Zeeppity Do Da

2010-07-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

Oh blog, how I miss thee. Wish I had time to update you more. Sigh.

Like a script from The Twilight Zone, what happened to my child?

2010-03-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

The last couple weeks Asa went from being my mild mannered child to- well, there's no polite way to say it. It was horrible and stressful for everyone. He was yelling and telling us "NO!" He was being completely defiant and doing things he clearly new he shouldn't(even tore up the border wall paper in his room, 3 different times- I cried. LOL) Not only was he having tantrums, he was freaking out at nap time and he had total potty regression. Until this point he was just wearing pull-ups at night and very rarely had any accidents, so we were so frustrated with him.

Sunday we re-evaluated how we discipline.
Monday Asa and I made a new reward/discipline chart.
Tuesday there were many timeouts as we got used to this new system and he saw the "naughty" progression, which he clearly didn't like. But he did like getting pee stickers for using the potty.
Wednesday it all seemed to click and he even took it upon himself to mark a "good boy" square...hahaha. He reached his first pee goal square and was rewarded with a trip to the park! That night he had his first self initiated poo in the potty in almost two weeks! Down to 3 time outs.
Thursday his good boy squares jumped into the lead. More pee success with one small leak in his pants that he stopped and then finished on the potty. Had his second self initiated potty poo and only ONE time out!
Friday, Asa was once again down to one time out just before bedtime and was clearly tired. As for the potty- ZERO accidents in his pants! And lastly, his tantrums and "no's" are few and far between. The only time they seem to surface is right before nap or bedtime and they don't last but 30 seconds or so.

A quick shot of the chart we made. This was taken on Wednesday about 20min after telling him that his good and bad columns were tied and he needed some more goods to pull into the lead. I walked by and saw this. I cracked up, he's no dummy!

When he reaches the "Yay" column he gets a special treat. If his good column reaches the end before the bad then he will get a prize. When he is naughty we turn the happy faces over to sad faces. He does NOT like the sad faces and will turn them back when I am not looking...haha.

So there you have it, in five days my child returned to his sweet self. He did not like the idea of being a bad boy, and I personally believe he is very sensitive to stress. The more he acted up the more frustrated I became. I'll admit I was yelling more and started to back away from him a bit emotionally and I believe he was picking up on it. It was a never ending cycle. I'm not a perfect parent by far and didn't know how to handle this extreme behavior change in him. We still don't know why it progressed so quickly- within a few days span. At the same time his vocabulary exploded and he started speaking in full sentences. Of course that only made it easier for him to express his displeasure in us. Haha. It was like everything was happening with him at once and it was scary and overwhelming to see this change in him.

We calmed down and took a step back. I reassured him that he was a good boy who sometimes did bad things, and that's ok. That seemed to help. I kept my cool, and tried my best not to get angry with him or yell -much. He still fights time out's but I just leave him be and after a few minutes he will get on the time out mat by himself and get it over with.

So there ya have it. Sanity and calm is back in the Burleson house. - For now... Insert Twilight Zone music here.

Regrets

2010-01-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

So I had a moment... the last 5 months have had very few were I could come to this blog. I have been crazy busy getting my business up and running. Ordering samples, custom packaging, new blog, updating the website and creating my welcoming materials- all which take hours of planning, designing and ordering. Then of course working with clients on shoots, editing and ordering. Not to mention the grief of figuring out how to price, which I finally invested in Easy As Pie and it was worth every penny! Of course all this needs to be done while having a baby and a 2 yr old underfoot. Not an easy task but I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Jeff thought I should wait a year but I, being impatiently stubborn, am way to excited to have a future career to wait.

If you have followed my blog at all you may know about the day I was "smacked" publicly for wanting to start a photography business. Thankfully that pathetic blog has been shut down. I do however hold a curiosity as to who "mediagirl" is, why she had something against me and wish she'd have the balls to step forward. But that's neither here nor there, at this point I would simply like to say "Ha!"

