Jacob Journal

Park

2009-05-04T19:23:00.001-04:00

We had some nice weather this weekend, so much that we were able to enjoy a lot of fun time outside playing/working in the yard, going for walks and going to the park.

Papa was over on Sunday on we went to Riverside to play on the jungle gyms. Payton had a blast going down the slides. This kid is fearless, I tell you. She went belly down, head-first down one of the tube slides. The enclosed slides that we cannot hold her hands on. This was by choice, too. Fearless and klutzy, such a great combination.

You might notice in these shots that she has a boo-boo on her nose. That's from going head-first out the kitchen door and onto the breezeway carpeting. Rug burns on the nose can't feel good. Yikes.

Payton also had fun playing in the backyard with Papa, swinging next door and going for a walk. She LOVES being outside, to the point that we sometimes have to hide her shoes and coat or she'll attempt to put them on and go to the door and throw a fit about going out. Fearless, klutzy and temperamental.
This outta be fun!

Our Peep

2009-04-09T18:13:00.000-04:00

Daycare held an Easter Egg hunt today and Payton was, being new to this whole experience, her stoic self. She started to get a bit "into" it as it progressed, but what we don't have pictures of are the two adult-sized bunnies that appeared and waved to the kids. So not having that. And they were on the other side of the fence.

Overheard

2009-03-26T21:26:00.002-04:00

Scott & I usually takes turns getting Payton into the tub and ready for bed. The other night while drawing her bath water, Payton was playing in the bathroom and I heard this:

Hey, get out of there (as she must have opened the vanity door and got under the sink).
Payton! Seriously. Do you really want to play with tampons?
We've got another 12-13 years, I hope, until you have to worry about those.
And then Lord help us all.

Walking

2009-03-09T10:16:00.001-04:00

Payton just started walking this past week and she's really pretty good at it. She was having a good time this weekend and walking a lot. It wears her out, I guess, because she's been sleeping pretty well.

Here's a highlight from the weekend.

Payton Walking from Dana Jacob on Vimeo.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

2009-01-17T20:01:00.004-05:00

NOT REALLY SURE WHY THIS DIDN'T POST WHEN I ORIGINALLY WROTE IT, BUT HERE IT IS - A BIT DELAYED.

Baby, it's cold outside. Forget, cold. It's Anarctica, frost-bite-inducing, freeze your ---- off cold. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but my thermostat in the car said -11 on the way to work Friday. That doesn't include the windchill which made it feel more like -26 outside. Needless to say there's been a lot of cancellations around these parts and we haven't been venturing out too much aside from the neccessary.
Last weekend we had a good batch of heavy snowfall. Scott got all geared up to snow blow and Payton was a tad upset that her Daddy was leaving, so we went to the window to watch him. She thought it was pretty funny when he blew the snow onto the window. She loved watching him. So then we decided to bundle her up and take her outside for her first experience in winter and sledding. She didn't seem to mind much, and really loved when I would run fast pulling the sled behind. I'm not much of a winter person, but I think taking Payton outside for some good ol' fashioned fun, fresh air and physical activity is good for us all.

Poor thing

2008-12-30T20:16:00.004-05:00

A Christmas post is coming, I promise. It's just been a hectic week since. Payton is on the supposedly stronger antibiotic and as of yesterday she wasn't showing signs of improvement. In fact, daycare called and said she was really fussy and inconsoable at times. We were scheduled to follow-up with the doctor on Friday, but I called and the nurse agreed that Payton needed to come back in. Scott took Payton to the pedi today where they agreed that she's a sick little girl. Her infection had become worse (how does that happen while on medicine?) and they heard enough junk in her lungs to say she has bronchitis. Daddy had the great joy of holding Payton down long enough for a breathing treatment with the nebulizer and for a shot of antibiotic directly into the leg. He was less than thrilled about this doctor's visit. It sounds like this respiratory infection/virus, whatever it is, is going around daycare so they advised us not to take her back. Could be a couple long nights and days ahead. I'm hoping she's on the mend, though, as she appeared to be eating a bit better today. Thank God, because she has had little to no appetite through all this. I just hope she soon starts feeling like her good, ol' jolly, happy self again because the sick Payton breaks my heart.

Right ear

2008-12-25T21:09:00.002-05:00

A trip to the doctor's office on Tuesday confirmed that Payton indeed has another ear infection. That or the same infection from about a month ago has never gone away, considering it has been a rough few weeks. All in all, she still is a fairly easy-going baby so it's very apparent when she's irritable that she isn't feeling well.
This time a different antibiotic with hopes that it clears everything up, but her Daddy, Papa, Grandma & Grandpa Jacob are all sick right now too.
We just hope she's not heading down the same road as my niece, nephews and Uncle Seth, all of which had numerous ear infections.
After a bit of crankiness this mid-morning, Payton turned it around and was such a baby doll today for her first Christmas. She really didn't nap, despite a couple attempts, and she held on strong like she knew today was her big social event of the year! What a trooper. And Santa was very good to Miss Payton, and Mommy too! More to come on that soon.

Moving on up

2008-12-23T12:00:00.002-05:00

I've had the chance to talk a bit more with the 'teachers' at daycare about Payton's transition from the Bunny room to the Turtle room. Since Scott has to be at work lately at 6 AM, I'm taking Payton to daycare and have more opportunities to see and hear what's going on. I am very happy with the daycare and I think Payton, the social bug that she is, enjoys it. They like to call her 'Nosey Rosey' there since she's all about everyone's business.

So far, the transition seems to be going well. I'm impressed with how flexible Payton is and how easily she goes with the flow. Even more impressed with how she is taking one big long nap (2-3 hours!) and often not in a crib. In the Turtle room, the big kids take naps on mats with blankets and they eat at small tables instead of high chairs. WOW, our baby girl is turning into such a big girl.

As much as it makes me sad about how fast she is growing, I also realize how ready she is for the next step, figuratively and literally. She's ready for the next room and all the new learning, discoveries, challenges and frustrations that come with growing. I'm still holding her hand every baby step of the way.

Tres bebe

2008-12-22T21:36:00.007-05:00

It was a brief visit but I had the opportunity to visit with my good friends Eric and Julie who continue to invite me over and include me in some BC Enquirer functions despite leaving the paper almost 2 years ago. While there, I got to see little Henry and Darby and her son, who's about the same age of Henry. The funny thing about this photo is that the boys are about 5 months younger than Payton yet they all three weigh the same.

I'm so used to everyone having boys, and big boys they are, that Payton always looks so petite. Let's hope she doesn't get that huge growth spurt in her teen years where she gets all tall, awkward, clutzy and uncoordinated because her body is growing faster than her brain. Because I bet that would be really stressful and to whom would she turn for support and guidance?

Bake-a-thon

2008-12-22T20:05:00.005-05:00

Don't ask me what sugary goodness was up with my sudden desire to bake about a dozen dozen cookies yesterday. I think maternal instincts took over or I was suddenly possessed by a spirit of Paula Dean because I couldn't stop. In fact, just to get started I had to go to the grocery story in blowing snow, freezing temperatures and on bad roads to get one ingredient - shortening. Because peanut butter cookies just aren't right without lard.

So much chocolate and so little desire to eat it once the cookies and treats were finished. Does that happen to anyone else? When you bake you have no desire to eat the goodies afterward. It's probably from tasting the dough and smelling all the sweetness for hours. Here's a glimpse at my lusty all-day affair with chocolate in the form of chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter blossoms and magic bars. And to think, I was happy this morning that I squeezed into a pair of pre-pregnancy old corduroys that haven't been worn in a couple years.

Digging out

2008-12-22T18:41:00.002-05:00

Snowed Friday, more Sunday and again this morning. Not cool. In fact, downright frostbite chilly. This winter is really going to suck. They're saying there's more coming tomorrow and Wednesday too. No doubt we will have a White Christmas, but I'd prefer a little sunshine and above subarctic temperatures. I also like desserts without nuts, pizza relatively plain, trendy neutral-colored clothes, SHOES, milk chocolate (not dark) and wine with my cheese, but hey, that's not asking too much, right?
Meanwhile, we're all feeling a little ill lately. Payton keeps spiking random fevers so it looks like another trip to the ped tomorrow, and no, that isn't a mani-pedi.

Snowed in

2008-12-21T11:54:00.006-05:00

We were hit with the motherload overnight Thursday and Friday morning. According tot he news, it sounds like we got about 8-10 inches of snow. Going to work on Friday wasn't really an option. As I mentioned before, the commute is less than fun but on days like this, it's nearly impossible. Add to this the fact that our hot water heater sprung a major leak last night and we were without hot water Friday morning. So, it was a snow day for Payton and I, but poor Scott had to go to work at 6 a.m. because he has so many workers who couldn't make the commute to work. As we sat at home watching the snow pile up around us, I called neighbor Chris who also stayed home. I made him a deal - I'll watch the kids (Payton likes playing with his son) while you dig us out. He bit and helped us out by snowblowing the driveway.

