It's A Boy!!

Announcing...in our home...

KRB
69" and 140 lbs

No midnight feedings--he can take care of himself. He's potty trained already. There will be early morning wakeups for Seminary, helping and encouraging with homework and driving practice, debate tournaments, jiujitsu training and competitions, fencing practice (perhaps).

It's my first time as a full-time mom, and I couldn't ask for a better boy.

Here are pictures of his room. They're all "after" pictures. The "before" was your basic thrown-together furniture, including a dresser I've had since I was 7 and a bed I've had for at least 15 years. The bed and the dresser found a good home with one of Rowdy's co-workers, who had been sleeping on a tile floor for the past few months and keeping his clothes in cardboard boxes.





There is a dresser, as well as pictures of two of his siblings. If I had had pictures of D and L, I would have added them. There's a calendar/white board for communication and planning and "Welcome Home" banners. I added two SAT study guides to the bookshelf. No pressure...they're just there for light reading, a little study break....

The TV Is Fixed!

And there isn't anything on tonight that I want to watch. Darn.

Would you rather...

work to the sound of a 2-year-old screaming bloody murder while she gets a voiding cystourethrogram* or have the maintenance people drilling in the ceiling above you?

Hmmm...I don't even have to choose today! I get both!

*A tube is put into the bladder through the urethra, then the bladder is filled up with a dye that we can visualize with x-rays. You can see why the kids hate it. It's not just the tube, it's the being immobilized that also sends them into a major tizzy.

Light Reading

Reading the New York Times is a habit that I have gotten out of somewhat since I have left the Big Apple. Since I can't do without at least the Saturday and Sunday crossword puzzles and the Sunday Styles section, I have continued with a weekend subscription.

My weekday reading is sporadic and via www.nytimes.com. There's always something to glean from the pages of the Times, whether those pages be virtual or tangible.

Yesterday, I read an article about parents who fret and fume about their local ice cream vendor. More people should be like the SWELL gang, who know their ice cream man by name and spend relaxing summer and early fall afternoons eating cones on their front step. The article made me miss Mr. Softee. I'll have to go to Foster Freeze and get a chocolate-dipped cone.

There was an piece today about Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. She kind of bugs me, but we're discussing the book at book club next week, so now I have some extra information to share.

And finally, Trinny and Susannah from the British version of What Not To Wear have a new show on TLC, premiering tomorrow. But I will be missing it, since our ridiculously-expensive Samsung flat-panel TV has been broken for a month now and will probably remain in that state for two more weeks.

Getting Ready For the New Addition

Rowdy and I stayed up until 1 am last night changing over our guest room to K's room. I have to say that I rock at putting together IKEA furniture. Pictures when the new bedlinens are in place.

Lest You Think It's All Fun and Games At Our House

We've had some drama around here lately, the kind that comes with dealing with the aftermath of divorce, coupled with the volatility of the teen years, the pain that mothers experience when their kids start leaving the nest, poor communications skills and just the vicissitudes of life.

I am trying so hard to be understanding of the people that are hurting inside and hurting others by lashing out. I feel sad for them, sad for the people that are just trying to do their best and find their way in the world, and sad for the messenger who has been taking the heat for the message.

I'm proud of the one who can put aside her own hurt and loss and be understanding, caring and supportive. I'm proud of the one who is making a difficult transition in the hopes of being more than he was and more the person he can be. I'm proud of the one who has done everything he can to be mature, kind, firm and reasonable.

I'm grateful for my parents' and my in-laws' ability to get through their children's teen years without killing us. I definitely can see what a monumental task that was.

Someday, this will be ten years ago. My guess is that things will work out eventually. I know that with love, patience, compassion and understanding, we'll all grow in a positive way from this.

Just...breathe.

Mes Dents Sont Mal

Is that the way to say it? My teeth are bad? Well, any way you say it, it's a pain.

Today, I had salad, chicken soup and a chocolate muffin for lunch. Nothing too hard. Then I popped a piece of gum in my mouth, and a chunk of one of my many crowns came off! Arrrgggh!!

Fortunately, I was able to finish up my patients and ride my bike over to the dentist's office for a temporary crown. And now the Lidocaine is wearing off. Phooey!!

Shoreh, my dentist, says that she has the same teeth clenching problem that I do. She suggests I wear my bite guard all of the time, not just at night. R said, "Are you going to be okay with lisping when you talk to people?" Hey, if it saves my teeth (and crowns), I'll do it.

Afternoon Adventure Part the 2nd

Jordan and I went surfing for an hour after I got home from Jury Duty. The waves were what they call "poor", as in form, and small. But we're still pretty much newbs and had a great day out there. Warmish water, catching some good waves, standing up, it's all good.

Afternoon Adventure

J, K, R and I went kayaking at La Jolla Shores this afternoon. The weather and water were perfect. Seals swam alongside and underneath us, barked at us and basked in the sun. Overall, it was a beautiful way to spend an hour.

Tonight--No Doubt at Cricket
Tomorrow--Helping out at the YSA conference, taking the Bachs dinner and neighborhood block party
Tuesday--J and K arrive for their visit
Wednesday--Jury duty
Friday--Baby shower for Penny
Sunday--Teach Relief Society
For the next two weeks, starting Monday--On call.

Morocco Madness

This is a picture from our trip to Morocco in 2006. I had forgotten how many henna tattoos I'd gotten.



Rowdy's scorpion "Hand of Fatima" tattoo got us some extra customer service from the gas pump guys in Rome when we asked for directions to the Via Appia on our scooter ride.

Permanent tattoos=gross. Henna tattoos=neato.

Under Construction

I'm working on some blog upgrades. Be patient while I try to figure this out. I'm not particularly tech-savvy.

Clothes Lines

I am avoiding writing the post that I will someday call "Family Fun--Not So Much". So here's something about clothes:

Our ward had a swap meet last Saturday. We were all encouraged to clean out our homes and bring our gently-used clothing, housewares, books, toys, etc., to the church. The needy families in the ward were given a "private shopping" session, then things were opened to the rest of the ward the next day.

I cleaned out my closet but-good, and now I'm in the mood to reassess and re-stock. However, I don't want to break the bank. Stacy and Clinton haven't shown up at my house with a $5,000 Mastercard with my name on it, after all.

My blog perusals have led me to uberchicforcheap, clothedmuch, Sensibly Styled, Cardigan Empire. All of those discoveries have sprung from "Dear C. Jane...".And then there's my friend Jaime's blog. She is always dressed so darlingly and has a great eye for fashion. She's going public for a short time, so if you're not already on her "A-List", check her out ASAP.

Sensibly Styled featured a sweater from J. Crew that was on sale, so I picked one up for myself. The papaya color is a departure for me, but I think I can do it.



A new dress from Boden arrived today also. It's not like I really need a new dress, but it was so cute.... Everything I've ever purchased from Boden has looked in person exactly as I had imagined it. If you photoshopped my head onto her body and added a little bulk to the arms, you would know how this dress looks on me. Love it!!