My most exciting news has come with my first client inquiries of the new year. I was so nervous saying my prices out loud as they seem so high. But after crunching the numbers there is no other way for me to provide such detailed services with quality products to my clients without charging what I do. I don't know how other photographers can get by with charging so little and make any money. My guess is, they don't- make any money that is, they probably break even. But I digress, the good news is, these clients didn't run for the hills, they booked me! They saw my work and my products and they booked! I can't tell you how stinking exciting that is after so many months of hard work.

So why the "Regrets?" Well it meant sacrificing this blog and most of all, not keeping track of Odin's progression over the last 5 months, heck maybe even longer. Instead I posted a few Fb status updates on the silly things the boys have done, but unlike here, I can't really go back and reread those. Sigh.

I am hoping I can get back to doing some of this blog. As things will be settling here and I will soon have more free time as my to do list keeps getting smaller. As for the boys:

Asa is potty training and doing really well! He wears undies during the day and only has a few slip ups here and there. His vocabulary ha grown leaps and bounds and we are starting to work on his pronunciation of l, s,r, t and f.

Odin is such a happy baby. He's gotten so much better at self entertaining and my initial thought that he would be a handful and into everything seems to be off base. He's completely mobile and does everything but walk without holding something. He loves to follow Asa but if he is awake while Asa naps he will play by himself for a very long time before seeking me out. I can leave the room while he is alone or with Asa with little worry. He explores but not in a destructive way. He doesn't seem to hold any attachment to certain objects but does fancy hotwheels, just like Asa. He is also sleeping through the night, this took a week or so of fussing but they go to bed around 8pm and are up at 8am. YESSSS!

Ok, baby just woke up so that is all for today, but hey, it's something!

Yikes!

2010-01-21T21:46:00.001-08:00

Does this blog still have a heart beat?

Sadly it may have flat lines a few months ago...hahaha.

Newone

2009-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sleep. I finally got some last night. I could still use more but I can't complain, not after the past few weeks. Let's go back a bit and talk about the newone -Odin that is.

It's amazing how soon babies show their distinct personalities and how much they can differ from one another. Asa, as I have mentioned in the past, was a very easy baby. Pretty much all you had to do was feed him, change his diapers and put him in his swing where he would sleep all day. At night he would go to bed with ease. No fuss, no muss. Hence the desire for a second, oh but the jokes on us. Odin, well it's a good thing he's cute and smiley! You see my Oz Myster is a bit of a needy baby. Hold me, entertain me sorta deal. It could be worse he could have been colic, so I should be counting my blessings but it's hard to count when you're blowing on a tummy to stop the crying. Ha. I truly believe it all has to do with nursing. I am so thankful I can and quite successfully at that, however I think it lends itself to the "must be mom as need to be close to my food source at all times" syndrome or mbmantbctmfsaat for short. I do miss passing the baby off for a feeding or two as it's all on me, everyday, 24/7. I wouldn't change it, it just gets tiring is all.

Now getting back to their differences. Asa was easy and content, an all around happy baby. But he was hard to amuse. A belly blow may get a laugh the first time, a smile the second, but the third would result in a stare that you know meant "is that all you got?" With Odin, well, this kid is all laughs. In fact he could be mid scream and all you have to do is make faces, or nibble his toes, pretty much anything silly and his cry will turn to a belly laugh. He is also pretty easy going when it comes to being happy, the problem lies in that he is happiest when you hold him. Admittedly it is hard to be angry with a wide awake baby at 3am when he giggles and coes when he sees you. And I love that while he is nursing, all I have to do is smile at him and he cannot resist stopping his meal for a moment to smile back. It cracks me up!

For a while there his sleep habits were pretty good, that is until Texas when his 4:30am feeding turned to feeding every two hours from the time he went to bed. It's been a bit all over the place since. Some times 2am, sometimes he'll sleep all night. This past week however he has decided he wants to go to bed late and then play when he wakes up to nurse. I have been up for 2-3 hours with him. And since he is now sharing a room with Asa, we are all up. I need Odin to learn that night is night and that meant a lot of crying and fussing but standing my ground. On the bright side, it also meant snuggling with Asa while we waited for him to settle. Asa was so sweet about it too. One night around 5am after almost 3 hours of Odin fussing and finally falling asleep, I bent down to kiss Asa goodnight.