Meanwhile, conditions improved a bit Saturday. Enough so that I could get out and run a few errands, mail out gifts, etc. But by late night, we starting getting more snow. And today, we're under another Winter Storm Warning. It is only 12 degrees out and with the windchill, they say it feels well below 0. Yeah, the plans we had to take Payton out and try to sled in our backyard will have to wait till another day.

Bracing ourselves

2008-12-18T20:58:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to mentally prepare for a couple biggies right now. Tonight, we're supposed to get hit with a major snowstorm that lasts through the day Friday. They're prediciting 6-10 inches of snow on top of the accumulation and ice we had earlier this week. Sounds like we'll be staying in this weekend. After Payton gets her flu shot in the morning, I'm going to work at the BC office to avoid getting stuck in Albion when the blizzard of 2008 hits and to be nearby in case she isn't feeling well.

Then, there's a biggie happening with PJ. She is moving up to the next room at daycare. Our Bunny is becoming a Turtle (those are the names of the rooms, which to me is kinda backward. Didn't you ever hear the tale about the turtle and the hare? Silly daycare, rabbits are faster than turtles.) It's a bittersweet transition for me. The teachers always commented about how advanced Payton is. She's so strong. She's crawling already. She's ready for tablefood. Look how close she's getting to walking. We've been so impressed and thrilled with Payton's development and socialization at daycare that I sometimes forgot how she's getting closer and closer to being ONE YEAR OLD. That's when kids usually move up, but they told us Payton would be ready sooner. Yeah, that's great, but am I ready? No one asked me if it was OK for my baby to start becoming a big girl.

My feelings aside, it does seem that Payton is transitioning well. I'm going to daycare tomorrow so more on that to come.

Daily commute

2008-12-16T19:17:00.002-05:00

There are days that I think I should carry my digital camera with me for the roughly 50-mile round trip commute to and from work. I don't mind the drive, really. It only takes about a half-hour tops to get there from home. And sometimes I see the strangest and coolest things while on the highway.
There are nights that I see a dozen deer off in the field, and mornings like today where there were another dozen wild turkey strutting around.
There are things I don't like seeing like the cement burial vault being towed to its final resting place, accidents and cars with children not properly restrained.
And then there are nights like tonight. I have to admit the highway was in better condition than the backroads. The average speed was probably about 55 mph. Mainly the concern was the blowing snow and poor visibility.
And my main annoyance are the DBs who drive crazy in snowy, no blizzardy, weather. Usually you hear people bitching about the big SUVs and 4x4 vehicles that appear to be running others off the road. NO, my beef is with the drivers of the little cars. The small, less-than-reliable, couldn't possibly be safe cars that fly by me and then begin fish-tailing all over the place.
All I can say is that I'm grateful for the guardian angel who looks over me as I commute, especially this winter.

Four months later.....

2008-12-14T19:53:00.006-05:00

I know, right! I've been awful about keeping up with this blog. You can blame Scott for always having the laptop attached to his lap and Payton for always having me attached to her.

So, since time is always of the essence, and I'm extrememly tired, here's a quick post to get us back on track. And I felt it was relevant just in case you forgot who I am.

1. What is your occupation right now?
Communications Director of Starr Commonwealth

2. What color are your socks right now?
Black

3. What are you listening to right now?
TV, "60" Minutes

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Peanut granola bar

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone
Seth

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes, and miss her. She's my blogging hero.

8. How old are you today?
31

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Football. The NFL. The Lions, any year but this one. (ditto)

10. What is your favorite drink?
Bud Light or Pepsi.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes

12. Favorite food?
Italian

13. What is the last movie you watched?
Revenge of the Nerds

14. Favorite day of the year?
Payton's birthday

15. How do you vent anger?
I tend to throw things, slam things around.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Cabbage Patch Dolls

17. What is your favorite season?
Summer

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Neither

19.Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Yes, leave comments

20. Who is the most likely to respond?
Iwan

21. Who is least likely to respond?
Iwan

22. Living arrangements?
Me, husband and daughter in too small of a house that's up for sale.

23. When was the last time you cried?
Last week

24. What is on the floor of your closet?
shoes, clothes, a pillow, yeah not so tidy

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
I'm posting, not sending

26. What did you do last night?
Went to Scott's work Christmas party

27. What are you most afraid of?
Something happening to Payton or Scott

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Cheeseburger - cheddar or american cheese

29. What is your favorite kind of dog?
Those that don't shed, chew on things or take off running

30. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

31. How many states have you lived in?
2

32. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

33. What is your favorite flower?
Iris

Craziness

2008-08-28T19:49:00.004-04:00

I know it's been a while since I provided an update, but things have been a bit crazy around here. Payton had her 6-month shots on Friday, Aug. 22 and then my brothers came up that weekend to visit. We had fun hanging out and Payton was really pretty good most the weekend. She didn't spike a high fever or get too cranky, just a bit of fussing.
We talked to the dr. about her not sleeping all not and he said "we're getting played and to let her start crying it out at night." It's really not the route I would like to take, but I don't like getting up every night between 1-4 either. Makes for some short nights and long tired days. So we let her cry, and cry, and cry some more and wail, and scream, and you get the point. But we held strong and she fell asleep.
It was working for a few nights, until one night I made her cry it out and then the next morning she woke up not well. On Wednesday, Payton was sent home from daycare with a fever over 101, and by mid-afternoon she was at the dr. with a fever over 103. Blood work, a urine bag and two days later, still not better. Viruses SUCK. There's nothing they can do and you just have to give tylenol and/or ibuprofen to bring down the fever. I was off work two days, we were getting little sleep, Payton was very needy and clingy (understandbly so) I was nearly getting sick myself with worry. But she recovered, and despite being really cranky all weekend, she is pretty much back to her good ol' self!
Meanwhile, we were preparing to show our house that Friday to a potential renter but canceled because of Payton's illness. Good thing, because over the weekend we had chance to walk some property owned by the Deloofs and found ourselves very interested in not renting but selling and possibly buying this land to build.
Fast forward, we're now signing papers to sell our house and talking to lenders about financing the land/home construction. It's very exciting and scary at the same time.
Back to Payton, she slept through the night for the first time in a VERY long time. Sleep is my favorite color!! There are so many things to tell you about with Payton, like how she's crawling all over, pulling herself up to standing, eating a bunch of solids, her first talent show, ETC. Keep coming back for more.

Primer

2008-08-20T10:28:00.002-04:00

I know many of you actually receive the blog posts via email. I have it set up to send an email to you every time I update the blog. But what then happens is that many of you reply to me through my email when you should be posting comments on the blog.

In other words, those emails are just to remind you to check out www.sdjacob.blogspot.com where you can read the blog and leave comments there for me. Just scroll down to the bottom of the entry and click on the text where it says 0 Comments. Then add your own remarks.

More coming soon on Payton's lessons in physics!

Slop

2008-08-14T21:10:00.006-04:00

Payton is now eating solids twice a day. She started off with the traditional first meal of rice cereal and we have progressed to eating a variety of fruits and vegetables along with mixed grain cereal and oatmeal. She wasn't too keen on eating off a spoon at first, but she's really gotten the hang of it and is eating quite well. Only thing now is that she's still waking up at night, which I would've thought would end by now since she's eating bottles, baby food and is over 6 months. But that's what parenthood teaches you - whatever your expectations are - just throw them out the window.

When we first started out, we fed Payton in her Bumbo seat with the attached tray. It worked out really well. Then, my boss and his wife, Molly, were kind enough to give us their highchair and a bath seat now that their girls have outgrown them. We're getting good use out of the highchair, and it's nice that it has two covers because one is always getting messy and thrown in the wash.

I can't really say yet that Payton has any favorites. She seems to like just about everything she tries and has not absolutely refused anything yet. On to the prunes!

Sitting

2008-08-14T20:36:00.004-04:00

Sorry we haven't posted much lately. I definitely don't keep up with this blog as much as I'd like, but it's hard when you're raising a kid, working, keeping a home and trying to find a new one. We want to move so badly and have been looking at a lot of houses, some online and some in person. I love going to open houses! But we desperately need to sell our current house first, or possibly rent. So we're just sitting on this place but wishing we could move.

Speaking of sitting, Payton mastered the skill a couple weeks ago. She was able to sit with some help, but she then figured out how to push herself up and stabilize herself. Of course, she has the tendency to knock her noggin on the floor at times so we bought a foam-padded floor thing that looks like giant colorful puzzle pieces. It's like her own personal play mat. Payton has made amazing strides the past couple weeks and is getting too big for her britches at times. More on that later.

Enjoy these various shots of her sitting....

