that pretty much sums up how i'm feeling right now. you know what its like when you've entered a contest to win an awesome prize and you find out that you probably didn't win the prize but you're not 100% sure and the not knowing is just eating away at you? yep. that's how i feel right now. it sucks.
so to make myself feel a bit better, i'll share a funny tidbit about my brilliant gal: about a month ago, while biding time in home depot waiting for dada to pick out the perfect switch plates and other electronic devices, aubrey and i galloped around, looking for those warning signs that they place at the entrance to an isle that is closed off for safety reasons. these signs are usually equipped with a picture of a STOP sign, accompanied by the words "for your safety." (aaaah. the attorney in me smells liability...for your safety? hah! yeah right.) anyhoo...every time we came upon one of the signs i would stop in my tracks and put my hand up near aubrey's face and declare, "STOP! for...your...safety!" she thought it was hysterical.
recently, on our nightly walks around the village, we've noticed that aubrey will put her little pudgy hand up and say "STAH!" whenever we approach a stop sign. then she cracks up. isn't that so cute? i can't believe she remembers that day in home depot! she is, obviously, a lot smarter than i give her credit for. ; )
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
summertime photos
one of boopers favorite things to do these days is hang out in the back yard and splash around in her kiddie pool. i don't blame her, really. it's been so friggin' hot out! she really is a little fish...she LOVES the water! a future olympic swimmer, perhaps? we'll see.
new big things to report: boopers is getting very good at standing independently. she practices all the time. it won't be long before she takes her first steps! i'm giddy with excitement for her. (and a little nervous for me...i'm not prepared yet!) she has correctly referred to me as "mama," and pete as "dada." she also can woof woof like a dog on cue. she is soaking it all in these days...mimicing sounds, gestures, faces. i have to be more careful what i say around her!
and the garden is really starting to flourish! in addition to the daily cucumbers and lettuce we've been harvesting, we have zucchini ready to pick! soon the arugula will be ready and hopefully we'll have more peppers on the way. and lots of tomotoes. yum.
and before i forget, here is a picture of moi, with the new hair cut. so far, i'm lovin' it.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
recap of the week of jess
sadly, the week of jess is over. sigh. and what a week it was.
i was pretty swamped at work all week. just before my mini vacation was to commence, we got a new case and i was tasked with figuring out how to respond to an EEOC complaint in a very short time frame. i also spent most of my friday trying to settle my first case. not such a big deal, except that i had to deal with two other parties, not just one, and we were haggling over a rediculously small amount of money. yeesh. aggravating to say the least.
our trip to boston was fabulous, in spite of the 95 + degree temperatures. our hotel was gorgeous, comfortable and conveniently located. we had a wonderful view of boylston street and the hancock building from our room. nifty. we did some shopping in the morning and early afternoon. we walked around the north end in the evening. we enjoyed drinks at the hotel bar.
and of course, we ate. we had lunch here and dinner here. highly recommend the latter...their specialty is, naturally, seafood. we had oysters on the half shell and stuffed squash blossoms as an appetizer. i had sea scallops with linguine, lemon cream sauce, spinach and tomatoes as an entree; pete had truffle-crusted skate with grilled peaches and greens. very very good. nice atmosphere, too. i was not so crazy about the former, however. the food was alright, but overpriced for what it was. or so i thought.
it was nice to see my family, and aubrey did just fine on her night away from mama and dada. i haven't heard all of the details yet, but i'm sure grammie spoiled her rotten. (wink wink.)
now, back to reality. it has been pretty much non-stop rain since we got back to VT. things are growing well in the garden...we have a glut of salad greens at the moment, and the cucumbers are in full swing. i think we'll be making pickles soon. and, we have some baby zucchinis! so far so good, although two of them had slightly rotten blossoms on the ends that i plucked off. i hope they survive all of this wetness....