"I'm so sorry you were kept awake sweety. Thank you for being such a good boy, mommy loves you so much. I know you're tired so if you want you can sleep in in the morning, ok?"

"Ok," he said with a nod and a smile "nigh momma." (he doesn't say t's, p, s, f, or l's yet) followed by a "Mmmmwuh!" blow kiss. Hehehe. I love my boys!

So last night, although going to bed later than I would have liked, Odin actually fell asleep on his own, without any crying and went right back to sleep after his 5am feeding. Asa woke at 8:30 and Odie woke at 9. Aaaaaaahhhh. It was wonderful!

It's funny that they showed their personalities in the womb. Asa was mellow and Odin was hell. Always moving, kicking, squirming. I just new what I was in for. I was right. He may be a bit needy but I look at it this way, in a few years he won't want to sit on my lap and snuggle at all. Nor will he think it's funny when I eat his eww pew toes. So hey, if he'd rather I blow on his belly then sit in his jumperoo then so be it. Just not at 3am, I don't care how cute you are, momma don't play dat.

Odin

2009-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight I put Odin to bed in the crib for the first time. We'll see how it goes. Until now he has been sleeping in a pack and play bassinet in my scrap room. He has had a couple unpredictable feedings the past couple of nights so I have no idea how this will play out with him waking up in the night and possibly waking Asa also. Then there is the fact that Asa moans in his sleep. I have been using two monitors and have, for over a year, kept Asa's monitor just loud enough to hear him start crying or else his moaning would wake me. And yes sleeping in the same room with him in TX was not fun when he moaned...LOL. Crazy kid! Anyway, we'll just play the whole "sharing a room" idea by ear and see how it goes. It may be something we ease into. Not to mention 8pm is a bit early for Odie to pass out tonight so luck will have him awake at midnight I'm sure.

So as it turns out the second kid really does get shafted when it comes to pictures. Odin is so over due for a photo shoot! It's not that I haven't taken any pictures of him, but I can honestly say I haven't taken as much as I did with Asa. Regardless, here is one cute picture I snapped on the bed just before leaving grandmas house for the trip home. I can't believe how big he's getting already!

**Well that was short lived. I heard Asa start talking and then realized Odin was also squawking and thus I had to go get him. Now he is wide awake -Odie that is. But I am going to try and put him back in the crib when he tuckers out tonight. He usually goes down between 9-10. Here's hoping for good night full of sleep for everyone.

Two, Texas & Time

2009-08-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, am I slackin' with this blog! Having two wee ones sure sucks up time! Things seem to be getting into a better groove around here so I am hoping to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I am also working on a photography blog so look for that coming soon. It will have sneak peeks of client photos, specials etc. Yay!

I took the boys to Texas for a couple weeks while daddy stayed home and worked. It was a great and yet somewhat stressful trip. I love that we got to spend time with both my brother/sister in laws and we got to meet Ian for the first time. He's Asa and Odin's 15 month old cousin, and Asa adored him! They were staying with mom and dad until they could move into their house, so we were one big happy family. Unfortunately Asa got home sick for daddy, picked up some bad habits and virtually became a child that at times I didn't even recognize. He had tantrums and crying fits, regressed to expressing his wants with grunts, whines, crying and other noises. We never allowed that pointing with grunting and whining -as Jeff calls it "monkey noises" with Asa. If he wanted something he could point and nod and we would help him figure out what he was telling us, he learned "peess" (please) around 1 year. Crying "tantrums" are also unacceptable so this was beyond normal for him. These were a couple of monkey see monkey dos that drove me nuts. Thankfully his last attempt at using this way of expressing his wants was at the airport and after a stern reminder that it was not acceptable, he has not done it since. Thank goodness!