Vacation

2008-07-31T20:27:00.001-04:00

Payton just loved sitting in the sand and having the Lake Michigan waves lap up toward her. She sat in the sand and played with it between her fingers and toes forever. The paci in her mouth was only there to prevent her from trying to eat the sand and she never did.

This is during our boat ride back from Mackinaw Island. We spent the day going over to the island, strolling around with the kids and having lunch. I think the island is ridiculously expensive, overrated and too crowded, but at least we can say we did it.

Payton looking outside the camper at her Daddy. She sat in her Bumbo seat to eat and could peak out the window at the activities out there. She's very social and can't miss a thing.

Payton slept in bed with Mommy & Daddy, while Brody Deloof slept in the pack-n-play in the kitchen area. In the morning they would play in the big bed for a while. We called Payton the "Happy Camper" and this is pretty much how she usually wakes.

One of my favorites from vacation. Payton is learning to crawl as she gets up on all fours and rocks back & forth. This is just a cute moment of her playing on the beach blanket in the summer sun!

Rearview

2008-07-30T17:54:00.007-04:00

These were taken while sitting in the car during a stop (not while driving) as we headed up north for vacation. More on that soon.

I hope Payton will someday look back at these pictures and think that her childhood was fun. I want her to have memories of her Mommy & Daddy as being fun-loving, layed-back and adventerous among the other things she'll probably think of us. I want her to recall us singing, dancing and laughing. We have a good time (or at least try) no matter where we are.

I think it goes "objects in mirror are larger than they appear," but I don't think that smile could get much bigger!

Golf

2008-07-13T21:30:00.002-04:00

We just wrapped a very busy, and crazy, couple days. Scott played in the Riverside Invitational. We are not members this year, but he played as Corey's partner. They didn't do so well, although Scott played really well. Anyway, Payton and I went up to the club on Friday evening when they had the "horse race" and cookout. We took a golf cart out and watched Scott play against 9 other guys. He lost on the first hole, but we still had fun and Payton was so good. She loved riding in the golf cart and being outdoors. She doesn't, however, that the gallery is supposed to be quite when the golfers are preparing to take their shots. Oops!

Sunshine

2008-07-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

Independence

2008-07-07T20:39:00.000-04:00

We had a great 4-day weekend (yes, 4,) since we took Thursday off to work on our house. However, that resulted in jinxing ourselves. A huge storm blew in Wednesday night and we found ourselves cleaning up the water damage in the basement that night and the next day. But Scott was able to get our new tub/shower surround in on his day "off." We're trying to get our house on the market in hopes of buying a new one. I know, wishful thinking in this economy.

We spent our Fourth of July making stops at various parties. We went on the lake for a bit on Corey's boat to watch some of the airshow. Payton mostly just slept on me the minute the boat started moving and almost the whole time we were out there. She did dip her toes in the water though with her Daddy.

Then we visited my boss and his wife - Team Bisson - for a while. They have two girls, just one year and 2 days a part, and then their friends were in town with their 2-year-old son and a 7-month old daughter. Molly made a rocking good dinner and the best ice cream cake that I can't wait to get the recipe for. Payton enjoyed watching the big kids play and laugh and she even got to play in Isabelle's super pimped out exer-saucer. Team Bisson even sent us home with some baby stuff - a nice highchair and a bath seat. They are such nice people and it was fun to have a few beers, kick back and relax.

We then made our way over to the Deloofs where the boys, err husbands, sat outside and lit off some fireworks. Not a bad show, but Missy Payton and I watched it from inside because we were getting tired. She was so good all day long and such a trooper. I'm always worried when we push ourselves and extend her beyond her routine or schedule. But she partied like a rock star with the best of us. She was about the cutest damn thing you've ever seen her patriotic bikini and bonnet.

Pivot

2008-07-06T19:12:00.005-04:00

Payton has this new thing where she likes to get up on one side, put her weight on that elbow and move around in circles. She's really starting to get around the living room now. She's doing this "army" crawl thing where she pulls herself along by her arms and she inch-worms around too. It won't be long before she's really crawling. She's also eating cereal now by the spoon and we're slowing introducing other solids. Her firsts are carrots and bananas. We think her teeth might be bothering her as well, as she is drooling a lot, sleepy and fussier lately.

Here's a series of photos from the other night when she was doing 360-turns around, all while pivoting on that one elbow.

Fatherhood

2008-06-16T11:34:00.005-04:00

In honor of Scott's first Father's Day, Payton and I went shopping to get him a gift and decided upon new golf shoes. It's been kind of a joke in our family, considering how much I love shoes, that I bought him just that. Kind of like the husband who buys his wife a bowling ball. He always gets me something electronic and gadgety (this laptop, an mp3 player, a jump drive, digital photo frame) because that's him and that's what he knows.

So in my attempt to not just "get" him something, but to make a lasting memory, I worked some technical magic and produced this video. It's not perfect, in fact I don't know why but when I uploaded it here the music ends before the slides and that's not the case on the video I made for him. Disappointing, but let it play out.

His computer geekness is contagious. Turn up your voumn and break out the Kleenex...

Amigas

2008-06-12T21:24:00.006-04:00

Misha and Alexandra made a visit on the weekend while traveling through the Midwest to see friends and family. First we met at Target, because, well who doesn't love Target. Then they came over to the house to hang out and stayed for dinner. Alexandra was really digging Payton and enjoyed holding her. She even helped out quite a bit by feeding Payton a bottle and assisting (observing) a poopy diaper change. It was great to see Misha and Alexandra. It's been awhile, but the nice thing was that it was just like old times. I guess that's the definition of good friends. No matter how long it's been since you last saw each other, it doesn't seem like that much time has passed. Of course, time seems to fly these days and seeing how quickly kids grow and change makes that even more apparent.

Here are a few pictures I took of Alexandra (6.5 years) and Payton (4.5 months):

Rolling

2008-06-12T21:07:00.004-04:00

Since there is no better way to describe Payton's ability to now roll over, both from tummy to back and back to tummy, I am attempting to display her newfound skills with a video. This video was taken about a week ago, so she since has mastered the manuever and is making it look even more effortless now. In fact, just about every time you lay her down for diaper changing or bed, she rolls right over to her tummy.

It took forever to upload so it might take awhile for you to view it as well. Be patient (that includes you, Dad).

Enjoy!

Uncles

2008-06-09T21:10:00.002-04:00

We visited my family in Illinois two weekends ago for my brother's graduation. This was Matt's first time meeting his niece. I think she's pretty cute, but you should've seen them with her. All the boys better watch out, as these Uncles are going to be quite protective.

Superstar

2008-05-28T08:41:00.000-04:00

Needn't say much here. Papa Steve bought these shades for Payton today and she rocked them for a bit. She's ready for her close-up!

Grandpa

2008-05-27T20:38:00.000-04:00

No one puts Payton to sleep like her Papa Steve. My Dad is visiting us right now from Florida. Other than him complaining a bit about the cold weather, he is enjoying hanging out with his girls. He holds Payton, talks, cuddles, rocks, feeds and loves her to pieces. Grandpa spent the day with us Saturday while we went to Sears for Payton's 4-month portraits. They turned out fantastic and I can't wait to share them.
It's really cute to watch my Dad with Payton. He said she really reminds him of me as a baby.

Cliffhanger

2008-05-25T21:32:00.007-04:00

Oops. I guess I should be more careful about ending on a ...

I didn't know it would elicit such a response. Really, I don't have HUGE news of any sort. No, not pregnant again. No, not moving. No, not changing jobs.

I was just thinking the other day about all the great things to celebrate right now. The big news isn't so much mine, but the joys of others.

Pestows - Liz and Luke's family is expanding as she recently learned she is expecting baby number 3 in her family! Ethan and Abby will be great big brother and big sister to this newest addition and I'm sure the Weirs are overjoyed too.

Greenes - Welcome Henry Luke Greene, the big bundle of joy that joined Eric, Julie and Isaac on May 21. With a labor that lasted less than 3 hours, Julie is the envy of many a mother and such a trooper!

Matt - My brother graduates from high school on Saturday. It's hard to believe that my baby brother is growing up and heading to college this fall. He is such an overachiever. Not just one, but two state championships in football, as well as accolades in basketball and track on top of being a 4.0 student and working a part-time job. He's a great kid who's growing into an even greater man.

Payton - She is growing leaps and bounds right now. Seriously. She's learning so much and developing so quickly lately. Some big milestones are taking place now, like rolling over (That is our big news), holding her bottle (see photo above), and possibly teething. I'll be sure to post more on those soon. Payton just had an incredible week - sleeping through the night almost always now, such a mild-mannered joy during the day and her cuteness kills me. I can't hardly believe she's our baby. A-dor-able!

