So, that happened...

Our little family had a pair of shoes to return to the local Nordstrom, and opted to go to Southcenter because there was another store in the area we wanted to visit.  

We seldom go to that location because there have been incidents in the past of "problem solving by gunshots" and we're just not into that.  

After the shoes were returned, we opted to make a loop thru the mall to see if there were any interesting stores.  It's still the pandemic and we haven't been anywhere in a while.  We picked up a cute custom shirt for the peanut and she bought an art piece from a vendor.  We decided to stop in one last store for summer clothes and Jason said he would meet us back at Nordstrom.  He went in search of a nice loo.

After finishing up at the short/cheapo summer shirt store Lucy and I were walking towards Nordstrom when we heard the gun shot.  We stopped, then heard a second and saw people running.   My childhood training of "walk don't run" failed to come back to me because my instinct was to grab that kid and RUN.

We made it to the door of the Nordstrom, but I'm not a runner and when my feet hit the marble of the store doorway, down I went.  I dislocated my shoulder in the process, and broke the humorous.   This took x-rays at the ER to confirm, but I was acutely aware that I was hurt. During the fall my purse went flying but my phone was in my line of sight and I was able to scoop it up and drop it in one of the shopping bags.

The really terrible thing was that Lucy and I got separated and she ended up outside the store with strangers, but without her mom or her dad.  These folks had no idea why the store was evacuated and a kind woman let Lucy borrow her phone so she could call her dad.

I was ushered thru the store via the back hallways to the same door that Lucy exited and was there pretty quickly.   Then, as I fished my phone from the shopping bag, I see the text from Jason.  "They are evacuating Nordstrom, see you at the car."   Clearly, the folks inside the Nordies did NOT know what had happened, which I guess is good.  The fewer people running and panicking the better.

Jason thankfully had a set of car keys and kept his cool while he drove a very upset Lucy and a hurt TPgal to the ER.  We opted to go to the one near our house vs. the one near the mall.   I knew I wasn't in a life threatening situation, so I didn't want to be the least hurt person at the nearest ER.  I had no idea how many people might have been hurt.  It was a long drive with me doing lots of breathing to meditate the pain away.

It's been 13 days and I'm still in a sling.  The bruise from the dislocation is rather epic (below) and the doc says that it's expected.  Sleeping is getting easier but it hurts. 

I see the orthopedist again on the 25th and start physical therapy that week.  He says it's almost a mirror image of the break from 2019.  He finds that funny, but the only comfort I take is that that break healed without surgery and other than minor stiffness when I try to hold my arm straight up it feels 100%.   This break is on my non-dominant arm, which makes life easer this go-round, but he said that rehab will be harder because of that, and because of the dislocation complication. 

As for Lucy, we are seeing a therapist to talk about the scary thing that happened to us and she's open to those conversations.  She needs to be able to go back to a mall without it being frightening.  

So, that's where we are.  I'm purple & gold, Lucy hates shopping even more than she did before and Jason is doing all the cooking and cleaning. The Nordies people found my purse and Jason was able to pick it up the next day. I'm still updating the automated credit card payments for the card that was cancelled.

8 days out

13 days

If only...

If only we had money to burn we could get Lucy a bed that she would 100% hate but that would be fun for us.

Cold Beer and a place to watch tv!

With our end of summer camping trip cut short due to terrible air quality conditions, we were able to send Lucy to day care Monday and spend the day finalizing decisions on appliances as well as do some shopping around for furniture. We sold our washer and drier as well as our refrigerator with the Hoquiam house. The new house also comes with a budget for these items and a new living room couch and a basement man-land set up.

We have all the funds set aside for these new items but we want to make sure we have most of our proceeds from the sale of the first house still in the bank for when the lender evaluates us for the new mortgage. Therefore, while we intend to spend the money on these items we don't want to do it before we close on the house. However, we also don't want to move in without appliances at the very least.

It turns out we aren't the only people in this situation and some of our local retailers have a plan. The store where we've purchased all of our other appliances let us put down a $500 deposit on a washer/dryer and fridge and will charge our card on the day of delivery for the remainder of the items. PERFECT. We can complete our mortgage transaction and have the appliances delivered and installed before we move in! Woot Woot. I'm super excited about the refridgerator. It will be counter depth and therefore flush with the cabinets. We do lose some interior space, but we intend to get a second "pop fridge" for the garage so we won't be sharing space with soda, beer or popsicles.

closed

pretty!

 Our salesperson suggested that we take a gander at their scratch & dent selection right before we have our items delivered.  This is an amazing idea.  This second fridge will live in the garage so it doesn't have to look perfect, it just has to work perfectly.

the couch in real life

So, with those items handled we zipped off to the Macy's Furniture store just to look around.  I had my design heart set on a sectional couch from Pottery Barn that I thought would look so amazing. Willingly I wandered around Macy's but was pretty sure I wouldn't find anything that ticked all the boxes that the PB couch ticked.  Well - wouldn't you know it, we found one.

It's a sectional with a corner wedge (check) in a dark grey (check) that has a comfortable seat (check) and low arms (check) and a straight back (check) and it was ten inches shorter on each side than the PB version.  The extra length is nice for when you have five people on the couch, but those moments will be rare and the extra walking space will make our room feel even bigger.  Oh and the Macy's couch was a thousand dollars more than the PB couch.

WAIT!? A thousand dollars more, are you STUPID?  Nope, I'm pulling your leg.  Our whole order was a thousand dollars more than the projected cost of the PB couch, but we also got a huge sectional couch for the basement with three seats that recline to snoring positions AND a very beautiful new coffee table for the main floor AND a leather side chair to complete the look upstairs.

The side leather chair

So with the light grey walls, the WHITE fireplace, the wall of windows and our dark grey couch & super comfortable leather chair our new living room will be soooo super pretty.

I have a similar rug to the one in the example photo picked out, but it won't be blue.  I have two samples and will be taking them to Macy's the next time we go visit our selections to determine if either of them work with the design.

In the basement, the cozy couch that Jason picked is brown and we'll be reusing the red wool rugs that we had in the other house.