i was pretty swamped at work all week. just before my mini vacation was to commence, we got a new case and i was tasked with figuring out how to respond to an EEOC complaint in a very short time frame. i also spent most of my friday trying to settle my first case. not such a big deal, except that i had to deal with two other parties, not just one, and we were haggling over a rediculously small amount of money. yeesh. aggravating to say the least.
our trip to boston was fabulous, in spite of the 95 + degree temperatures. our hotel was gorgeous, comfortable and conveniently located. we had a wonderful view of boylston street and the hancock building from our room. nifty. we did some shopping in the morning and early afternoon. we walked around the north end in the evening. we enjoyed drinks at the hotel bar.
and of course, we ate. we had lunch here and dinner here. highly recommend the latter...their specialty is, naturally, seafood. we had oysters on the half shell and stuffed squash blossoms as an appetizer. i had sea scallops with linguine, lemon cream sauce, spinach and tomatoes as an entree; pete had truffle-crusted skate with grilled peaches and greens. very very good. nice atmosphere, too. i was not so crazy about the former, however. the food was alright, but overpriced for what it was. or so i thought.
it was nice to see my family, and aubrey did just fine on her night away from mama and dada. i haven't heard all of the details yet, but i'm sure grammie spoiled her rotten. (wink wink.)
now, back to reality. it has been pretty much non-stop rain since we got back to VT. things are growing well in the garden...we have a glut of salad greens at the moment, and the cucumbers are in full swing. i think we'll be making pickles soon. and, we have some baby zucchinis! so far so good, although two of them had slightly rotten blossoms on the ends that i plucked off. i hope they survive all of this wetness....
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
the week of jess continues...
hey! i have some pictures to post! not of aubrey's birthday, unfortunately. those are still stuck on my ancient computer. i do have some pics of her from the weekend, when we celebrated another little friend's first birthday.
here she is, riding on the bouncing horse we gave joey as a present. see how long her hair is getting? i think i might need to trim it soon. but i'm scared.
and here we are with said bouncing horse. this is me before i chopped all of my hair off. i'll try and post a pic of me with the new do soon.
and here she is yet again playing with the birthday boy. aren't they so cute? i can't believe how fast they are growing!
Monday, July 14, 2008
the week of jess
today is my birthday, hooray for me! having had a rediculously long string of bad birthdays (for example: last year i spent my 30th birthday moving from a spacious, clean and modern house to a teeny dirty apartment with a four-week-old infant) i have declared this week the week of jess. the week begins with me taking most of the afternoon off, getting my hair cut really short, enjoying a leisurely walk with baby and hubby, and having a little dinner out, and will culminate in an overnite trip to boston compete with a stay at a swank hotel and involving the consumption of much yummy food and spirits.
i think i deserve a good week. yep. i'll post again soon. hopefully with pictures.
i think i deserve a good week. yep. i'll post again soon. hopefully with pictures.
Friday, July 11, 2008
summer days and a plea for honey bees
hi hi.
i am very behind on posting these days. this is partly due to the fact that i've had little time to write, and partly due to the fact that i have had little time to deal with the million photos we've taken recently and that i want to post. we just bought an external hard drive to store our music/important files/photos, and until we get everything off our computer and organized, things just seem to take forever. not to mention that who wants to sit in front of a computer on a beautiful summer day? or evening? not me.
but things are fine at this end. aubrey is growing and cute as ever. she wants to gogogogogo and is a bit frustrated that she hasn't mastered independent walking yet. soon, i think. and an update on weaning: the "girls" are still a bit full, but not nearly as painful. and i haven't had to pump again since the last post. i think we're doin' okay.
the garden is growing nicely...we are harvesting lettuce daily and i think cucumbers will be next. however, i am a bit perplexed by my zucchini plants. they are growing well, and have lots of male flowers on them. but not a whole lot of female flowers. there are a few, but they aren't ripening into fruit yet.