Motherhood

2008-05-22T12:32:00.006-04:00

My first Mother's Day will always be extremely special to me. Scott & Payton went all out. Payton made me something at school. It's a picture of me holding her (taken by the daycare teachers) and a poem that reads:

Mommy, I love you for all that you do
I'll kiss you and hug you
Cause
you love me too
You feed me and need me
To teach you to play
So smile because I love you
This Mother's Day

Next to the poem are her two little handprints and then the entire thing is laminated. I have it hanging in my office now.
I woke early that morning, well Payton woke me early that morning, and then she and Daddy gave me my cards. Scott wrote some very nice, sentimental thoughts about bringing the best most special things into our lives and Payton even signed her card about why a daughter needs a mom. Daddy helped her by printing a picture out of me holding Payton and attaching it to the card. After Daddy dressed Payton in her "MY MOM ROCKS" shirt (See photo), we went to breakfast at the Pancake House, followed up by a nap on the couch. Later, we ate dinner at the Jacobs.
It was a nice day, complimented by really nice gestures in cards from Dad, Mom, Donna and Misha. Thank you all!

I love being a mother and have really enjoyed my special little girl.

Rantings

2008-05-22T12:23:00.004-04:00

I apologize for not posting sooner. So much can happen in the span of two weeks, which is both the reason for not being able to post and regretfully not keeping up.
I returned from Columbus to find Payton and Daddy doing just fine, the house still standing and the Earth still oribiting on its axis. I missed them both very much but we made up for it during the weekend. Payton & I shopped that weekend for formula, a couple outfits, etc. and whatever else we could find deals on with the coupons I had for Babies 'R' Us. I thougt I'd give Daddy a break that day and let him do whatever he wanted, which resulted in him filling the ginormous hole in the backyard.
Then Sunday, that was my very first Mother's Day and it was very special. I could write a whole post on that, and still will, but it was a great day and I'm so blessed.
Work has been keeping me extremely busy. That's a good thing. It makes the day fly by faster and distracts me so I don't miss Payton too much.
Last weekend I spent time in Chicago with my girlfriends - Jayna, Tamara, Lisa and Kim. It was hard to be away from Scott & Payton all weekend but they did great once again. Payton even stayed overnight at Grammy Jacob's house so Scott had a night to himself.
So, my dad arrives today from Florida and will be staying through next weekend. We're pretty busy these days so I'll try to keep posting as much as possible.
Plus, I have big news...

Absence

2008-05-10T21:23:00.002-04:00

I just spent a night away from Payton for the first time since her birth. The opening of a new Starr program in Columbus, Ohio meant an overnight stay for me. I wasn't too worried about leaving Daddy and Payton together; I knew he'd do great and she was in very capable loving hands. Really, he does so much anyway on a daily basis with taking Payton to and from daycare and caring for her for a couple hours before I get home from work. Scott is an awesome Daddy and husband.
I was worried, however, because I had to get Payton around Thursday morning and take her to daycare before I went to work because Daddy was sick. I was worried about him after he slept for almost 24 hours straight. But he's better now.
Payton has been a good girl the past couple nights, and slept all night long last night. Well, she woke at 4:30 AM but only needed help with her paci and a couple reassuring pats on the belly before falling back asleep until about 6 AM. Then after she ate, we took a small snooze in Mommy & Daddy's bed. I wanted to cuddle with my lil' punkin after being away for a couple days. I really really missed her!

3-month Puppy Pic

2008-05-04T21:04:00.006-04:00

It's very hard to believe how quickly Payton is growing. It sometimes felt like time stood still during pregnancy, but it seems to fly by now that we're parents. These first few months have come and gone and I can honestly say they have been some of the most challenging yet rewarding times. Payton has blessed our lives and brought us so much purpose and joy! I especially really enjoy watching her and her Daddy bond. Not only is he a great husband, but watching Scott become a terrific father has been so heartwarming. I heard him and another guy talking the other day about having daughters and he said "hook, line and sinker" he fell in love with her.

To me, Payton seems to be growing leaps and bounds, but in all reality she's just a petite little baby doll right now. She weighs about 12 pounds and is about 24.5 inches long. Her eyes are still blue and she only has bits of peach fuzz for hair. Part of me can't wait for the days when she's toddling around and beginning to talk, and the other part of me wishes I could keep her my baby doll forever. No matter what, she'll always be our "punkin pie."

Here she is with her puppy. You can scroll back a ways to see a previous post where she was 1-month and 2-months. You can really tell here how much she has grown and that she really wants to sit up. She's nearly sitting up all by herself.

Recovering

2008-05-04T20:41:00.004-04:00

Payton and I are feeling much better. We both still have a cough but I think we're on the upside of this cold now. I went to Urgent Care on Friday morning because I couldn't take it anymore and I had little sleep the night before. Payton slept much better, waking only once around 3AM for a bottle, but I couldn't sleep because I was hacking my lungs out. Then, Urgent Care was anything but. They took for-ev-er (yes, I break down syllables as if to emphasize the 2 hours of my life I'll never get back). The doctor sent me home with 4 prescriptions - cough syrup, nasal spray, antihistamine and antibiotic.
It's too bad Payton had to suffer through without the aid of drugs, but she seems to be doing a lot better. She's still a little congested at night and coughing, but her demeanor and sleeping have improved. I can take waking once a night.
Daddy took the night feeding last night while I was knocked out on the cough syrup. Did I mention it has codeine? Whew. One teaspoon of that and I'm a goner. In fact, I was still groggy this morning after Payton woke at 6:30AM so she & I snoozed on the couch for, get this - 3 HOURS!! Apparently Daddy thought we were cute....
We were getting our beauty rest, but by the looks of it I need to keep sleeping.

Bubbilcious

2008-05-02T17:45:00.002-04:00

I need some humor right about now. The past week has been a tough one with my cold, and Payton being ill and getting absolutely NO sleep because of it. Plus I think being back to work full-time is catching up with me. So when I get home from work I talk pretty crazily to Payton and do some silly stuff. That happened to extend over into bathtime last night.

PJ is usually good about taking baths and seems to enjoy them. She gets pretty sleepy afterward, which is a good thing. We only do baths a couple nights a week, because she really doesn't get all that dirty and we don't want to dry out her skin. But as she gets bigger and more mobile, we'll probably do a bath every night.

Original

2008-05-01T09:16:00.004-04:00

A friend sent this email to me where you can check out how many other "yous" there are in the United States. In other words, how many other people share your name.

For me, I am one of 16 others sharing a name in this country.

However, Payton is one of a kind!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Sickness

2008-04-26T13:57:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the germ-infested world of daycare. Where viruses have no mercy and bacteria cling to every imaginable surface like fleas to a dog.
I started feeling sick on Thursday, April 17, but have trying to suffer through it. Strike One.
Then Payton spent her first entire week at daycare last week. Strike two.
I don't know if there was Strike Three but she & I are both pretty down and out with this cold. It's so heartbreaking to hear how congested she is and then she gags and coughs because that snot is running down her throat. We've tried it all - humidifier, vaporizer, sitting in steam-filled bathroom, saline spray, bulb syringe, etc. A visit to the pediatrician yesterday resulted in a little peace of mind but not much in the way of how to help her. Basically, a thanks for coming and give me your $20 copay.
We're not getting ANY sleep either. So much for the sleeping through the night. We're lucky to get 2 hours and that's because we propped Payton upright in pillows and placed her between us in our bed.
Oh, the glory days of parenthood. The snotty, crusty, runny, snorty glory days!

Attitude

2008-04-24T20:09:00.007-04:00

The look explains it all. This was taken while Grandma Kathy was visiting (that's her hand) and the day after Payton got her shots. It was a bit bright outside and she wasn't feeling all that great.

Despite that look of

"Mom, you really need to leave me alone and get that damn camera away from me,"

I absolutely love this picture.

I'm sure this won't be the last time we see this look.

Piggies

2008-04-24T20:08:00.001-04:00

I don't know why, but I'm apparently obsessed with feet. You already know that I LOVE shoes. My Dad often called me Imelda Marcos, who was widely known for her vast shoe collection.

And now Payton already has inherited that trait. She has probably 15 pairs of shoes of various sizes, including Ugg-like boots, sneakers, dressy shoes and sandals.

But my favorite thing is nibbling on Payton's toes and playing with her bare feet. I swear this child was born with huge feet. That was something many people noticed about her - long fingers and big feet.

I can only assume that she'll grow into those big feet someday and be tall. She's already taking after me with the shoes, so she'll hopefully inherit my height too!

Sleeping

2008-04-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

There's nothing sweeter than cuddling with your baby when she falls asleep on you, except possibly putting her down in her crib for the night, kissing her and quietly exiting only to not return until 6 AM the next morning.

Payton started sleeping through the night (STTN) the same week she started daycare. Coincidence? I think not. She isn't taking very good naps at school (that's what we call daycare), but she is making up for it at night. We'll put her down around 8 PM and she STTN until 6 AM. Halleluah!! Just in time for me to return to work.

