Rub me Tender

At risk of sounding like a romantic silly, I LOVE MY HUSBAND!

Last week was a hard one for Madeline and me. She seems to be getting 500 teeth at once (yes, she's like a shark) and it's made her into this horrible grouch little toddler.

I've been lamenting (Shakespearean for whining) to Steve about it and he was a real gem on Sunday - I took a 2.5 hour nap and we all relaxed and watched the game together. Then, Steve dropped a bomb on me. He had worked with his mother to come over and watch the baby this afternoon so I could go get a massage!!

It was a fantastically timed, wonderful surprise. Some people are "I don't like people touching me." I, however, am not that way. I could get a massage every single day and I'm not even kidding.

I had a one hour appointment at Villaggio with Blake. It was one of the best hours I've had recently. It was refreshing on every level. I could have stayed there for the rest of the day.

Thanks sweetie, I think it helped file down those fangs that have come out so much lately.

I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold

I'm having a rare case of insomnia and I was fiddling around in my e-mail and found this e-mail from one year ago.

Me to Steve

Wow - can you even believe that we got almost 7 hours of sleep last night????????? How AWESOME was that????????? I am mostly happy that you were able to "catch up" on some of your much needed sleep. It means so much to me for you to wake up not looking like you had to work the night shift too. I hope it helped. mostly, I hope we can replicate it. I wouldn't even mind getting up 2 or 3 more times with her....just to have some hours of peaceful sleep. But I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Meanwhile I am going to try to keep her awake again today.

I miss you....I can't tell you how nice it was for you to hide that card. I don't need to tell you that it brought tears to my eyes over and over to read it. It probably meant the most of any card you've ever given me. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.

She is up and alert right now - a little fussy but at least awake!

I can't wait to wrap my arms around you tonight. I love you

erin

and the reply -

Last night was great!!! I think I will feel that extra sleep tomorrow though and my body today is running off the limited sleep we got the night before!

I am really glad you liked the card, I have had it for a while now.

I love you sweetheart and cannot wait to get home to see you. Whether we are sleeping, or trying to sleep- as long as we are together that is all that matters to me.
Steve

I'm sure he'll be mortified at my putting our secret romantic-ness up here...but oh well.

It's amazing though, at how quickly we get all jaded and everything isn't it? Those days dating you just swoon over each other and end up doing things like taking a 10 mile bike trip or watching an action movie to impress each other. Then, you get married and you're like "I'm not watching these crappy movies anymore and I hate exersize."

It's amazing he hasn't indicted me for fraud.

I love you Steven. I don't tell you enough. I wish I could write off my bad attitudes as post partum moodiness, but I think after a year I'm not allowed to use that anymore. No one else on this EARTH could handle me like you do.

"Tip me over and pour me out"

Thanks Dad!

My dad (in the picture he's the one on the left - not the one wielding the gun looking thing, or the hairy one on all fours) came over today to help Steve and Omar with the Pergola.

I also asked him to help me out. My dad is an expert on many things. Including but not limited to: Old Testament Theology, Dispensationalism, Cars and all things relating to, and Abraham Lincoln. He is also an expert on hymns greater than 200 years old, filled with deep theology and words no one understands like "bulwark" and "ebeneezer" and sung at an exceedingly slow pace.

I have had one of the aforementioned hymns in my head for about 2 weeks. In school around Thanksgiving we always sang this one song - and all I could remember was ".....gather together....ask the Lord's blessing - dadadaaaaaa ddaa da the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing... dada da He forgets not His own."

It was driving me mad. So much so that I almost went into a music store and hummed it for someone to get some closure.

Luckily for me Mr. Old Hymn man knew it!

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;

he chastens and hastens his will to make known;

the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:

sing praise to his Name, he forgets not his own."

You can hear the tune, in all its midi glory, here:

http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/w/w078.html

Baby Momma

So - I met up with a bunch of my peeps last night, and we went to "My Girlfriend's Kitchen." You pre-order some food and then you go to this place and make it. They have all the ingrediants out and ready. (And unless you're retarded like me and don't read the directions) it's really easy and fun!!

We stayed out until they kicked us out at 10:30. It was the most fun I have had in a long time and the first time I've been out by myself without the baby!

Live People Don't Understand Do They?

