night noises
Do you love it when you hear scritching in your walls? Yeah, me either.We've got a mama possum with five babies in our attic. Yay wildlife.
At least it's not a rat.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
We've got a mama possum with five babies in our attic. Yay wildlife.
At least it's not a rat.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Not half bad
The event went off with nary a hitch, even though there were lots of places where it could have gone very, very bad. It was busy, and stressful, and I didn't eat lunch because I had too many files to edit and not enough prints waiting to be picked up, but it's over, it went well, and everyone was happy.Not to mention all the other vendors that were there picked up the business cards I had out... yay for networking! Yay for being done with this! And a great big woo-hoo for getting paid!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
sensible people
Sensible people would be sleeping right now, not aimlessly trolling flickr for some inspiration for maternity posing.Alas, I've never been all that sensible, and anyway, I just got done with testing the new printer for the big thing tomorrow. Word on the street is that it'll be 30-ish moms-to-be and 6 or so office headshots. The headshots will be regular-like, so I can take the files home and actually edit them and all that. The maternity portion (moms attending a one day birth and breastfeeding class) will all be printed on site. It'll be exciting, if not crazy stressful- but it'll get done, it'll be fine, and they can't take away my birthday, anyway.
I'm going to bed. Wish me luck, right?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
I knew it was coming, but YOWZA.
I finally weathered my first all-out, flail like a wild thing, screaming temper tantrum. At the aquarium, trying to feed both kids. We were the public spectacle.It was not awesome.
We have been so spoiled by Noel, with his easy going nature and his ability to take change in stride. Darrah, not so much. We're in for a ride with this one, I think.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
done
He's in recovery, tubes are in, adenoids are out. Dr. says, "I think you'll have a new kid".I am hopeful. I am really happy I have this little notebook 'puter and that there's wifi here, too.
Mostly, though, I can't wait to see my baby. They say twenty minutes.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
ebb and flow
Tubes and adenoids scheduled for Thursday. On the one hand, I'm really excited about the consequences of the surgery- the better hearing, the better breathing at night. On the other, yikes. And then yikes some more. It's short. It's outpatient, It's at a surgery center that is only for children, only for ENT, only the doctors in this practice. Clearly, they know what they're doing. Clearly, the staff is intimately aware of caring for children. Still, I worry.I've been trying to learn the ins and outs of SEO and keywords and pay per click and promoting my business website without spending too much money and without looking stupid. I think I may be doing ok, as the hits over there have really jumped in the last couple of days. Hits don't mean booked shoots, but hey- it's a start.
I have a 'session' coming up that is terrifying. It's a full day, print on site maternity shoot. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed, but it's on now. It's not like charity, as I'm getting paid, but it is for a non-profit, and it is for a segment of our population that would not normally have a maternity portrait. So, I think that the women will be happy that I'm there, and I think that it will all work out fine in the end. Right now, though, I'm having some concerns, like, ohmygawd, what the hell was I thinking. Or, holy shit, how on earth am I going to get 30-50 5x7s printed straight out of the camera with no processing? And, erm, do you think that I can do this to a notebook that we acquired kind of suddenly? Quick?
And then I have to change a diaper and make a snack and I try not to worry too much about it. The shoot OR the surgery.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Oh, god. Pass the 'what to expect' book
Erm, we tossed out all the baby's first year, here's what your kid should be doing stuff pretty early on with Noel. That's kind of untrue- we still have the books, but they're really first-year, baby books. We never upgraded to the 'what your kid does next' versions. It seemed silly, and we've been making it up as we go ever since. We let Noel lead the way on what he's capable of doing and ready to try.We've been blindly stumbling through some potty time- and when I say stumbling, maybe I mean traipsing, or meandering. We've been trying it, but not really pushing it.
When Darrah signed 'potty', I figured I should reinforce the meaning of the word and sign by doing the same thing I'd do for Noel- put her on the potty. But then she peed there. And again the next time.
I'm not prepared to call her 'potty learning', but clearly she is. I don't know what to do next. It's one of those I don't want to waste the interest, but don't want to force the issue, either.