Her day goes a bit like this:
6 AM: Wake, change diaper and clothes, eat
6:30: Leave for school with Daddy
6:45-3:30ish: Play with school friends, go on walks, nap, learn new things
4: Go home with Daddy, play & snooze until Mommy comes home
5:30: Mommy gets home, playtime
7-8: Bath (if needed), eat, jammies and bedtime

Seriously. I'm scared to jinx us, but she is so perfect!!

And as I was often advised when Payton was first born, when the baby sleeps, so should you. GOOD NIGHT!

Sitting

2008-04-22T19:26:00.004-04:00

Payton is getting the urge to sit up. When propped up on the couch in her Boppy pillow, she always lifts her head and shoulders and lunges forward like she wants to sit. She likes to grab onto your fingers and pull herself up. Sometimes she even pulls herself up and pumps her leg to stand up. It's crazy how much she likes to stand too for how young she is.

She is a very good "supported sitter" already. Here, she is pictured in one of those Bumbo seats. It's made of foamy cushiony plastic and has a high back to help support her neck. It even comes with a detachable tray, but we don't use that yet.

Fishy

2008-04-22T19:11:00.001-04:00

It's a beautiful day out - a lovely 71 degrees and sunny - but I elected to stay in at lunch today. There's plenty for me to do to get caught up, but I've nearly got my voicemail, email and snailmail all sorted and cleaned up.

I usually enjoy going out to lunch but dwindling finances and an expanding waistline were encouragement enough to not. I quickly lost all the baby weight while nursing, but since we've stopped it seems to be finding me again.

So I pop a Lean Cuisine into the microwave for lunch and while reading the box, made a frightening discovery. My grilled chicken caesar bowl, with only 7g fat and 240 calories, has a list of ingredients on the side, two of which are fish. What?
Yes, in bold under the list of ingredients I see:
CONTAINS: MILK, SOY, PERCH, TALAPIA, WHEAT INGREDIENTS

Apparently radiatore, fancy name for the spiral pasta they use, is flavored with the gelatin of fish. First I didn't know what radiatore was now I learn it is made with fish jello? Gross. There is no mention of this anywhere on the top/front of the box. I wonder what would happen if someone had a fish allergy?
I should've just went out to lunch.

Work

2008-04-22T12:23:00.002-04:00

Because we're not independtly wealthy or related to Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, or any of 'dem dere Wal-Mart folks, I had to go back to work.

Yesterday was my first day back at Starr, and really everything went pretty well. I of course cried the night before and the morning of, but I made it through the day without sitting under my desk sobbing. Scott emailed me to tell me he checked on Payton, said she hadn't ate much, then the worrying began. I even thought about telling Scott to take the digital camera to work so that he could email me pictures of her everyday. I know, right? Separation anxiety, I guess, and despite all my worries, Payton seems to be doing just fine at daycare.

I guess my concern really lies in the fear that I won't be able to balance everything I want to be - an awesome Mom, a devoted wife, a great friend, driven professional, douting daughter, supportive sister, etc. etc. I may be just a bit OCD in wanting everything to be in order, including my life.

And because you'll probably look, indeed I posted this while at work. On my lunch. During which I made an interesting discovery .... more on that later.

Checkup

2008-04-19T10:30:00.004-04:00

Aside from the drama of the immunizations, Payton had a great 2-month checkup with the doctor. She weighed in at 11 lbs. 10 oz. (75th percentile) and 23.5 inches long (90th percentile). Basically the pediatrician said that she's is growing well and is a healthy, happy baby. The happy part comes from her being in a great mood and very playful during her time at the doctor's office. Payton is doing well on the formula and the doctor didn't at all make me feel the least bit guilty about weaning from breastfeeding. He also said we probably can start taking her off the Zantac as it appears that she might be outgrowing the GERD (reflux).
As Payton approaches her third month, I have to say she has been a great baby during the past few weeks, which have been filled with a lot of new things for us. She has responded very well to weaning, taken to formula well (even to the point that she appears to eat better than when nursing), gone to daycare, began sleeping through the night and overall has just been the best baby any parents could ask for. We love her so much and are truly blessed!

Relaxing

2008-04-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

Shhh, Payton is sleeping. In fact, she's been sleeping A LOT since her shots yesterday. She did quite well, that is after she turned purple and screamed at the top of her lungs. And Mommy sobbed big fat tears. It was awful to watch her experience pain like that. But she quickly regained her composure and fell asleep in her car seat. We then went to lunch with Grandma Kathy and Charles and she was very good there too. Once home she rested for a bit but woke up and got pretty fussy. She had a fever and got her first doze of Tylenol, which helped bring the fever down and calm her nerves a bit.

Me? I had a couple Bud Lights to calm mine.

She slept through the night again (more on that later) and woke very hungry this morning, drinking up 6 ounces. But now she's right back to sleep.
It's hard knowing that she doesn't feel well.

Shots

2008-04-18T08:56:00.004-04:00

Today is going to be hard. I'm getting ready to take Payton to the doctor for her 2-month checkup and immunizations. They're a little behind schedule as she'll already be 11 weeks this Sunday, but it's not like I'm in any hurry to have her get the shots. It's going to break my heart to see her scared and in pain. Perhaps she's got a really high pain tolerance and this won't hardly even phase her. Who knows. It's probably going to be more difficult for me than her. Daddy doesn't even want to go with since he can't hardly stand the sight of needles anyway.

She's just going to need a little of this:

And Mommy will need a little of this:

Ewok

2008-04-17T12:28:00.004-04:00

It's been a nice week here in BC as the weather has taken a turn toward warmer. Of course, it would do this just as I'm about to return to work. Payton has been going to daycare a bit last week and more so this week to get her & I adjusted to our new reality. But I've also wanted to spend as much time with her as possible so I go pick her up and bring her home so we can do fun stuff like take walks and hang out outside. The other day we went for a walk but there was still quite a chill in the air so I had her all bundled up like a pink Ewok and we strolled around the neighborhood for a while. She enjoys her stroller and was such a good baby. She didn't really sleep, just chilled and enjoyed her peaceful, relaxing day with Mom.

Puppy

2008-04-16T21:26:00.005-04:00

No, we didn't get a new dog. Are you kidding? Like that's wise while adjusting to life with a newborn.
Aunt "Winnie" bought Payton a ginormous stuffed dog and told us we should take pics with Payton weekly next to the puppy so that we can track and compare her growth. We began doing this with Payton on week one and every week thereafter until she hit 8 weeks. Now we'll start doing it monthly.
But I've included two "Puppy Pics" here so you can see how fast our little Payton is growing.

This is from Week 1

And this is from Week 8

Stay tuned for her 3 month Puppy Pic.

comeback

2008-04-16T08:10:00.004-04:00

Yeah, it's been while. Too long really. But we've been a little busy.

A summary of 2007 goes like this: Dana left the Enquirer to go to work for Starr Commonwealth, a wonderful children and family services nonprofit. We found out we were expecting just months after I started this brand new career, and also just days before my 30th birthday! We celebrated our second anniversary in Minneapolis with Lockridge (Dude, are you still alive?) and his fiancee in June, camped and canoed the Pine River in late July, went to a Tigers game in August, and tried to do as much as we could handle while I was pregnant and before parenthood would change our lives, not to mention weekends, forever.

Scott enjoyed many rounds of golf up at Riverside Country Club, where were members, and he and Schlatter enjoyed many rounds of drinks while playing the Member Guest tourney in July. He also redeemed his first anniversary present and played Arcadia Bluffs up north, but the weather sucked. He's still working at the Federal Center in charge of the Helpdesk.

We also began talking seriously about moving to a new house. That's until the economy totally tanked and houses are not only losing value, but sitting on the market with little hope of selling. Two mortgages is not a risk we can take.
So we're still in our happy little home, with some updates. We finally painted the kitchen and replaced the floor, and of course, we needed a nusery so the spare bedroom became the baby's room.

Our families - My Dad moved to Florida in October. He's living just north of Tampa and seems to be enjoying it much more than here. We had an awful winter so he moved just in time. Not much new with my Mom. She just tries to keep up with my busy brothers. Matt and his football team won State again and Seth moved to his own apartment in Dekalb.