A long, but incredible video.

http://cmu.edu/uls/journeys/

Or here, a shorter version on Oprah's site

http://www2.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20071022_350_106.jhtml?promocode=HP23

Animal House

On Friday we went out with some friends to celebrate our cluster of birthdays. Madeline was exceptionally well behaved and the food was exceptionally good! Madeline even opened her own presents with just a liiiiittle help from mommy. She got her very first colouring book and crayons! They're special crayons for kids. They are impaled in a weeble wobble. The coloring book was especially large as well so she can stay in the lines. ;)

But the best present was the combined Madeline/Daddy present. It's called a "Daddle." It's a soft saddle that attaches to Daddy's back that the child can ride on! (See above!) I have yet to nail Steve down and make him put it on for a picture.

Oh well, one more animal in the house won't make much difference!

Does that come in my size?

Since Madeline doesn't ever sit still any more, I had to get Daddy to help with this one. So -

here's her birthday outfit. (Don't worry she has a cute little dress for her party) It says, "I'm skin and bones! Need more candy!"

So Eden Sank to Grief

I am a British Literature enthusiast, but there is one American Poet that just moves me beyond others. Robert Frost. How can you NOT love him?

Here is one my favourite poems for fall:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock

Steve has decided he wants to make some more messes in our house! Except, instead of making a mess of toys like Madeline, he wants to make a mess in the dirt! Namely, he recruited some friends to help him build a Pergola over the back patio.

So I have decided to make record of said event. For insurance purposes and posterity both! The house as it stands today.

Madeline says, "Doesn't look like work to me!"

This looks like fun!!

Steve and Omar inspect the hole they dug. *note* Please keep it covered I don't want a "baby Jessica" situation on my hands!!

Holy cow that's a big tractor!

That's an awful big piece of machinery. I hope the testosterone doesn't get the better of them!

Because I'm not busy enough!

I have started yet, another blog! As you can see in my link list, it's called " 5 Things."

This was an idea that I totally stole from my HS English Teacher who does 5 Things lists on facebook. I thought it would be funny to have a blog just for that.

*I wonder why I feel like I need to justify myself. Hmmmm*

Anywho - so check it out. It's nothing exciting so don't get your hopes up. ;)

I thought about starting a blog to review childrens items. (www.reademandreap.blogspot.com) Then I decided that was too much work so ....that hasn't happened.

Taylor, the latte boy

I dig this song so much! check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXS0nEOx_20

Oh how life changes!

10 Words I used to say everyday in my old job:

1. Annual Report

2. Attorney General

3. Non-profit

4. FTC

5. 501 (c) (3)

6. Disclosure

7. 990

8. Indigenous

9. Files

10. CEO

10 Words I say everyday in my new job:

1. Onesie

2. Poopie

3. Jammies

4. Doggie (1 million times per day)

5. Mama

6. Dada

7. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

8. Stinky

9. Ball

10. No-no

Good Advice

I heard some good advice this morning that I thought I'd pass along. Turns out it's by one of my favourite authors, Odgen Nash.

He wrote the poem "The duck"

Behold the duck
It clucks
And when he eats
He bottom ups

"The Guppy"
Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.

"The Ostrich"
The ostrich roams the great Sahara.
Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra.
It has such long and lofty legs,
I'm glad it sits to lay its eggs

Anyway, you get the picture. He writes fun poetry that will be really fun to read with little Madeline. But today I realized he also wrote some sage marriage advice:

To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up.

Sounds so easy....

"The whole world's wrong, that's what's the matter."

I have lots to write about. I still need to talk about our craaazy week last week. And finally going to see OUR TOWN! ~Tada~

But right now - I just feel really sad. I had a FABulous day . . . I got to spend the entire afternoon with my old college roomie - Kris. She has a baby just about Madeline's age so we had tons to catch up on!

I don't know why that would make me sad. Maybe it's because we were talking about our college days when life was easy. Maybe it's because my stomach hurts. Maybe it's because I have two loads of laundry waiting to be folded. Maybe it's because my mind is now full of Laundry and baby toys all day instead of Milton and Shakespeare. I think it was T S Eliot who said "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." I say "I have measured out my life in laundry detergent scoops."

Maybe it's because I'm watching a documentary on a couple with twins who just had sextuplets. *That would be my luck - finally decide we can handle another baby and get pregnant with a litter*

I just feel sad. When I told my husband he of course wants to fix it. Like "My foot itches." Do men not ever just feel sad? I guess not..... He asked me to do a small simple thing and I just pouted and whined about it. I'm usually not that way.....what's gotten into me?

I just want to get in bed and cover up with my warm covers.

Sigh