! You've outgrown all of your 6-9 month clothes that you wore for like one whole second, and now all that fit are your size 3 diapers. So if you look like a little white trash baby in just a diaper and a bib for the next few months, I hope you can forgive me, but I just can't keep up with all this GROWING. We even had to go out and buy you a big boy car seat tonight because I could no longer lift you in and out of the car in your infant seat without throwing out my back. Have I mentioned that I have arms of STEEL?!



But no matter how sore my arms and back may be, or how tired I might get, seeing your beautiful smile makes it ALL worth it. After a long day of work, there is nothing better than coming home and having your face light up when you see me walk in the door. I hope that no matter how old you are, that part never changes...

Happy six months, Rory Bear.

Love,
Mama

Wouldn't You Know It...

Hoby and I bought tickets to a concert a few months ago (sorry I can't say what concert it is because Hoby would kill me) and like most new parents, we were really looking forward to having a big night out on our own for the first time without Rory. We were going to go out for a romantic dinner, go to the concert and then have a WHOLE night to ourselves for blissfully, uninterrupted sleep. I had to ask for the night off weeks ahead of time from work, and we started preparing Rory for his first sleep over at his grandparent's house.

Yesterday was the big day, so I got up early and started getting all of Rory's things together to take to my parent's house - his hammock, extra clothes and bibs, his baby food, bottles, extra pacifiers, his favorite toys, his Baby Einstein DVD, his teddy bear, the list goes on and on. If you're a parent, you know how it is. You have to take EVERYTHING and then some.

So we get to my folks house and spend a few hours hanging out so we wouldn't just be dropping Rory off and leaving him. Right before we were going to leave for the evening, Hoby decided to check the concert website for directions. Here's what he found:

"Tonight's concert is postponed due to illness. A rescheduled date will be posted as soon as it is available."

Do we have the BEST luck or what?!

Laptop Malfunction

Sorry for the sudden lack of updates, but unfortunately our laptop broke and had to be sent away for repair. My old desktop computer has keys that stick, so typing anything longer than a few sentences takes FOREVERRRRRR and makes me absolutely crrrrrrazy (it took me ten minutes just to type this so far!). So until we get the laptop back up and running (which hopefully is soon!), my blogging is going to be spotty at best...

Keep checking back though, I promise I'll write as soon as I cannnnnnn!

Rollin' Rory

Well folks, it's official - Rory can roll over by himself! I left him on his back for a minute and walked into the kitchen, and when I returned, he was on his tummy, grinning from ear to ear.

Now we're in trouble!

The First Night of the Rest of Our Lives

Rory has been sleeping so well in his new hammock that we decided it was time to finally make "The Big Move". So I just put Rory to bed in his OWN ROOM for the first time ever.

And while I should be jumping for joy, I have to admit that I'm not feeling the huge rush of freedom that I was expecting to. Yes, I'm excited that we can now make all the noise we want to in our bedroom and we won't have to worry about waking up a sleeping baby (Hoby is EXTRA stoked about this for obvious reasons - wink,wink). But all of a sudden, I've realized that I'm going to miss the reassuring sound of Rory's breathing all night long and the cute little sighs that he makes as he snuggles in his bed. I've liked knowing that he was right there, "just in case", and even though he's going to be right down the hall, I know he's going to feel far away tonight.

Perhaps he won't even notice a difference? I guess we'll see.

Here's to getting through another parental milestone...

A Wad of Cash Well Spent

As you can see by this picture taken only moments ago, the Amby Hammock is a total success!

Excuse me for a moment as I get down on my knees, thank God, and then do the Happy Dance! (Insert crazy jig-like dancing here.)

I'm so grateful that Rory likes his new bed - if he had hated it, I never would of heard the end of it from Hoby, who understandably was a little hesitant to buy something so expensive that only had a 50/50 chance of working.

BUT IT WORKS!

Did you hear the gust of wind that just rattled your house? That was my huge sigh of relief...

Of course, that doesn't mean that all is perfect in the world yet as far as Rory's sleeping goes, but we're definitely one step closer than we were when he was sleeping in his swing. If he sleeps through the night for three nights in a row in his new hammock, we're going to officially move him into his own room - and that, my friends, will be a life changing event! Imagine spending an entire night without having to worry that every little creak the bed makes when I move is going to wake Rory up. Or knowing that I don't have to jump out of bed and run down the hall like a bat out of hell in order to cough or sneeze without him hearing. Oh, the freedom! I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

No More Peas, Please!