Scott's dad had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in February. That was pretty scary. He's doing much better now and Scott's mom continues to care for him and everyone else.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

If

2006-05-05T13:58:00.000-04:00

If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would.
My friends and I have debated about this - given the chance, would you go back to high school? While many of my pals have said 'No way,' I would do it in a heartbeat. I'd certainly change some things about my high school years, but thinking about those days make me wish that life was as easy again. Worries mostly revolved around what to wear to school, who is fighting with whom, what to do on the weekends mixed with anxiety about tests and research papers. I was a decent student who enjoyed the principle of learning something new everyday. It all seemed to come so naturally.
That's not always the case with my brother, Seth, who graduates May 27 from Plano High School. His ceremony is on my birthday, which is pretty cool, but I don't understand why a school would plan graduation on Memorial Day weekend. Don't they know I'm supposed to be up north camping at Silver Lake?
Seth's a good kid. He's served as a captain of the football team (which went to the state finals, by the way) and he works his butt off. He makes decent grades, although I think he could try harder sometimes. But that's only because I want the best for him.
We don't come from a well-to-do family. In fact, graduating from high school is a milestone not everyone in our family has celebrated. And the next step in furthering his education, college, is an opportunity few in our family were afforded. Except me.
I remember being in college and going to vist my mom and brothers a few times. I recall a time when I showed up with a backpack full of homework. My brothers were amazed by the books and the notes filling the pages of my folders. They were awed by the amount of homework that's involved in college. I hoped it wouldn't deter them too much.
We didn't grow up in the same household. My brothers don't attend the same high school I graduated from 11 years ago. I could tell them how to prepare for a biology test with Mr. Ruble and tips on acing mastery tests with Mrs. Kane, but it wouldn't do them any good (plus, both those teachers have since retired).
But what I can do is to serve as a positive role model in their lives. I can tell them how to choose Community College courses smartly, how to transfer those credits over to a four-year university and how important it is that they get their degrees. There's a million excuses they could use to hold themselves back. But our lives have constantly revolved around excuses and I WILL NOT let them take the easy way out.

Where did you go?

2006-05-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

I've got a list of blogs I frequent, many of which I just happened upon one day of boredom. I've learned a lot of about a group of people that I know only because of what they have revealed about themselves in their blogs.
I know Heather at dooce.com has one of the cutest daughters in the world, great photography skills and that we share a problem with constipation (sorry, TMI).
I know that Magazine Man seems to be a great husband, a wonderful father and is adored by hundreds of readers. He is an incredible story teller whom I admire greatly.
I know my friends away from town, both the Weiss and Gardner families, are settling well into thier new digs in new towns. I miss them all and wish we could see each other more. Thankfully we have this thing called blogging to keep us connected.
I also know that one of the blogs I enjoy reading, is from Sex, Sports and The Single Guy. I scrolled down my list of bookmarked blogs only to find that his no longer exists. I'm curious if The Teacher (the girlfriend) found out about his blog. I want to know what happened?
How nosy is that?

Sick day

2006-04-25T19:24:00.000-04:00

I saw the doctor today. Kind of a weird week, I've had. I nearly passed out last week after working 13 straight hours. Came home, talked to Scott, tried to get a drink of water and about fainted.
Then I felt like crap for 2 days - bad headache, weak, dizzy, extremely tired.
So Scott urged me to see the doctor, and unlike when I suggest he go, I went.
I have strep throat.
How weird is that? I made the appointment last Thursday and in the meanwhile developed a sore throat, but nothing too intolerable. The Dr. looked in my right ear and throat and quickly made the diagnosis. He also thinks the spell and strep are related.
So I tried to work after the appointment but got sent home. This stuff is spreading quickly, I guess, and many of my coworkers expressed the desire for me to leave.
Apple juice and antibiotics. I'm trying to write my stories for work from home.
Now, we just need a new laptop so I can blog, I mean work, from the couch.

The City by the lake

2006-04-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's another Chicago post. Scott and I hooked up with Lockridge while he was in Chitown for business. Great weather, great food, great (too many) cocktails.
Swinger's got a crazy, hectic schedule so when the chance comes to hang out with him, we take it. He's a good friend.

My kind of town

2006-04-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

At the end of March, I got the chance to spend a weekend in Chicago with the girls. We're all married and a few of the girls have chitlins. We were getting away for a couple days of fine dining, drinking, dancing and shopping. We had a blast and I'm so fortunate to spend good times with good people. I think we all bonded quite a bit during our weekend away (not like that, pervs).

It's something I hope we continue to do as a yearly tradition. And I hope more girls can come along. No matter what's going on in our lives, we need to make time for this. Yeah, that's the good stuff.

Nooker booder butts

2006-04-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile, but not saying anything doesn't seem right either. These pictures were taken just after we found out that Nanook had lymphoma. We tried to cuddle, play ball, give him lots of treats and spoil the crap out of him because we knew his days were numbered.
I remember when I met Scott and he had this great dog. Hairy, but cute and fun. And he (Nanook not Scott) seemed to know all the commands - sit, shake, gentle. He was Scott's buddy and at times I felt like Nanook didn't like me. He'd even get jealous when Scott and I cuddled and kissed.
But we grew to love each other.
And it was the hardest thing we've ever done, saying goodbye to him. On March 20, 2006, we had to put Nanook to sleep. He had such a long, loving, fun life. He was the king around here - he knew it, we knew it. But the king has left the building.
We miss him dearly.

Seriously?

2006-04-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

Seriously!
I've changed the heading up there on the masthead, finally. And for a few reasons.
One is to reflect that this is and should be a place for Scott & I to update what's going on in our lives. Although I realize it's primarily going to be up to me to do the updating.

Also, kudos to anyone who knows what or who said the quote above. HINT: It's an ode to one of my favorite TV shows.
It also completely summarizes the way I have felt about life for a few years. I can remember graduating from college, and being sad because I knew my future would not involve working for my entire life. Nothing but working 40 hours a week until retirement to look forward to. Congratulations, here's your degree. Have fun going to work everyday.

Nothing drives this home more than the fact that my two teenage brothers remind me what it was like to be a carefree high school kid living off the parents. Granted, I've been working since I was 15 when I started a part-time gig as a hostess at Chi-Chi's. And, like me, they do a pretty good job at holding their own. But I know that feeling of anticipation. That eagerness to be an adult. I couldn't wait to grow up and not be under the thumb of my parents.

Now I realize how nice it would be to go back. I know I can't make it stop, but at least I can tell my brothers to slow down.

Watch out Windy City!

2006-03-31T10:15:00.000-05:00

You can take the girl out of the city, but not the city out of the girl.
There is this feeling I get every time I see the Chicago skyline. It's my favorite city (not that I've been to hundreds of metropolitan areas long enough to know if they are worthy of such admiration), and I seriously feel so at home when I get there.
Having grown up on the outskirts of "The City," as we would call it, I have been to Chicago hundreds of times. Memories include hitting museums with my dad, New Year's Eve parties with Scott and friends, my bachelorette party, Christmas shopping and hitting the town with Mike & Molly, and many more.
More memories are to be made this weekend as myself and five other married girlfriends are heading to Chi-town for what should be a wild and crazy time.
I'm calling it the first annual Desperate Housewives weekend.
Oh, yeah. There will be more.

I know, Sorry

2005-11-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

I had the best intentions of keeping up with this blog and trying to post several times a week, if not more often. I failed.

We have been so busy. House, work, house, work.....

We're just wrapping up one of the biggest projects we've ever tackled on our home. We sanded and refinished our hardwood floors. What a mess. But the outcome is beautiful. And since we took all our furniture out to do the floors, we figured we should paint while the rooms were empty. We don't know when or how to stop. Or, Scott might say, I don't know when to stop.

As for the painting - our room looks awesome. We choose a nice chocolately malt color. Love it. However, we weren't so happy with the finished product in the spare bedroom. What was supposed to be "Smoke Screen," turned out to be baby blue. I feel like I should paint clouds on the wall. But we are so sick of painting and living in the basement that it's going to have to stay that way for a while.

Meanwhile, Scott was promoted and I am looking at some added responsibilites that could lead to a promotion. We'll keep you posted.

Welcome Abigail!

2005-10-04T13:35:00.000-04:00

Gushing grandma Sheena called today to say the Napa Newbies (Liz, Luke and Ethan) welcome the newest addition to their family this morning.

Abigail Sarah Pestow was born Oct. 4, 2004. She was 6 lbs. 4 oz. at birth.

I can't wait to see pictures, which I post when I get some.

Congratulations!

the one where the season could be over

2005-09-12T17:14:00.000-04:00

As many of, at least those of us in the Midwest, are relishing in the last few days of summer, it seems like the season is coming to a fast closure. Too fast. There's still lawn work to do, boat rides to take and golf courses to challenge.
But, just as the fading of summer makes some weary and ready for respite, it gets others thinking about their favorite fall past time.
Football.
I'm a huge football fan, just ask my co-workers who I am competing against for the fourth season of fantasy football. I love pro football, college football (nothing beats a game at the Big House of U of M or Spartan Stadium) and even high school football.
Especially since I have two brothers (Seth and Matt) who play high school ball in Illinois. I'm a proud sibling of two Reapers football players. Seth, the older of the two, is a captain of the Varsity sqaud again. The team has played three games thus far, has 2-1 record, with one of those wins being against cross-town rivals.
So on Friday, those boys were playing the game of their lives when Seth dug deep, as linemen do, stepped back off the line and felt his knee - is rubber-banding a verb? It is to him.
He thinks he blew his knee out and is out for the rest of the season - his senior year season. Today, he's going to see an orthopedic doctor and we should know more later.
Football is just beginning, and like summer, could be ending much too soon.