He did however have a few night time melt downs. They started two nights before coming home. He slept in a big boy bed the whole trip and I was so proud of him. The last two nights, knowing he was so home sick, my heart broke seeing him that sad, so I laid in bed with him until he fell asleep. Maybe not such a good idea? The morning after we got home, Jeff found him straddling the side of his crib and stuck in that position. I feared the head plant straight down fall. He can climb, but my child- bless his heart- is not very graceful. Quite clumsy really. I've witnessed him fall while just standing still! So we went that day and bought him a twin bed. It took a few more nights of bedtime meltdowns and now, after two peaceful nights, I can say my boy is back! He's eating(even stopped that in Texas) he's obeying, no tantrums, no whining, and I, once again, love my easy going child. Not that I had stopped but you know what I mean. I'm sure Chris and Jana think I'm lying about how chill Asa really is but "mama" aka Grandma knows the truth and backed me up. Hehehe.

I have lots of stories to share and will try and post them over the next few days. Maybe that will be easier time wise then one long post? So here are a few quick pictures of Asa and Sadie, she's maba aka grandpa and mama aka grandma's puppy. Asa was a bit over whelmed by her "in your face" approach to lovin' and kissing but he warmed up after a few days. I taught him to put his hands up and tell her no. It was cute to see him put both his hands out and sternly say "No, adie, NO!" Uh ya, he still can't say s, p, l, t, and I am sure there's more. He also loved playing ball with her. Only problem was getting the ball FROM her. Then of course Asa's over hand technique really sucks and the ball -being flat not helping any -would only land 2 feet away. Not a big chase for such a lively pup, but then again she was always happy to play!

Pull, Asa Pull!

Maybe if you try to take her mouth off the ball?

If that fails, try some sweet kisses.

Alright Maba, maybe you can help out here.

Hehehe, love this next shot!

This last is a favorite of mine as Sadie finally noticed me and was curious of the camera. I believe that to be the ball in the bottom right corner...LOL.

Don't be deceived by the lack of sunshine in these shots, it was 100+ on this day also...and humid as all get out!

August 8th

2009-08-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday
to my big little man!

Gosh I cant believe he is TWO already. And yet strangely look how much has happened in two years! Asa is still asleep and so is daddy. Odie and I are just chillin'- waiting for them to wake up. We have Asa's gifts all piled up on the coffee table so I am sure he'll be excited when he sees them!

Oh, there he is now, banging his bedroom door to get out. Gotta run, but first...

Here are a few pictures I took of him last week in Texas. It was 100 degrees so I rushed him outside and snapped these right away before he flushed, which he does in less then ten minutes... so I was speedy. This kid runs hot. ;)

Yikes!

2009-07-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

I missed the WHOLE month of June!

Happy 4th Of July!

Quick Update

2009-05-28T01:46:00.000-07:00

Sitting here at 1:45am. Just waiting to see if kiddo will fall asleep or wake up with another burp which he often does about 5 minutes after putting him in his crib.

Mom goes home today, I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Asa has loved having his gramma here and I'm going to miss the extra help, not to mention having someone to hand the kiddos to when I need a nap...haha.

We missed the annual Watsonville Airshow this year due to the foggy weather. We go every year so that was a bummer! We did however go to the SF Zoo for the first time. Asa LOVES the Penguins Of Madagascar cartoon and thus, the penguin exhibit was a huge hit. Plus gramma bought him some plastic penguins and he plays with them constantly. We ended up buying a membership which really pays for itself with all the passes and such, so I imagine we will be spending many a time at the zoo this summer!

Ok, I think baby is officially out and thus I am back to bed. But here's a quick photo courtesy of "Mamah" from the zoo.

I don't care what anyone says, those leashes...ahem, I mean harnesses, are fantastic!

Time Flies When You're Sleep Deprived!

2009-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, has it been a while since I last updated!