The main floor will be comfortable and sophisticated and the basement will be super cozy and warm.

Macy's won't put the charge for these items on their card until they are delivered.  So, like the appliances we can have them arrive the day after our closing date and before our items are delivered by the moving company.

I have hope that our new home will come together quickly.  I'm tired of apartment life.

No more toys for tots!

Scrooge might have been on to something.  Not the hardhearted lonely part of him, but the frugal, thrifty stingy side.  

My child is an 'only'.  She's a much loved, very sweet almost three year old who will not be having any siblings. She is the only grandchild on both sides of her family.  This kid is connected to six adults who think she's pretty amazing. At two and three, gifts for her are easy to come by and of course, always appreciated.

In addition to the influx of gifts at birthdays and the holidays random things are picked up from time to time.  Meet Edgar the 5 foot tall teddy bear that had to come home with us from Costco.  Lucy has a kitchen with a microwave, cook top, oven complete with a roasted chicken, all the fruits and vegetables one could think of cooking with, stir fry equipment, a wooden birthday cake and for Christmas she received a toaster, espresso maker and a percolating coffee pot.

Edgar N. Bear

The added kitchen gear was not her main Christmas present, for that she received a 4 foot by 6 foot barbie doll house with a toilet that flushes, a piano that plays, a working elevator and a swimming pool. 

She loves these toys and does in fact play with them.  She also sleeps with characters from Toy Story (Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Hopalong), Nemo and Mike Wyzouski from Monster's inc.  

Before Christmas we did a weeding of the baby toys to cull down the clutter and to eliminate the items she no longer plays with.  I'm of the opinion less is more, and yet as hard as I try it turns out that more is more.  

I worry that without moderation, Lucy will end up a spoiled brat who has little to no appreciation for all the wonderful things in her life.   We just finished Christmas and her birthday is coming right up - so there is a new round of gifts that are winging their way to our home.   Savvy Disney has rock bottom prices on the remaining characters from Monster's University and I don't know how we'll ever live without a Terry & Terri doll.

Terry & Terri Perry

I feel like the horrid mom when we (my beloved and I) discuss what to buy the kid and he's so very excited about all the deals and how much she loves these things when they first arrive.  Some things are popular and then get put in a corner for a long time.  The Boo doll from last Christmas didn't really find her groove in the play rotation until this fall.  Now, she's everywhere - or was until Woody and Buzz arrived on the scene.

Don't get me wrong, Woody and Buzz are helpful friends to have.  When Lucy is acting up, or not wanting to transition from one thing to another a quick talk with them clears things right up.  

"So boys, would you like to come up stairs and take a bath?"

"Yes ma'am, we'd be delighted!"

The next thing we know, Lucy is holding hands with Buzz and Woody and upstairs we go.  If only all the toys were that helpful.   It would be even better if the toys would spring to life and put themselves away à la Mary Poppins.  That lady had a gift. 

In every family, people take on certain roles.  Jason is the fun dad who manages to find all the wonderful toys that a girl could want.  I'm picturing that amazing moment when Shirley Temple awakes in the attic to discover that it has been magically adorned with Indian silks, warm clothes and bacon.   My role it seems, is more of the stingy Miss Minchen, whose sole desire it is to rob the child of all wealth and joy by keeping the tide of gifts to a reasonable flow.

For me, it is not about preventing Lucy from having a wonderful childhood and plenty of wonderful things - I mean come on, she's a great kid who deserves the best, but rather about moderation.  I fear the day that she counts the holiday gifts and is disappointed because last year she got more.

Someday, mark my words - if we're not careful this will be Lucy's Christmas haul:

Life, shoes and hap-PEE-ness

hello love!

 What's been going on around here?  Not much and everything.  Yes, nothing and everything.

Let's get the big news out of the way so we can focus on other things.  Lucy is semi-regularly using the loo to make a tinkie.  She's covered in temporary tattoos and for the most part is waking up in the morning semi-dry.  Of course, having said that I have to state for the record that she did have a tiny pee blow out in the bed this morning, but accidents are part of the process.  By no means is she spending any significant time without the diaper.  

She has worked out a #2 or two at school, but we have not seen any of that action at home.  I look forward to it and dread it all at the same time.  There is a lot of convenience in just being able to zip around town and know that potty breaks are contained.  I'm sure we'll adapt to having to use every public restroom in the state of Washington.  

Our girl also just attended her first official Sunday School class.  I was trying to dump her into the nursery and she wasn't having it, but she saw a gaggle of kids her size in the room next door and asked to go in.  She had a grand time making arts and crafts, singing and of course snacks.  I'm sure there was a church message in there somewhere too.  I was surprised that she wanted to go because she didn't know the teacher or the kids (except one.)  Sadly, we got an email from the coordinator yesterday to kindly say that Lucy needs to be 3 to be in the class.  Sure, that is the rule and I can't blame the coordinator for doing what she needed to to keep her volunteer teacher happy, but I feel badly for Lucy.  She has been talking about Sunday School ever since.  It made a huge impact and she can't wait to go back.  This morning, I told her that we were lucky to get to visit the class early and that she could go back the day after her birthday.    Jason told me it was wrong to tell her that Jesus won't want her until she's 3.  I guess I understand that sarcasm might be lost on a 2 year old.  Whatevs.

Guess what we just did?

In other news, Thursday is the 4th anniversary for these wacky people.  To celebrate they will be cooking a take and bake pizza and giving thoughtful cards to each other.  They have a strict 'no fart joke' anniversary card policy that will be enforced.   Just so you know, fart joke cards are allowed for non-marquee birthdays.

I keep sending Jason a hint for the 5 year anniversary (Round Brilliant Diamond Double Strand Eternity Necklace) but he keeps saying the link opens to an 80" tv.  Strange.  I tried to tell him that for the price of the 80" tv he could buy the necklace and a 32" tv and have $500 in cash in his pocket.  I don't think my argument is going over well.  I think we're both being silly.  Everyone knows that next year we're going to finish the retention wall in the front.  Yup, there's my diamond necklace.  It will look a lot like 12 feet of concrete blocks and dirt fill.   Hang that around your neck.