Update

2005-09-08T15:18:00.000-04:00

Well, we finally got my ring back from the a-holes in NYC. We'll be taking it to a locally owned jewelry store to replace and repair the baguette diamond that fell out. Then, I probably should have my wedding band resized so I can actually wear that on the ring finger.

Wendi and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert a couple weekends ago, and again it was a blast. We found ourselves a life-sized cardboard cut out of singer. We made quite a scene with our cardboard Kenny.

For Labor Day weekend, we made it up to Silver Lake again to visit Donnie and Karri, and see our friends the (C)Rusts. It was a blast hanging out on the dunes all day, even if I was stung by a bee earlier in the day. Allergic, yes? But, not a bad reaction.

Scott has been working a lot, and is not too fond of the job. A couple months ago, things were going well, but since the new contractor, the place is a mess. No one knows what's going on.

My job? Well, work is work. I must admit anytime that there is an event that takes over national and local media, such as Hurricane Katrina, I feel this renewed interest in being a journalist.

God speed to the victims of Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

Give A Little Bit
Supertramp

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share
Send a smile and show you care

I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me

See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be surprised

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you

Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home

Going home...
Don't you need to feel at home?
Oh yeah, we gotta sing

Damn denim

2005-08-31T10:26:00.000-04:00

this week's column -

It's that bittersweet time of year again.

It's when the mornings are cool but the days still linger of summer. It's when you can almost smell the faint aroma of apples and pumpkins in the air. It's when you swap out the khaki shorts for a pair of denim instead.

There's something comforting about slipping back into your favorite pair of jeans.

That is, unless you dread trying to squeeze back into those jeans that have been hanging in the closet all summer. For some women, this is a dreaded moment.

Will they fit? Can I get them past my thighs? How does my butt look in these?

What was your favorite pair of jeans last year could easily become a donation to Goodwill this year.

All the recent fall advertisements are running rampant with specials on jeans in all the latest trends.

Rhinestones on the pockets. Faded washes. Tethered hems as to look like you've been dragging them on cement.

So, do you spend the extra money for the brand that makes your back side look best, or stick with the traditional, never-out-of-style pair?

I'm pretty sure men and women will answer this differently.

A friend asked me to go to a denim customizing event near Detroit this weekend and I agreed. Then I read the fine print. A group of celebrity stylists and fashion designers will help you make your jeans unique with any $75 denim purchase.

So, I have to pay that much for a new pair of jeans only to proceed to tearing them up, distressing them and otherwise making them look old?

The things we'll do for the perfect pair of jeans. These better last more than one season.

Then & Now

2005-08-21T22:23:00.000-04:00

Because we have a bunch'o lame asses in our class, Lakeview High class of '95 was not able to hold a 10-year reunion. Instead, we just had a small, informal gathering at Ball Joint Sports Bar on Friday. They're usually called mixers, but really the most mixing going on was at the bar.

Of those who showed up, mostly everyone hung out with their same friends and grouped up with the same people they hung around during school.

But, it was fun. I wish more classmates would have shown up. I'm still surprised that we had such a low turnout, and I know there's lot of people still in the area.

Oh, well. Kim and I had a good time hanging out and chatting it up with some old friends.

Hopefully, we can have a 20-year reunion. Kim told me she nominates moi for organizing a 15-year get together with dinner and everything. It would be nice, but I don't even think people will want to do it then.

CONSUMER ALERT

2005-08-19T14:26:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's the journalistic instinct in me, or the fact that I'd hate to see another couple go through the shit we've encountered with this place.
I mentioned in a previous entry that the jeweler that we got my engagement ring said they'd fix my ring for free.

Off the ring went, encased in a jewelry box, surrounded by a well insulated envelope and shipped in a box. We got confirmation that it arrived in New York, but we wanted to hear from the jeweler that they got it.

Here's what we got:

"Hi.
Yes we got it.
You said: "Today, a small baguette diamond fell out of its setting and cannot be found" well - Even it it fell out just like that - after all this time it is the Insurance responsibility not ours but we wanted to show you good faith and therefore agreed to repair it for free. However - The ring you sent us is so badly bent that it looks like a truck went over it. This was totally untruthful and disrespectful. Where is your shame people?? where is your fear of god and honesty?
You need to send us a check for $200.00: $50.00 for shipping and insurance and $150.00 for the stone or we send it back (but you still need to send the $50) while filing a fraud complaint against you.
Shame on you! How low can you go? When you buy a car and you hit a wall becase you are drunk - do you send the car back to Ford and blame them?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DON'T EVER PURCHASE FROM ROMANCING THE STONE, OR RTS, INC., IN NEW YORK.

If fire could shoot my nostrils and ears right now, I swear. The ring was never bent. It was on my friggin finger until the day I noticed the stone missing. If this place was here and not in NY, I would be in their faces all day.

Don't mess with a woman and her diamonds.

What a wicked game to play

2005-08-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

Our neighbor invited me to golf with her a couple week's ago up at Riverside Country Club for ladies' night. I rushed home from work to change into a sleeveless collared shirt and shorts. It was so damn hot and muggy that day that we were uncertain if we'd even get past the first hole.
So, off we go in our putzy little electric cart. We head down a steep hill to the first tee box and I'm ready to play.
Mind you, I've only golfed twice this summer prior to this night. Once with Scott at Cedar Creek, where I shot a 61 on the front 9, and once with my dad at Cedar Farms, coming in with 49 on the first 9. Scott was scoring very generously considering I might have lost two balls in the water on the third hole. I call No. 3 at Cedar Creek my nemesis. And, I'll take the good score at Cedar Farms, but it's also an extrememly easy course - wide open, no water. That's my style.
But, as Jayna and I get ready for what turned into the longest, hardest and most aggravating 9 holes of my life, I'm staring down a fairway that I've never played. I have no idea where I'm going and how to get there as I tee up my first ball. I've never played this course and it's about to play me.
As if a course has a life of its own, that damn big, green monster swallowed us alive that night. If I hit left, Jayna hit right. If I got in the rough, which happened a lot especially on No. 7, I stayed in the rough. There was no hope for us.
We teed off shortly after 6 p.m. and ventured into the clubhouse at almost 9. It really shouldn't take 3 hours to play 9, but we managed it.
Inside, we sat down for dinner and a few drinks and our husbands joined only to humor us as we told them how terribly we played. I quickly became tired, and it's no wonder considering I probably swang the club about 100 times that day.
I left the course that night knowing a few things. I hate this game, I love this game, I hate this game. I can play better, I have played better. I will play better.

Now announcing

2005-08-09T17:30:00.000-04:00

Our wedding announcement was in the BCE paper last week.

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words

2005-08-08T13:13:00.000-04:00

Then we just posted a novel. Our wedding pictures are now available for viewing on Snapfish. That way you can view and order prints at your leisure, because I'm pretty tired of trying to figure out who wants what, and in what size and how I'm going develop all these.
There's like 500 pictures, so have fun.
Also, the formal shots taken after the ceremony are not here. There's about 15 poses and we'll need to order those thru the photog.

So, if you want to see the pics at Snapfish, then e-mail me and I can invite you to the albums.

Jobby-Job

2005-08-04T17:56:00.000-04:00

Scott was offered a position by the new contractor and he will continue to work at the Federal Center. They'll pay him a bit less, but at least he's still employed.

Meanwhile, we need to continue working on work for my dad. He's applied and sent lots of resumes out, but no bites yet.

Keep your fingers crossed!

His future's so bright....

2005-08-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

It's pretty fair to say that like father, like son, Tony DeVito likes his cars.
Hopefully, he'll someday find a woman as wonderful and understanding as his own mother about the joys of multiple car ownership.

Over the River & Through the Woods

2005-08-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

My mom and I visited my grandmother this past weekend in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Never heard of it, you say? Don't worry, neither had I until my grandma remarried her ex-husband (they were divorced almost 25 years) and moved up there.

I left Friday morning to swing through Chicago-land and pick up my mom. She's not thrilled about highway driving so I continued to be the capitain. It should have taken about 4 hours to get to mom's (I can usually get there faster, but Chicago is construction hell right now), and then another 4 hours to g-ma's. It took us 6 hours, in part because we were a bit lost due to my grandma's fine directions. And, being in Madison, Wisc. at 5 o'clock Friday rush hour SUCKS!