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are

Lately I've been feeling a little bit like I've lost myself. Yes, I'm Hoby's wife, I'm Rory's mama, I'm a barista at the Mother of All Coffee Houses...I've become so many things to so many people, but what has happened to ME? The REAL me?

The me that used to feel inspired every time she walked outside and smelled fresh air.

The me that loved to shake her groove thing on the dance floor.

The me who was passionate about her political beliefs and wasn't afraid to stand up for them.

The me that was always ready to laugh and could flirt with the best of them.

The me that was a little bit wild and had a sense of adventure.

Where has that me gone?

Don't get me wrong - it's very important to me to be a good wife, a good mother, maybe even a good employee, but it makes me sad to know that I'm slowly losing myself in the process... I guess I need to find a way to balance the me I used to be with who I am now.

Any suggestions?

An eBay Addict is Born

Just in the last month or so, I've slowly started becoming an eBay addict. It all started when I was searching for a special bed for Rory. For those of you who don't know, Rory has acid reflux (passed down from his mama - sorry baby!) and he has never been able to sleep in his crib because he can't lay flat on his back for extended periods of time. He was officially diagnosed with acid reflux when he was two months old, and we were told that he needed to sleep in a semi-upright position. Well, the only thing that seemed "upright" enough at the time was his swing - and now he's been sleeping in it ever since. But now that he is close to outgrowing his swing (but not his acid reflux), I've been trying to figure out what we were going to do next.

After much researching on the web, I found two options: the first was something called a Tucker Wedge/Sling Combo, which was essentially a really big wedge that had a harness attached to it to keep the baby from sliding down it during the night.



I contacted the company, but was told that once my son hit 15 pounds, he would be too big for the thing, and since he's currently 18 lbs, that was crossed off the list immediately.

The second thing was something called an Amby Hammock. It's a lot like Rory's swing, but he can be in it up to 45 lbs.



It's a pretty cool looking contraption but it has a mighty hefty price tag - not to mention a "no return" policy. So just for kicks one day, I decided to see if anyone was selling them on eBay - and lo and behold, they were! And so my eBay obsession began...

I started gathering things up around the house that I could sell to start saving up money to buy an Amby Hammock. After selling just about everything that wasn't nailed down in our closets, I eventually had enough to start trying to buy. Hoby and I discussed how much we were willing to spend and I happily started bidding. But time after time, the prices kept going too high and I kept losing. And I HATE to lose! I was getting pretty discouraged - until last night when I finally WON!!!

So Rory should be getting his amazing new Amby Hammock sometime in the next week and I'm so excited! I'm praying that he takes to it immediately and that maybe we'll even be able to move him to his OWN ROOM. Yeehaw!

True Love

Feeling extra confident in his "Hung like a Horsey" t-shirt, Rory makes his move on Avery...

The Most Obnoxious High Chair Ever

Rory has finally reached a major milestone in his young life - he has begun to eat solid food. Actually, the word "solid" might be a bit exaggerated, because it definitely looks more like mush to me, but since it's being eaten with a little spoon, I guess that qualifies as a solid in the world of babies. Of course, this big step in his life required buying some new baby equipment (I swear we are single handedly keeping Babies R Us in business) so off we went to buy a high chair, some plastic bowls, and some spoons.

But we couldn't just buy ANY old high chair - NO SIREE! It had to have toys attached that Rory can't throw over the side, a musical attachment that has little fish swimming around in it, removeable trays that go in the dishwasher, wheels so we can roll him around the room, and don't forget 3 reclining positions and a 5 point harness. And that's not EVERYTHING, trust me, but the more I write the more ridiculous I feel for buying the darn thing. It even LOOKS obnoxious, doesn't it?




My kid better love this thing.

A Visit from Grandpa Greene

Last week, my 93 year old Grandpa Greene came for a visit all the way from Florida. For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you've heard about Grandpa Greene before - and he is quite the character. He's VERY hard of hearing (okay, let's be real - he's DEAF), he dresses like he's straight out of the 70's and has quite the little temper, especially when you come between him and his food. However, he also provides us with HOURS of entertaining stories, which I then get to share with you... and what can be better than that?