But, lest you think that I'm free of the shopping bug.  I found a stunning red dress for a party in October and it will be used quite heavily during the holidays.  I can think of at least three other outings for it already.  I love it so.

Speaking of love. I found a supplier for boots made especially for the "wide calved" ladies.  I ordered a pair and I am filled with hope that I will love how they look.  I am also filled with worry that I will love how they look.  If they are nice, that is the end of my shoe (or any shopping) budget for the rest of the year...and then some.  Ouch, but aren't they pretty?  Now I just have to tell Jason, as they do eclipse the agreed upon spending limits for our little organization.  However, so far they are just on loan and can be returned if we don't love them.

Ok, on that bit of "how TP helps the economy" information, I'm going to sign off. 

Monster Shoes & a name change

I thought that the rate at which Lucy blew through clothes that first year was shocking but at the same time with each change of size 0-3 mos to 3-6 mos came with amazing developments in her personality.

The growth has seemed to calm down, we aren't completely changing wardrobes every three months, but her feet... oh man, I think her feet are growing at a stunning rate.  Maybe it isn't the case, but now shoes are setting us back about $35-$50 a pair.  This weekend we had her feet sized and ended up leaving the store with:

Dress Shoes - white sandals
Tennis Shoes - a girl must be able to run freely
Play Shoes for summer - ok, so maybe she doesn't 'need' keens but they were so great last summer because they work in the water, they work on rocky beaches, they also have toe coverage for the school playground that is covered in wood chips.

and, because we love options a pair of Red and Purple casual shoes.

Of course, her whole wardrobe is PINK and none of these shoes except for the fancy sandals really go all that well with a pink puffy girl, but she seems to prefer fun shoes.  In fact, we are all very sad to retire the Yo Gabba Gabba vans.  She growled at them every time she put them on.  "Monster Shoes"  - very cool.

  

I'm sure we'll end up buying more shoes before we hit the heat of summer, and I guess that is fine.

We had been going to the stride rite store for shoes, but Jason suggested we stop at Nordstrom and while I loved the idea I must complain that the options were so good that we probably purchased at least one pair of shoes that we didn't 'need'.  Stupid excellent service.

Lucy was great during our shopping adventure.  She was delighted to get a balloon and when we were finished we stopped at the cafe for a cookie.  She loved the idea of a cookie, but mostly sucked the green sugar off the top of her portion of the shamrock leaf.  Oh, and she drank 90% of my sparkling lemon aid.  "Screw that vanilla milk crap, mommy's juice is 10 hundred times better."  Thankfully she's mastered the straw and no backwash happens.  (backwash and snot bubbles gross me out. gag)

She was a bad napper this weekend, but slept well at night.  I'm thinking the three hour naps might be gone until the next growth spurt.  And there's the trade off, good sleep equates to big feet.

Oh, and here's a new development, she has been waking up really upset after these short naps.  She's in a tantrum like state for about 10 minutes when she wakes up.  I feel badly for her, because she's simply upset and there isn't much to do.  We cuddle, comfort and keep her safe, but she's wailing and producing tears.  Poor little bug.

Last bit of news.  She corrected me this weekend when I called her Lucy.  "No mama, Lucia!"   So, I told the day care today that they have to stop calling her Lucia and call her Lucy.  I love them a lot, but she is Lucy.  It would be so wrong for me to call a kid named Juan John unless asked to by the parents or little Juan himself.   At 2 - it's too early for Lucy to decide to change her name.  I'm the mommy and I say so!

Memo to car salesman

MEMORANDUM

TO: Car Salesmen Everywhere
FROM: tpgal
RE: Back Off

This memo is to inform you that it is no longer 1950.  When you sell a car to a couple you are selling it to both parties and you must not assume the woman is a feeble minded moron who needs your assistance understanding how to operate the vehicle.

You should also know that when you call to follow up and the client tells you that they are in the car, with their wife and that they are using the bluetooth hands-free telephone feature that EVERYONE IN THE CAR CAN HEAR YOU.  When you offer your assistance to Mrs. L to answer any questions she may have about  the car, Mrs. L can HEAR YOU.

Please also know that it is not necessary to offer that assistance again in a hand written letter that you mail one week after the purchase, nor is it required to leave lengthy phone messages on the home phone.  You can stop emailing and calling.  WE UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THE CAR.

I am providing you fair and legal warning that if you show up on my doorstep to offer to show me how to use the car I will take a rake from my garage and use it to impale you in my garden.  You will be a scarecrow for all door to door solicitors for the entire holiday season.    You may even be adorned for the various holidays.

It may have seemed like we were from another era, or that I am dim witted because on the day we bought the car we split the duties.  Jason went to the 'car store' and endured the first two and a half hours of negotiations on his own and I showed up with the baby for the last hour.  Trust me, we did it this way because we are smart.  I came as the relief pitcher at the end to close the deal.  I understood the terms and the complicated math.

I have had less contact with the pediatrician after the birth of my child than I have had with this "nice" salesperson.  Trust me, a baby is far more complicated to operate than a hybrid car.

You got your commission, now get out of our lives.

Our weekend

The newest member of the family

A Toyota Camry

Bye Bye Cute Highlander.  You have been replaced by a green Camry.  We've been talking about trading in one of the gassy cars for one that will get better MPG for Jason's commute. 

It was not our intention to buy a car Saturday, but while Lucy took her short nap (grrr) he went online and did the Costco Car Buyer inquiry.  Our phone rang three minutes later and off he went to just see how things would look.

About 3 hours later, Lucy and I drove up to help finish the transaction.  She mostly was loud and unhelpful but in the end we traded the Highlander for a new hybrid camry and a much lower car payment.  

Our plan is to continue to make the higher car payment each month toward the Camry as if it were the other car and then pay if off early.  However, our interest rate is 2.24% and if we just pay the car on the regular time frame we're not even talking about $1,500 in interest.  I just want the car paid off sooner.  

It's a pretty metallic green with a cream interior.  I like how it drives, but now I'm the primary driver of the mini-van.  It's a bit of a drop in the car-cool factor, but I suppose it was the more practical car to keep.