But, Prairie Du Chien is a beautiful place. It sits on the Mississippi River, nestled between high bluffs and shaded valleys. A cool place where only about 5,000 live, but the population about doubles in the summer with campers, boaters and anglers hitting the river.

Needless to say, I'm pretty sick of driving now that I logged 1,000 miles in one weekend. Coming home was a little better and everyone, especially my grandma who was so "tickled" that we came to see her finally.

Napa Newbies

2005-08-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

The Pestows are online! Welcome to the world of online.

Liz Pestow liked the blog we started so much that she created one for her and her family. Good idea since they don't say put in one place very long.

Check out the Napa Newbies by clicking the title link.

It keeps getting better

2005-07-27T16:48:00.000-04:00

For some reason it seems like we've had an incredible spell of bad luck since getting married. Maybe it's like some divine way of saying 'hey, you guys found each other and you never need more than the love you share.'

Maybe it's a test to our perserverance, faith and committment.

Whatever is going on, I can't wait for the streak to end.

Since the wedding, I've lost a diamond in my ring, my dad lost his job, my brother Matt was in car accident and now there's a possibility that Scott could be jobless by next Friday.

Sorry if I seem grumpy lately.

Reunited and it feels so good

2005-07-25T12:44:00.000-04:00

BC Central High School held its 10-year reunion a few weeks ago. At least they had enough of a turn out to actually have their reunion.

I'm pretty disappointed that our class isn't interested in having a 10-year reunion. Maybe by 2015 we'll all be able to put whatever bent feelings we have about high school aside and finally reunite.

So, my cousin Shannon showed me how she started a blog for the class reunion. Check it out if you'd like.

bcchs1995.blogspot.com

Raindrops keep falling on my head

2005-07-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

It never rains in southern California, but the Pestows have moved. Now, Liz, Luke and Ethan are settling in at their new abode in Napa.

I don't know how much they get there, but it's been raining buckets here lately. Which, makes this pic of Lil E all the more fitting.

Former classmate found dead

2005-07-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

Just earlier today a mass e-mail went out from our class president that not only reminded us that our (Lakeview High class of '95) 10-year reunion is coming, but that if we don't get our arses in gear, we aren't even going to have a reunion.

I had a blast at my hubby's and so many people attended. I'd love to see that response for our reunion.

It seems just 8 people have RSVPed and that's so not enough to pay for the club rental, dinner, etc. So, I beat the drums. People, let's do this. Let's get together, catch up, GROW UP, and dwell on the wonder years.

Because, it's things like this that remind you of better days when there was so little to worry about. Click the title link to read the story.

Niecko is a big brother

2005-07-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Jay and Orianna Jacoby in BC. They welcomed their second child, a big baby girl, to the world on Thursday, July 14, 2005. They now have a son, Niecko, and newborn daughter, Evian.

Here's her stats:
Evian Helene Jacoby, 9 lbs 10 oz, 21" long

You can see her online at Oaklawn's baby gallery. The password is nieckosbabysis

New kid on the blog

2005-07-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

I can't take credit for the clever title. It's Nick's wittiness.

I linked this entry to today's column in WOW. Take a look at it by clicking on the clever title. I mention my new hobby of keeping a blog and how I have a few favorites I read daily.

Don't look at my picture, though. It's old and horrible. My hair is longer, blonder now and my eyes don't normally look glazed over and jaunting like that. Someday I'll get the photogs at work to shoot a new mug.
Someday

Learning as we go....

2005-07-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

This blog is a work in process and hopefully you guys will start catching on.

We're getting a little more creative with adding photos and linking our blog to other blogs we know, read and sometimes find interesting.

It makes me feel a little bit of a computer geek working with the HTML, but it's kind of fun.

Tally

2005-07-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

We had a discussion at work today about whether or not men and women keep tallies when it comes to spending and personal wants.

For example, if she buys a new coat at $150, shouldn't he be able to spend the same? Or what if he wants to buy something that costs $500, should she be able to make a purchase of equal value for something she wants?

It's an interesting discussion as we are working out our joing finances. We know we want new bedroom furniture and we will do a few more projects on the house (sand the hardwood floors, paint and possibly tile the kitchen).

But, Scott wants things like new golf irons, joining Riverside CC and a big screen TV. So, if Dana were keeping tally, what would she want?

That's a lot of dough to throw toward shoes.

Good news, bad news

2005-07-18T17:24:00.000-04:00

The company from which we bought the engagement ring is going to replace the diamond and fix it for free!

Also, we have our wedding pictures back. They turned out great. There's a couple poses I wish we had got, but there's so much going on that I just forgot. But, I love the photos. we'd love to have a get together and share photos and will gladly pay for any photos you might have so we can add those to our scrapbook.

Thanks to Sara Brown for sending me her shots. Great stuff! And, also thanks to Wendi, who gave me some of her pics.

On the bad news side, my dad lost his job last week. He wasn't happy working for the gestapo-like boss he had anyway, so it's a bittersweet parting. Of course, it's hard for me to not feel badly since I know he just wrote a huge check for the wedding.

So, say a prayer for him that he gets through this storm and finds sunnier days, and a new job, soon.

thanks

So Hot in Herrrre

2005-07-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

Those who were there know that it was hotter than h-e-ll-o the day of wedding. But, you may not have heard that our bus lost it's air conditioner just a while after we boarded.

So hot that our brothers Seth and Jeff took a dip in the BC river when we stopped at the Kellogg House for pics. Molly joined them for a cooling off, too. We have pics, but not sure we should share those online.

Molly did send this pics today.

Are diamonds really forever?

2005-07-11T17:10:00.000-04:00

So we're enjoying married life and are busier than ever this summer.

But, there's a little bit of post-wedding stuff bothering me. Scott did his fair share when it came to wedding planning, but he doesn't have to do anything afterward.

Meawhile, I'm busy trying to change my name, get new credit cards, make changes to our insurance and benefits, etc.

Then, to make matters worse, I lost a baguette diamond from my engagement ring this morning. Nice!

What a way to start the week.

2005-07-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

Only Scott can manage to get one last photo op with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders before he ties the knot.

2005-07-09T15:19:00.000-04:00

If you can't have a good time at your own wedding, than forget it.

In other baby news.....

2005-07-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

Relax, we're not expecting already.
But, it just struck me how many of our friends are expecting children. We can't blame the water, though, since everyone lives all over the place.

Good luck to the rents-to-be:
Jay & Orianna Jacoby, probably delivering any minute in Battle Creek
Daren & Julie Burkett, expecting a girl in Brighton
Brian & Sara Grasseschi, expecting a girl in St. Louis
Steve & Christine Gardner, a girl in Battle Creek
Luke & Liz Pestow, expecting, but keeping it a surprise in Napa,California

Any others we don't know about? Keep us posted.

Another Weiss in the world

2005-07-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our friends Craig and Juliann Weiss who welcomed their second child into the world Thursday, July 7, 2005. The parents are formerly of Battle Creek and now live in Carpentersville, Illinois (just outside Chicago).

Baby girl Gwyneth Vi Weiss and Juli are doing well while dad Craig and big sister Olivia are getting ready for them to come home!

Here's what Craig said in his e-mail:
"For anyone debating on whether or not to have kids, the past 24 hrs. of my life reminded me again why "nothing else matters" as much as your family and how great a feel it is to bring life into this world," Craig Weiss.

Hola Amigos

2005-07-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

We're back from our honeymoon in wonderful Playa del Carmen, Mexico. For those not familiar, it's about one hour south of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula. We were directly west of the island of Cozumel, which we could see from the beach.

Aside from the obvious, we did absolutely nothing but relax the entire time. OK, so we got a little wasted once!

This was our life:
8 a.m. - wake up (yes, we can get up before noon)
9 a.m. - breakfast, make RSVP for dinner
10 a.m.- hit the beach, drink, swim, sunbathe, swim, drink
1 p.m. - lunch then hit the pool bar
2-4 p.m. - Siesta (naptime for non Espanol)
6 p.m. - walk around, go to Mexican shops, walk beach
8-10 p.m. - dinner
10- midnight - drinks, watch show, entertainemtn
midnight - Buenos noches

We did go parasailing on our last day there, which was awesome. We were up there at the same time and our boat captain slowed down enough to dip our feet in the water before taking off again! The view of the Caribbean was amazing.

Check out the link (Click HOLA AMIGO) to see the resort, RIU Palace - an all-inclusive that we would highly recommend.

We're official

2005-07-07T18:09:00.000-04:00

No more living in sin. OK, so maybe a little sin.

We had the most beautiful wedding on June 25, 2005, and are so excited that all our friends and family could celebrate the first day of our marriage with us.

Sorry it was so hot. I guess we can just be thankful the church didn't self-combust with all of us walking in it. But, at least we kept the ceremony short & sweet.

Thanks, everyone, for making our day even more special and memorable for us. We hope you enjoyed it!