harumph. zucchini should NOT be difficult to grow in vt. i'm not sure if the lack of fruit is due to a lack of female flowers, which hopefully appear soon, or a lack of pollination. i've heard that there is a significant shortage of honey bees in new england, and i'm concerned that that may be one of the reasons i'm not seeing any baby zukes (the one that i spied the other day is missing now. maybe one of the neighborhood dogs?). i am contemplating pollinating them by hand, however, i can't do it until the weekend, because by the time i get home in the evenings the blossoms are closed up. i'm thinkin' a q-tip might be the best device to use. but i really wish there were bees around to do the work for me.
oh yes, and before i forget, i must share my new food love: newman o's peanut butter creme filled nuggets of goodness. where have they been all of my life? yum.
i am very behind on posting these days. this is partly due to the fact that i've had little time to write, and partly due to the fact that i have had little time to deal with the million photos we've taken recently and that i want to post. we just bought an external hard drive to store our music/important files/photos, and until we get everything off our computer and organized, things just seem to take forever. not to mention that who wants to sit in front of a computer on a beautiful summer day? or evening? not me.
but things are fine at this end. aubrey is growing and cute as ever. she wants to gogogogogo and is a bit frustrated that she hasn't mastered independent walking yet. soon, i think. and an update on weaning: the "girls" are still a bit full, but not nearly as painful. and i haven't had to pump again since the last post. i think we're doin' okay.
the garden is growing nicely...we are harvesting lettuce daily and i think cucumbers will be next. however, i am a bit perplexed by my zucchini plants. they are growing well, and have lots of male flowers on them. but not a whole lot of female flowers. there are a few, but they aren't ripening into fruit yet.
harumph. zucchini should NOT be difficult to grow in vt. i'm not sure if the lack of fruit is due to a lack of female flowers, which hopefully appear soon, or a lack of pollination. i've heard that there is a significant shortage of honey bees in new england, and i'm concerned that that may be one of the reasons i'm not seeing any baby zukes (the one that i spied the other day is missing now. maybe one of the neighborhood dogs?). i am contemplating pollinating them by hand, however, i can't do it until the weekend, because by the time i get home in the evenings the blossoms are closed up. i'm thinkin' a q-tip might be the best device to use. but i really wish there were bees around to do the work for me.
oh yes, and before i forget, i must share my new food love: newman o's peanut butter creme filled nuggets of goodness. where have they been all of my life? yum.
Monday, July 7, 2008
sketchy neighbors, baby veggies, and weaning pain
so this posting will be on an assortment of topics, in no particular order.
incidentally, we had a hot and sunny 4th of july weekend, filled with gardening, splashing around in cool water, hiking among the mozzies, parade watching, and sand, rock, grass and ice cream eating. (well, only aubrey ate the sand, rocks and grass, tempted though i was.) yippee!
sketchy neighbors
we live in a teeny tiny town in VT, right in the village. we are slowly getting to know our neighbors, after a long and snowy winter where everyone was holed up inside. however, we are having a hard time figuring out what is going on in the house immediately to our south. there seems to be at least one responsible adult who lives there most of the time, but not usually on weekends. we have met her and she is very nice. it seems that her younger sister also lives at the house, but i'm not sure where/who we heard that from. she (younger sister) occasionally says hello, but has not introduced herself.
then there are several young men who also live in the house. or maybe there is just one young man. we're not sure...there is always a rotating ensemble of vehicles in the driveway, and the men/man who live there all look the same...black knit ski cap worn almost always (even in 90 degree july weather!), baggy pants, oversized polo or t-shirt. kind of ghetto-style in the sticks, you know? we know there are at least two guys that live/frequently visit at the house, because one weekend younger sister had a little party, and there were TWO guys there...and they suspiciously looked alike. now we aren't sure which one lives there.
anyhoo, on to the really sketchy part: yesterday, at approximately 8:45 am, I watched one of the mystery men exit the house and make for the back yard, cigarette in one hand, and a 24 oz. can of bud lite in the other. um, breakfast drink of champions? yer.