Now I just have to master getting it in and out of our tiny garage.  For a year and a half I have been able to avoid it but there's no getting around it now.  Soon I'll be a pro, I'm sure of it.

We also send Lucy to cousin Jordan's for a sleepover.  Jas and I went out to dinner Saturday and then 'slept in' at our own house.  Sadly, we couldn't extend the no-baby sleep beyond 7:00 am, but we enjoyed our morning of breakfast out and running around without worrying about the happiness of Miss Lucy.  She had a very nice time and came home EXHAUSTED.  She was snoring in her car seat and didn't even wake up enough to help me lift her out of the car when we got home.  She slept for three hours and still went to bed at her normal bedtime and slept all night.  Sleepy Peepy.

I'm glad she slept well Sunday and last night.  The last few days have been rough.  She's asserting her independence and has been a little challenging to hang out with.  She is cutting teeth and has a stuffy nose, but sheesh, why can't she be happy all the time???

On the kitchen front, our tile installers are coming on the 24th and I'm inclined to hope that all will go well.  If It does our kitchen will be officially complete on Saturday the 29th.  I give myself a couple days extra for paint touch up after the tile/grout people leave.

Lastly,  here's a video of Lucy and the words that she has thus far.  However, please be warned that she has a stuffy nose and there is a gross nose situation.  If "bubbles" of the non-soap variety make you gag (and the do me) STOP AND GO NO FURTHER.

A plea to Alaska Airlines

You know the way to San Jose...
I go once a month, not everyday.

I fly at six am to arrive at 9
Oh for my bed I do pine.

While in Calufornia, I totally focus
Getting lots done is not hocus pokous.

When it is time to finally go home
Alaskaair.com for the best flight I roam.

The best option, the 3:00 pm is flight I am hunting.
I'm home with the family by dinner, best option running.

I search for flight AS327
Getting a seat, I'm in heaven

Oh no, booking flights for the fall
I can't find AS327 at all!

A flight at noon and one a six!?
What the heck, this is the pits

I hate to be so persistent
But is it so hard to be consistent?

These flights are full, of Golds you know.
How about for our business, some love you show?

Bring back the flight at 3,
With my family, happy I'll be.

I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk,
But it's tough when you travel for work.

I know I'm at your behest,
But please please honor my request.

What's going on with you?

I had a lengthy conversation with a dear friend last night with whom I don't get to talk to as often as I'd like.  I have campaigned pretty hard to get her to move her family into our neighborhood so we can have dinner together on any night that the dinner pot is overly full.  My efforts continue to fail and I have to take comfort in the instantaneous connection we have when we to make time for girl talk.

She had a grown-up issue to discuss, which I'm happy to a) keep to myself and b) be a sounding board.    I forget myself and offer my opinion (apparently) a lot more than people want and it is nice to be asked as it good to know I'm not the "you know what you should do.." lady.  (in your head that should have sounded nasally.)

Anyway, she asked me "what's going on with you?" and my initial reaction was to say 'nothing'.  After all, we had finished dinner, the baby was in bed and we were watching America Thinks It Can Dance or some crazy thing like that.  Jason is very entertained by those shows and I do love to hear his belly laugh, but I think some of the contestants are truly mentally 'off' and feel like it's wrong to laugh openly at them.  I much prefer to laugh behind their back...wait, that's not what I meant to say.

Actually, there are a lot of things brewing in TP land.

We re-jiggered our world in order to pay off our house in fifteen years.  There are many things about this that are pleasing, the primary one is that we'll have the house free and clear before we're 60 and before the Peanut heads to college.  The impact to our disposable income rather sucks, but it will only really bite until Lucy gets into real school.  Well, unless we go the private school route.  I kind of hope we don't but, I don't know enough yet to make a blanket statement like "oh it won't happen."

The other big news on the house front is that we are going to deal with our kitchen counters.  Our builder installed nice-ish granite-ish, tiles in the kitchen.  From a distance they are very pretty but the grout situation is bad. We've only been here about 3 years and the grout at the sink already needs to be dug out and replaced.  Because we don't love the color or style we're going to invest in a re-do.  We've saved up some money and have obtained three bids and have made a decision.  We meet with the back splash tile lady this Friday and we should have some kind of a timeline soon.

The bid process was all over the board.  One guy came out, measured told us all the things he COULD do and then emailed his bid to us seven days later.   The other guy, from the neighborhood place that specializes in kitchen re-models, came out, measured and then finally CALLED me with some figures 10 days later, after I called twice to get the bid.  The third person came out, measured, drew up a version of our kitchen and then emailed us the bid before he was in his car.

Thankfully, not only was the fast bid guy the lowest, but the bid included details such as a line item to repair the drywall if the removal of the builder installed tiles damages the wall.  If they don't have to do it, the price goes down.  NICE.  We stopped off at their showroom and picked some samples and now we're on our way.  It is supposed to be a simple job that they say they can do in 3-4 business days.  Ideally, we'll start work on a Monday so we can avoid being without a kitchen on a weekend.  I can do 3-4 days of microwave cooking for Lucy (dinners only) but a whole weekend would seriously suck.  We'll see how long it really takes.

In other news, I've arranged for a babysitter to come TWICE in June so Jason and I can go out and mingle with the other adults without the Peanut.  She is fun, but it's just not the same as a regular date night.

Other than that, I'm feeling a little off kilter.  I'm being especially over sensitive this week to silly things that don't normally bother me.  I'm taking innocent jokes very personally and obsessing about small nuances of conversations.  My brain tells me that this is very likely related to that certain time of the month, but the emotional little crybaby doesn't like that rationalization.  However, when I look at the calendar, the timing is right.  Sigh... stupid hormones.  They shouldn't make you mentally ill.

We're off to celebrate dad's birthday this weekend.  By celebrate we mean, driving over, providing free computer support and grilling meat.  Well, we found out yesterday that the new bbq is still in a box.  Jason loves a puzzle and will happily put it together, but his 'honey do' list is pretty long this weekend and I can't really help because of that whole - keep the baby alive thing.   Thankfully, the weather is supposed to be lovely (over there) and we're bringing the sprinkler to keep our girl (and her mom) busy.