Last weekend, while he was spending the day with us here at our new house, we made the mistake of leaving our garage door open. Before we knew what was happening, Grandpa grabbed one of our bikes and TOOK OFF! Yelling at him to stop didn't work because he couldn't hear us, and since Grandpa had no idea where he was going and probably wouldn't have been able to find his way back, my Dad ended up having to grab a bike and chase after him. I just kept imagining having to call the police to report him missing:

"Yes, Officer, my 93 year old Grandfather took off on my bike and now we can't find him. Describe him? Well, um, he's in sea foam green bell bottoms, a wife beater and suspenders. Oh, and he has a big gold chain around his neck. No, that's not a joke, Sir. That's really what he's wearing..."

Luckily, my dad caught up to him and was able to bring him home before one of us had to make that somewhat humiliating phone call.

As much of a handful as Grandpa Greene is, he loves his family and he absolutely adores Rory. Grandpa went out and bought Rory an excersaucer, which he LOVES (and I love even more, because he can now entertain himself for hours! Yipee!) and Grandpa got a real kick out of watching Rory figure out how to use it.



I took a lot of pictures while he was here, but the one below is my favorite. Four generations all in one picture - how often does that happen? I personally think that Rory is starting to look a bit like Grandpa Greene and the rest of the Greene Family men, don't you think

Hangin' with Uncle Jer

Don't they look cute together?

Let the Hunting Begin!

Our friend, Sara, gave us this hunting hat that used to be her nephew's - it will be the perfect attire for Rory's very first redneck Mariposa Christmas!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Having a baby is an amazing thing. Almost everyday, I watch Rory learn to do something new and it completely blows me away. Now, not only has he learned how to stick his entire hand in his mouth at one time, but he has also learned how to hold various toys in his hands and stick them in his mouth, too. And lately, he’s been practicing using his vocal cords and I love the cute little sounds he makes. But my favorite thing has to be the giggling. We never know exactly what’s going to make him start laughing and it’s not the same things from day to day, but as soon as it happens, we make complete fools of ourselves to keep him going. Yesterday, it was making duh-duh-duh sounds and waving my arms around like a crazy person. (Good thing no one was around to see that!) The day before that, Hoby was pretending to box with Rory and he was laughing like it was the funniest thing ever.

It’s the best sound in the world and it makes it all worth it.

A Blast From the Past

Wendy, a friend of mine from Disney Cruise Lines who I haven’t seen for at least five years, came to visit today. She was one of the inaugural crew members with me on the Disney Magic back in 1998 when Disney first rolled out their new cruise line. There were sixty of us in my department that spent almost every waking minute together for three months while training and preparing to launch the brand new ship – in Orlando and in Italy - and then once the ship finally got off the ground, we all worked our butts off to try and make it smooth sailing. What crazy days those were! And even though I eventually got tired of being perpetually perky for Disney and moved on, I’ve always looked back on that experience as one of the great ones of my life. I’ve often wondered if I’ll ever do anything else that will top that.

Feeling Like Gumby

This past week has been absolutely nuts. Between trying to learn my job at The Mother of All Coffee Houses, preparing for the big move to our new house, and taking care of Rory, sometimes I felt like my mind and body were being pulled in a million different directions. Now that we’ve finally moved and we’re getting somewhat settled into our new home, I’m desperately hoping that I’m able to relax a bit and start enjoying things again.

It certainly hasn’t been helping matters that my job is not going well. My training STILL hasn’t been completed and as frustrating as that is to me, it’s even more frustrating to the poor people who are scheduled to work with me. No one likes to work with the person who can’t pull his or her weight on the job – and I hate knowing that person is me. Yes, I realize that it’s not my fault and I also realize that it’s bound to get better with time, but right now I absolutely dread going to work. And to think that I was expecting it to be a fairly easy job, one that I would look forward to because it would mean a small break from being a mommy during the week and a little bit of socializing. Boy, was I wrong! Never in a million years would I have imagined that working at the Mother of All Coffee Houses would be such a royal pain in the ass!