i suppose i sound a bit like a nosey parker, don't i? it's not hard to spy on the neigbors, when their front door is RIGHT outside our kitchen windows.
baby veggies
garden update: we are slowly conquering the weeds in the garden! we are about to harvest our first lettuce crop, and there are baby veggies of all sorts! we have several baby tomatoes growing in the sunshine; a baby zucchini hidden under the leaves; several tiny baby cukes growing happily; a few teeny sweet italian peppers; and lots and lots of basil. we will be making a batch of pesto soon, i think.
weaning issue
so i finally cut out the last breast feeding session yesterday. actually, i didn't do it on purpose...we had a very busy morning and i simply forgot to nurse aubrey (who didn't care in the slightest). i managed to make it through the day with minimal consequences. however, i woke up this morning feeling a little...um...tender. by mid morning, i was pretty uncomfortable, so i pumped just under an ounce from each side. just enough to ease that omigod i'm gonna explode feeling. i am still pretty full, though. very unpleasant, and considering my track record for plugged ducts, i am a bit frightened. i guess i thought this final stage of weaning would be effortless. maybe it is for some folks? i dunno. i hope that the next few days go smoothly. ouch.
incidentally, we had a hot and sunny 4th of july weekend, filled with gardening, splashing around in cool water, hiking among the mozzies, parade watching, and sand, rock, grass and ice cream eating. (well, only aubrey ate the sand, rocks and grass, tempted though i was.) yippee!
sketchy neighbors
we live in a teeny tiny town in VT, right in the village. we are slowly getting to know our neighbors, after a long and snowy winter where everyone was holed up inside. however, we are having a hard time figuring out what is going on in the house immediately to our south. there seems to be at least one responsible adult who lives there most of the time, but not usually on weekends. we have met her and she is very nice. it seems that her younger sister also lives at the house, but i'm not sure where/who we heard that from. she (younger sister) occasionally says hello, but has not introduced herself.
then there are several young men who also live in the house. or maybe there is just one young man. we're not sure...there is always a rotating ensemble of vehicles in the driveway, and the men/man who live there all look the same...black knit ski cap worn almost always (even in 90 degree july weather!), baggy pants, oversized polo or t-shirt. kind of ghetto-style in the sticks, you know? we know there are at least two guys that live/frequently visit at the house, because one weekend younger sister had a little party, and there were TWO guys there...and they suspiciously looked alike. now we aren't sure which one lives there.
anyhoo, on to the really sketchy part: yesterday, at approximately 8:45 am, I watched one of the mystery men exit the house and make for the back yard, cigarette in one hand, and a 24 oz. can of bud lite in the other. um, breakfast drink of champions? yer.
i suppose i sound a bit like a nosey parker, don't i? it's not hard to spy on the neigbors, when their front door is RIGHT outside our kitchen windows.
baby veggies
garden update: we are slowly conquering the weeds in the garden! we are about to harvest our first lettuce crop, and there are baby veggies of all sorts! we have several baby tomatoes growing in the sunshine; a baby zucchini hidden under the leaves; several tiny baby cukes growing happily; a few teeny sweet italian peppers; and lots and lots of basil. we will be making a batch of pesto soon, i think.
weaning issue
so i finally cut out the last breast feeding session yesterday. actually, i didn't do it on purpose...we had a very busy morning and i simply forgot to nurse aubrey (who didn't care in the slightest). i managed to make it through the day with minimal consequences. however, i woke up this morning feeling a little...um...tender. by mid morning, i was pretty uncomfortable, so i pumped just under an ounce from each side. just enough to ease that omigod i'm gonna explode feeling. i am still pretty full, though. very unpleasant, and considering my track record for plugged ducts, i am a bit frightened. i guess i thought this final stage of weaning would be effortless. maybe it is for some folks? i dunno. i hope that the next few days go smoothly. ouch.
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