Lost in San Francisco

  I wasn't really lost, I took some "lost time" during one of the lesser sessions at the conference I'm at yesterday.

I took off on foot to Chinatown and enjoyed the sights and sounds of that neighborhood as it came to life.   Shops were being opened and the local bakeries were filled with folks enjoying a morning meal.  As I wandered around (hopeful that I wouldn't have to re-trace my steps) it was fun to see this neighborhood without throngs of tourists.  I got pulled into a couple shops that had wonderful and colorful 'things' to buy, freshwater pearls, silk outfits, scarves, jade trinkets were presented similarly in each storefront.   In spite of signs exclaiming "70% off"  or "Everything Must Go" the prices seemed consistent between the stores.  Bargains in Chinatown are not to be found, so I decided to only buy the things I thought were priced fairly and that I really wanted.  It ended up being a small list, a purple silk outfit for Lucy and a cute "Chinese" looking magnet for my bulletin board.

Once done in that neighborhood I wandered towards the main shopping district downtown.  I found a few treasures that seemed worthy to get.  My criteria for acquisition included the "do I want to carry it" test. 

I found a nice place to sit and enjoy lunch and in spite of the $17 tab for my sandwich, it had to be sent back to the kitchen due to a significant disagreement about what "medium" meant in relation to the doneness of the meat. 

I decided to continue on foot back to the hotel.  I was only nine blocks away.  However, in San Francisco six of those nine were straight up hill.  I took my time and enjoyed the warm but windy walk.  My 'former fat girl' trick to a hilly walk is to cross periodically stop and cross the street to take a few steps at a non-incline.  I know it means that the walk takes longer, but it works for me. 

My face was quite pink and I was breathing rapidly when I got back to the hotel, but my walk was great and I feel like I experienced a nice slice of San Francisco. 

The night before we were at the waterfront and had an event at the aquarium.  I zipped into the Hard Rock Cafe and picked up a treat for my guy.  It's a good thing too, because as I was packing my treasures from my day out it was clear that everything was for Lucy or me, but not for Jason.  Sorry honey, maybe I'll find something at the HMS Host store at the airport.

The perils of online shopping

I love online shopping, the packages that arrive at my door remind me of how much I loved getting mail as a kid.  The only bummer is when shipping errors happen.

During the wedding planning there was an unfortunate delivery event with our custom fortune cookies (yes, a required wedding item), where they were delivered to the wrong address and the recipients actually signed for my package.  They opened them as well, thus we ended up getting an emergency shipment of new, untouched cookies.

Where our house sits on the street it is a bit of a challenge to find us, but FedEx, UPS and the postal service custom delivery people have all managed in the past.  Sadly, there was a delivery "fail" yesterday.

According to the tracking information the (tired, weary, cold and wet) UPS person delivered my package from (can't tell you) company at 4:40 last night.  I was home at the time and there was no quick knock on the door, nor was there a package at our door.  Lucy and I were here and playing downstairs, we would have heard the door.

Phone calls to UPS were frustrating, first they say it was delivered and did I check "around my house" as if the driver would walk past my covered front door and throw the package over the fence into the unlit backyard, then after getting attitude that the package was delivered as addressed the "nice" customer service agent asked if I checked at my neighbors.   This really gets under my skin, if the tracking info says it was delivered to 123 Main, how on earth could it be at 125 Main?  Wouldn't the tracking info reflect that alternate address?

I did do a walk about in the neighborhood and have found no evidence of alternate delivery, and even disturbed the neighbors (who don't ever step foot outside) to confirm it didn't get scooped up in their daily deliveries.

I called the shipping company (per UPS' instructions) and they are re-sending the package, but it irritates me that UPS could deliver the package incorrectly and then be so damned adamant that they could not have made an error.  It's their arrogance that I resent the most, the suggestion that I'm too stupid to find a big package at my front door is aggravating.  "Have you looked outside?"  Well, no UPS I figured you'd break a window to set it inside and thus it never occurred to me to look on my own porch where you say you left the package.  GRUMBLE.

Plus - even if it was delivered to my door and some random person happened to walk down the long driveway to take if off my porch, I was home, so why not knock on the door?  It's the northwest, at 4:40 pm when someone is home you can see it, lights are on in the house.  I can understand not knocking on the door of an unlit house, but when you see the warm glow of life the least you can do is 'rap on the damn door.'

ok - end of rant.

I'll give it a try...

I'm off to a conference next month and part of the festivities include an evening event where we are strongly encouraged to come dressed as a "Woman of Influence".  I know my post-baby butt is wide enough for me to pull of Hillary Clinton, but I need a red power suit like I need a hole in my head.

My other thought was Mother Teresa, but going to a cocktail party dressed as a tiny, selfless nun seems wrong.

make up goal

my fear of what it will really look like.

So Cleopatra it is.  She was powerful, she influenced the world, she was bright, and not at all matronly.

I purchased a costume and it is winging its way to me now from the far corners of the Internet and I opted to purchase a rather decent wig as I have never been happy with the "shitty costume" wigs.  This one was a bit more expensive but I can style it.

I've been doing some online research regarding the makeup and may have to for this event try fake eye lashes. We'll see.

If the look is a success you'll get to see a picture, if it is a silly nightmare then you'll just have to trust me that you're better off without seeing it.

A treat for Jordan's Mom & Dad

I love Shutterfly!

Click here to view this photo book larger

The JC Penney "Memories in the Making" scam

There are things about having a baby that are delightful and wonderful.  Seeing Lucy giggle in the morning over nothing more than a new clean diaper is a treat.  I'm sure in time this will wear off as a novelty, but these days she's very appreciative.

Dressing our little bundle in all the fabulous outfits that have been generously donated by grandmas, friends and wanna-be grandmas is also really fun.   Dressing Lucy in the occasional skull & cross bones subversive outfit is also something we get a bolt of parental happiness over.

The obligatory trip to the JC Penney photo studio to capture our special princess in all her stunning baby glory is NOT one of those activities.  The photo studio people started out on the wrong foot after their fourth email confirmation and then phone call to confirm that we were coming at 10:40 am.  Appointment times are firm, so don't be late.