So we amble along, these kids and me. I'm hoping I don't screw either one of them up, all the while secretly praying for fewer diapers to wash (oh, yeah, we still use cloth at home and disposables when we're out) It's too early for me to be eyeing the super cute Hanna Andersson trainers, right?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
kicking the dead horse, I know.
It's Mother's Day, again, so I'll post it, again.It's the Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe, and I would rather we had peace than brunch. I'm funny that way. But still, I never turn down mimosas or belgian waffles. Happy Mother's Day, moms. It's a tough job.
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.
We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.
In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace.
Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870
Friday, May 08, 2009
because I like bacon.
So, I totally forgot the one Ds related story we collected in New Orleans. Sorry.It was our last morning in town, and we were packed and just kind of waiting until time to check out and head to the airport. We went to get breakfast at this awesome place (no, I will NOT tell you where, thank you, there are like seven tables in there and I like to have a place to sit. Like there are that many of you that A) read the blog, B) are going to be/are in New Orleans, and C) would take my word on it. Hee. They really do have the most seriously awesome biscuits in the world, though. No offense, aunt Abi)
Right.
So, we were eating breakfast and killing time. It's a good thing, because restaurant no-name doesn't have any high chairs, so we had one kid on a lap and one kid in a stroller. It takes a million years to eat like that.
There was an older couple at the table next to us. They were playing sweet games with the kids- peekaboo with Darrah, and giving out high fives to Noel. We exchanged brief niceties, and then the occasional chatter about a kid. They were reading the paper and discussing whatever- I'd catch bits and pieces of talk of current events, and while usually I'm an avid overlistener (sounds better than eavesdropping, right?), I was busy with Darrah and her gaping maw of a mouth.
We were about 3/4 done, and they were getting up to pay, and on the way out, the woman came over and made kid goodbyes, and the man hovered for a second longer. His parting comment? "These people are such a blessing".
And I ignored it, specifically, and smiled and nodded, I think. I wanted to say, but aren't we all! Instead I said, 'now, you two have a great day!', and the like.
And when we got up to pay, they had paid our bill, too. Which was nice.
And in hindsight, I'm more willing to believe that they, themselves, were 'blessed' in some way. At the time, though, it kind of felt like charity.
And I didn't like it.
But I really like breakfast.
And I'm really, really, really glad I didn't snark at the nice older man.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
I know a chicken...
And she laid an egg.(do you know this song? Laurie Berkner)
You know the chicken of ours that has escaped twice? She's the one that has me looking like a crazy person with a double stroller chasing her around the neighborhood.
Well, now she's gone broody.
Won't get out of the nest, and the other girls are getting a little perturbed. There is a second nestbox, but nobody wants to use it for whatever chicken reason. I'm not about to get some fertile eggs for her to hatch, so we have to break her of this nonsense. Whee! Fun with farm animals.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
home again
So, we made it there and back, two flights, seven hotel nights, two walking babies, and one grandma-nanny in one piece without any major mishaps.
Yay!
Saw Doc Watson. Man, at 86, the guy still has the blues in his blood. Crazy, man. Buddy Guy was fab, too. Found Jesus in the Gospel tent, because on a Sunday morning, with a bloody mary in hand, it's just the right thing to do. Everybody finds Jesus in the Gospel tent, whether it's your thing or not. Ya just do. Saw perhaps the worst puppet show of all time in the kids' tent, and not only was the actual show awful, the sound was even worse. Bon Jovi drew such a crowd that we only caught the last few minutes of him, but we got 'Wanted', and a Bon Jovi rendition of 'Twist and Shout'. I hear they counted 90K people that day. We left the kids back at the hotel with Gramma, and that was probably the best decision of the week. We managed to stay almost to the end of the last day, with the Neville Brothers closing out on one stage while the Radiators closed the other one- but the threatening rain had us leave before the encore. We had Noel with us that day, and the kid hates the rain. The thing he hates second-most is umbrellas, so we left.
Man, I love me some JazzFest. I can't wait until next year.
Noel's been coughing a nasty croupy cough since mid-vacation, and it's not getting better yet, so we had to reschedule his tubes-adenoids surgery. Darrah's been practicing her walking, and at this point, she's practically running. We had to buy one of those monkey backpacks cleverly disguising the kid-leash.
And that, my friends, is that.