You have to know that when they were "running behind" when we arrived that I was less than pleased.  We had timed the photo session in such a way that were in the perfect post bottle, no nap needed moment for our peanut.  She was all dolled up in clothes that she wasn't exactly comfortable in it was hot in the studio.  Waiting was not a welcome activity.  But, for 20 minutes wait we did.  That was just long enough for Lucy to decide she was profoundly unhappy.

I'll give the studio "photographer" some credit as she captured some decent photos of my unhappy baby, but most of them looked like this:

(I had to take a picture of this from their website - and I'll get into that in a moment.)

They took a total of 16 pictures and then all hell broke loose.  Lucy had an instantaneous"Get me out of this dress", "I need a Gosh Damned Bottle RIGHT NOW" and a STINKY DIAPER alarm at the same time.  Usually these are timed so that you don't have wait on one activity for the other, but not at JC Penney.  At JC Penney Lucy had all bio functions alarm at once. 

I tried to focus on the photo lady while Jason dropped to the floor to unclothe Angry Lucy, refresh the diaper and apply a bottle to reduce the head spins.

So, in a "sales pitch" situation it is best if you give me the facts up front.  My "scam" alarm goes up when my requests for the actual price of things is delayed.  I knew something was amiss when they took the cutest picture of Lucy, dropped it onto a background and I cooed with delight.  Then the photo lady - turned car salesman couldn't get off that photo on the screen to save her life.  She wanted to show me the image on t-shirts, purses, a decal for our car (not true mom, so don't even think it.) 

When I FINALLY got her to cough up the pricing for the photos it turns out she wanted us to hand over $250 bucks for the digital images and the "adorable" Lucy on the background photos.  Wow, I love my kid.  I think she's rather photogenic, but I have over 600 digital shots at home many of which are on par with the pictures of Angry Lucy in their packet.  So, we (I, as Jason was still trying to calm the Peanut) decided to go with the cheap persons photo package.  We could choose two different pictures for 8x10's and 3 for 5x7's and another for wallet photos that no one will ever use.  I tried to select the sweet picture on the background and was promptly told that I couldn't select "the premium" pictures for that album.   This really irked me because I understand how printing works... once the image is created (which she did right there in front of me) printing is the same cost and effort no matter what is on the file. 

Thinking quickly I asked how much to purchase the digital images and was told $150.  Hmmm.... $150 for what really amounts to three or four cute-ish pictures.  Sorry, not interested.  For that kind of money, we could skip the 6 month, and 1 year professional photos and buy an awesome light and make our own studio at home.  Heck, I have a dirty sheet and once Lucy is sitting on her own won't need the fancy baby prop thingies that are under the dirty sheet she is sitting on.

We settled on our order, and then got the hell out of the store.  I left with an unsavory taste in my mouth. 

Oh, and here's the other thing that was irritating.  When we scheduled online for our (apparently flexible) prompt studio time I had to give our address, phone number and email.  They had the information for the 4 confirmation emails and phone call, but was it in their system at the store so we could place our order quickly?  NO...  After the parental manipulator (photograper/salesperson) bungled our last name I asked if I could simply enter the data myself.  She seemed hesitant to hand over the key board to let me type my own address, as if customers can't be trusted to do such things for themselves.

If we do professional photos again, I might spring for a real studio with real proofs and a photographer who is not a salesperson.  The prices will be more, but the experience will be more savory as well.  We'll see, Jason HATES the photography session event, so don't hold your breath for stunning studio photos of my beautiful family.

Adoption Day

We adopted a new person into our family today. A 54 inch tall bear named Edgar Normous Bear, or E. Normous Bear. He came from the place where all big things come from - no not disneyland... Costco.

We hope that he doesn't scare the knickers off Lucy as she grows older. Supposedly, the bear is for Lucy, but Jason seems to love it quite a bit.

I'm ready to go!

Safety First!

Ridin' Shotgun

How do they know???

Amazon.com has recommendations for each user based on their purchase history.  It use to be all books...and now, LOOK at it... drill bits, pacifiers and the Rainbow Riddle (a kids book).  Heck, they even have True Blood in there... a show that I've actually started to watch.

The other thing that's amazing is that of the 4 actual books they are recommending to me, I've read 2 of them and rather liked.  I'm transparent..

I'm just talking

In spite of disturbing dreams, I slept so well last night. Normally, when I’m in San Jose I don’t sleep well the first night away from home. Maybe the being pregnant thing has something to do with the sleeping, but I haven’t been sleeping well at home.

I fall asleep early and then wake up around 3:30 to give my bladder a rest and then more often than not, I’m up for at least an hour. It isn’t as if I’m processing big deep issues, I just am not sleeping. Adjusting to having to sleep on my side is also a challenge. While I generally fall asleep on my side, I almost always wake up on my back. (Check the other blog for the reasons why back sleeping is bad!)

So, the point of my super exciting post is that I feel rested! Woo Woo. All of my other Seattle co-workers are flying out tonight so I’ll be on my own for dinner. Since I have a rental car I think I may venture to a new location tonight. I understand there is a mall nearby. Oooh, shopping! I should probably get my fill of solo shopping before there is a small person living in our house who will refuse to stay home alone until they are 13. Selfish little brat.

Shopping with Jason is different than shopping alone. He’s very patient and excellent about looking for a specific item. If we’re on the hunt for an outfit for an event he’s the guy I want along, but if I’m shopping simply to shop, then I feel a need to be speedy and not linger. It’s internal pressure, but I’m kind of looking forward to cruising the aisles with nothing particular in mind. I’m sure he feels the same way, I know he enjoys the rare trip to Lowes or Fry’s without me tagging along. I’m always welcome, as is he on my outings because everything is better with him (gag) . Ok, I even made myself a little sick on that one. Sorry about that.

I guess I should stop before you throw up your latte all over your shirt. Be warned though, our 1st anniversary is coming up and I’m working up a “I’m still so very very very happy” post. Feel free to skip it if you hate hearing how grateful I am for my good fortune.

The Vegas Recap

Jason and I spend the long weekend in Las Vegas, we flew in Friday, checked into our hotel, which was fancy, modern and lovely.  I picked it because it was nicely priced on Expedia and it was an all suites hotel that guaranteed a king sized bed.  (I'm kind of "over" the full sized bed co-sleeping for a while.)

We dropped our bags and then went out to find dinner.  In Las Vegas, at 10:30 pm the only challenge about finding a place for dinner is finding one you WANT to eat at, and one where the lines aren't horrid.  We weren't interested in buffet, so we ended up at The Todd English Pub.  I don't really know who Todd English is, but he had multiple restaurants around town and they seemed quite "special".    His place in the Bellagio was very pretty, but we dined at the pub.  Regrettably , pub food isn't his forte.  Jason's dinner was less than thrilling and it was obvious that my fella wasn't happy with his $19 burger.  I liked my "GRI-BRE-BAC-TOM" (grilled gruyere, brie, bacon, and tomato) sandwich, but it wasn't mind blowing.  We might simply have been tired, but I think the food was marginal.

After dinner we hiked over to the Bellagio and watched the fountain show.  It's funny how entertaining that fountain is, they do a marvelous job of (what I guess you would call) choreography.  We watched it twice and then headed to the Venetian to have a drink and then back to our hotel.  I don't stay out until past midnight very often anymore and I was zonked.

Before bed I took a dip in the modern tub in our bathroom.  The sleek lines appealed to me, and the ability to soak my entire person was very relaxing.  

The next morning, we stepped out into the 100 degree heat and lumbered over to the bigger hotel that was next door to our nice, but boutique hotel and made our way to the non-buffet breakfast.   I enjoyed my Belgium waffle with fresh fruit and added some chicken sausage for protein.  I'm not really sure what happened, but I think I didn't chomp the sausage well enough because my waffle sat in my stomach until I had to go throw it up.   I still felt full, in fact, I felt better after throwing up so once Jas was done with his steak and eggs (that he really liked) we headed out to explore the ever changing strip. 

Within an hour, my lack of breakfast turned into a real issue.  I had a cold clammy sweat and needed to find a place to sit.  Unless you're eating, or gambling places to rest are few and far between.  I found myself in a stall in a toilet in the Bellagio hotel with my head dripping with icy sweat and my hands were shakey.  Not thinking clearly I pulled out my iPhone and thought that if I sat there for a minute or two that I would even out.  (The iPhone was to entertain myself)   I realized I was having an issue when my fingers were so clammy that the iPhone wouldn't register my touch.  Finally, with the reality of the low blood sugar hitting me I found Jason and told him I needed help.  Mostly, I just needed to eat.  So, and hour after paying $50 for breakfast we plunked down $18 for a sandwich and a soda.  I could only eat half, but it evened me out within 30 minutes. 

Before the end of the day, we found a Walgreen's and purchased some protein bars to have on hand.   Silly me for not having one in my purse anyway. 

We spent our day exploring the hotels, casinos and malls.  We spent our gambling money at the swatch store on some fun watches and then we made our way to the Kate Spade store.  You know, I'm not a huge follower of brands, but I love KS purses and wallets.  They please the girly side of me.   We think we passed three separate Tiffany & Co stores.  At one point we were confident that there were more Tiffany stores than Starbucks, but once we got out of the SUPER EXPENSIVE malls we found the starbucks.  Heck, in MGM there were three separate Starbucks (that of course don't honor starbucks coupons or gold member discounts...)  In addition to not honoring the gold member discounts the lady at the MGM overcharged me.  I find it strange that I could pay $18 for a waffle but was irritated by a 50 cent overcharge for my latte.

In the mid afternoon, after a non-lunch of cheese, salami and bread at a wine bar (iced tea for the mommy) we zipped back to our hotel and ran to the pool.  Oh... to dip into the pool when it is 107 degrees outside.  I didn't care that the other pool patrons were the 20 something super fabulous chic crowd.  I was in love with the cool(er) water and my tall iced diet coke.  Jason didn't mind sipping his gin n' tonic in the pool either.   We did marvel at the shoes that many of the girls were wearing to to the pool in their swim gear.  We saw these shoes EVERYWHERE.  I'm impressed at the ability to walk and strut in these horrifically high shoes.  Many of the girls pulled them off well, a few were hurting and you could tell by the heavy walking, but we saw them in the casinos at 1 in the afternoon, and at 1 in the morning... I couldn't do it.  NO way, no how.  I used my pregnancy as an excuse to wear my supportive athletic tennis shoes.  When we dressed for dinner I wore sandals, but not the ones with the super high heals.  Let's not forget I'm no longer 20.


Anyway, the pool was wonderful and a nice pre-dinner activity.  We cleaned up, put on our party gear (me in a linen dress and above noted sensible sandals,  and Jason in nice shorts with a silk bowling shirt) and headed toward the MGM where our 8:30 dinner reservation awaited.   We explored the hotels on that end of the strip and spend some time and $$ in the M&M store.  Damn the cute baby clothes.  Had they had a maternity top where the baby bump was the M&M I would have plunked down $$ for that too, but I guess the knocked up are few and far between in Vegas.

We were really looking forward to dinner and had planned it for ages.  I am happy to announce that it was not in anyway disappointing.  In fact, I don't think anything was more perfect.  We are TopCHEF fans and Tom Colicchio is a judge on the show has a restaurant in Las Vegas - so we wanted to check it out for ourselves.   CraftSteak is aptly named, it is a steak house and you had better bring your wallet.  The "so so" steaks start at $52 and zip up in prices to $150.  I doubt there is a so-so steak at this place, but the more the price the more amazing the meat.   We noticed when we were walking in that they were participating in "Restaurant Week" and that for a fixed price they had a fixed menu.  Many of the marque places were doing it and mostly they had three options - a salad, an entree and a make-shift dessert.  But not this place, holy mackerel our meal was lick the plate good.  I swear, we didn't opt for the prix-fix meal because of the price, but there's no way we could have had all that food for less than $400.

Here's the menu:


First Course

• Shaved Fennel Salad Lemon, Olive Oil
• Vermont Quail Quince Saba
• Italian Buffalo Mozzarella Hazelnuts
• Persian Cucumber Salad Watercress, Ginger

Main Course

• Prime Beef Flat Iron
• Grilled Angus Skirt Steak
• Diver Sea Scallops Lemon Vinaigrette

Side Dishes

• Yukon Gold Potato Purée
• Organic Baby Shiitake Mushrooms
• Brentwood Sweet Corn, Green Onions

Dessert

• Pastry Chef's Selection of Confections,
  Ice Cream and Sorbet

I'm telling you, it was perfection.  I thought the potatoes were too runny until I dipped my steak into it and it was like frosting on a cupcake.  A steakcake.  DROOL.  The service was fantastic and when dinner IS the evening event it should always be like that. 

We stumbled back to our hotel in a food stupor and I passed out like a person who had consumed 3 bottles of wine.  To be honest, when I decided to have the gastric bypass surgery I never thought I would be able to enjoy a meal like that, but when it is paced well and you don't stuff your face you can enjoy everything.  Sadly, we did not eat too much of the dessert but it was tasty.  This is one of the two that they brought to us, a molten lava cake with sorbet and a nice message on the plate. 

We awoke the next morning in our clothes. Just kidding...there was enough alertness between arriving in our room and the loss of alertness to put on pj's.   We prepped our room for our departure.  Oh, didn't I mention that our long weekend ended with a late flight home Sunday night?  We planned it that way so we could spend the day Monday recovering.

We decided that if you're in Las Vegas you had better eat at a buffet at least once, so we took the tram to the Monte Carlo and joined the line for pre-cooked eggs.  The folks in front of us had a two for one coupon and we bravely asked where they got it.   We zipped out of line and headed toward the Concierge desk where without even asking if we were hotel guests we were handed a coupon that halved the price of our breakfast.  Sadly, the line at the buffet grew from 5 deep to 50 deep while we were away, but we survived it. 

Remembering my mistake from the day before I focused my breakfast energy on good proteins, eggs with ham and some corned beef and while I took a pancake, I didn't eat it.  I left feeling full, satisfied and smug that technically, I ate for free.  

Sunday, at a non-marque casino we dropped some money in the machines.  I found one that was a little more fun than another and I should have quit when my total credits showed I was up by $30.  But, come on... what is $30 in vegas?  Heck, it's not even lunch.   Later we collectively tried our hands at a video roulette game and it was fun but we blew $40 in about 15 minutes and then we were done with gambling.   Jason said his desire and enjoyment of winning is not outdone by the loathing he feels when his money is eaten by the machines.  I get that, but he hasn't won $400 bucks.  That's a mighty exciting moment.

We spent the rest of our day exploring and a little bit wishing we could be hanging by a pool.  It was HOT in Vegas.  The humidity was at maybe 3% so if we were sweating it wasn't an issue.  Frankly, my hair looked awesome the whole time we were there.    We had a mini-lunch at New York New York in their creative food court.  Instead of the expected and boring food around the perimeter with tables in the middle, they have set up their food court to look like street vendors and shops in the city.  You dine on bistro tables along the "sidewalk" and it is social and fun.

We dined light because our dinner was going to be early (5pm) at another TopChef  Chef owned place.  This place is a burger joint, but you have to craft your own burger from the many many wonderful options.  You pick the meat, the cheese, the sides, the sauces, the veggies.  YUMMY.   I was sad that I could only eat half my burger.  I wanted to get it all in, but it wasn't going to happen. 

After our fun burger experience we picked up my favorite Las Vegas treat, the $10 "pashmina" in multiple colors and then worked our way back to the hotel where our bag was safely stored with the bellman.  We expected lines at the airport, but ended up having to hang out for an hour waiting for our flight. 

We had been bumped to first class and the extra space was nice.  The flight was a little bumpy, but I managed to have a nap anyway.  We were home at midnight and it was lights out by 1. 

Yesterday, we slept in, made breakfast then watched tv and a movie in bed until noon.  Finally, we made ourselves human and opted to make a trip to Babies R Us to possibly register for the many things we need for the arrival of our peanut.  At one point Jason left me to use the restroom and when he came back I was in tears.  (emotional much?)  All the car seats, bouncie chairs, high chairs, cribs, packn'plays and STUFF just got to me all of a sudden.  It occurred to me that I might not ever be ready for this baby.  He was a good sport and we decided to take care of our baby needs a little at a time.  It will also help when we have a sex because then have the things will be off the list.. but I do think it is crazy that stuff comes in BLUE or PINK.  Maybe there's the occasional brown or green, but damn if you're not into blue and you're having a boy you're just out of luck.    I also think that we will get a better idea of what is actually needed as we do some more mommy & daddy research.

So, after our BabiesRScary experience we had lunch and headed home. We spent the rest of our day in quiet relaxation.  Well, Jason mowed the lawn in the rain because it needed it badly and I napped like a good pregnant lady.

We rented Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie, which was cute and then retired early.   It was hard to get up and log into work today, but having a day of transition from Vegas to our real world was a great plan.   I can't tell you how great it was to wake up in our own bed on Monday and not have to go to work.

You broke what!?

I’m not sure what it is about my 3rd day away from home, but I am generally pretty useless on my final day at the office. The first two days I get a ton of work done and then the last day I’m open to responding to new issues, but am not interested in starting something new. I can do that tomorrow.

I’m leaving in about 30 minutes for the airport, so it doesn’t behoove me to get too involved in anything, but I suppose I should.

On the home front, talking to Jason last night was sad. He broke his little toe yesterday morning and was feeling badly about the pain. For the record, he’s the one who moved the ottoman, not me.

Then, after a slow day of couch dwelling he felt the need to open the sliding glass window which means he had to raise up our lovely blinds. Well, the sad little piece of plastic that the Hunter Douglas people feel is sufficient to hold the 6 foot wide blind to the casing is not at all sufficient. It crashed down on top of my disabled guy and had to be removed from the door area altogether. There is a lifetime warranty, but sheesh, we shouldn’t have to deal with this after only 9 months.

We’ll see how prompt and helpful their service is. Since the shades were professionally installed it would be nice not to have to re-install this monster shade on our own.