My MIL has gone home and my mom has filled her place. They have both been a great help and Asa loves the grandma attention! Odin has been pretty good with the occasional long, hard, someone else take him because I don't know what else to do with him and I'm exhausted, nights! He's growing like a weed and I can't believe he is a month already! Sigh.

Not a whole lot else happening right now. I did do some product shots for an eBay seller so I'll share some pictures. Sara also made me the cutest hats but I am using them for Odin's birth announcements and thus I am not going to share until the announcements are in the mail. I am so excited to get them as I created them myself using a couple Pinkle Toes templates. Can I just say that membership was money well spent!

I tried 4 times to do Odin's newborn shots with the hat props, but every time I would get him asleep, he would wake up screaming as soon as I pulled the camera out! But finally one day when I tried working around his cries and "awakeness" I finally tired him out and managed to get some of those cute chin on arm shots...yay!

So here are some shots of my babe.

This is one of my favorite hats and I just ordered it with some pink stripes. :)

My Odie bear!

Ha!

2009-04-28T22:16:00.001-07:00

I am back down to my starting weight! Kinda crazy since my bra jumped up two sizes(I'm lovin' it, but these puppies are much heavier!), I feel like I drink 4 gallons of water a day(every time kiddo latches I get an insatiable thirst) and I still have that uber sexy extra baby belly flab, or should I say fold haha... either way, not so pretty.

Now if I could only lose another 25lbs. Hehe. Maybe since baby is nursing like a champ, I'll be able to. Don't they say nursing burns extra calories?

Two weeks ago today...

2009-04-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Odin Zain was born.

Since then, everyday I have intended to update this blog. I have a "The First Week" entry planned, but with lack of sleep and steady nursing my computer time is limited. When I do get to the comp it is while nursing at 1am and I'm one handed so not much typing is capable. I can't believe it's been two weeks already! It's funny because when Asa was this small I wanted him to stay this way, but seeing and enjoying how interactive Asa is now, I am excited and anxious to see Odie get to a playful stage. Not to mention a regular routine would be great too!

Asa is doing well with adjusting to the baby. I haven't noticed any behavior change, but then again "mama" AKA grandma or g-ma is here to keep him entertained...lol. Jeff and I are also making extra one on one time with him so he has no reason to feel left out. Earlier I placed Odin on the couch beside me. Asa grabbed his little quilt from the love seat and headed towards me saying "Baby, night night" then tried to place the blanket around the baby. I helped him, he stood back looking for a moment then said "Nah." grabbed the blanket and walked off. Not quite ready to share his stuff yet...hehe. Odin wants to know when his quilt is coming gramma?

I have some cute videos to share, but again, those still have to be downloaded and time is limited. Maybe later this week.

Sunday I pumped for the first time in a week and it was also the first time Asa had witnessed this. Mom and I were going to get our nails done so I needed some back up milk for daddy to use just in case. Anyway, Asa came over and was staring at the pump attached to my breast. I explained that it was momma's milk for the baby. With one hand swiggin' his juice, he gently placed his other of the back of the pump I was holding. He was helping hold it for me. He continued to help and watch the bottle fill. "Malk" he said a few times. "Yes, milk." I repeated. After a few moments of concentration he smiled, raised his sippy cup to the still attached to my boob plastic bottle, gave it a clunk and said "Deers!" "Cheers!" I said back laughing. Ya gotta love this kid.

Ok, so I am waiting for some props to arrive this week so I can do a photo shoot with Odin. Last week I snapped a couple of test shots to see if this kid would be pose-able. Since he wasn't actually asleep, I'm pretty sure my answer is yes, so I'm pretty excited to try some new poses with him. Here are the shots:

Then of course there is Asa pointing out the baby parts. This was "Toes." Much better than his attempt at "Eye" which had all three of us suddenly yelling "NO!" then calmly adding "Gentle." LOL.

What's in a Name?

2009-04-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Danea's DH again. All is well with mother and baby and it's looking like both will be coming home Thursday. Baby's name has been chosen. It's a name that has been on the list for some time. Every time we thought we had a name that could be it, a day or two later we just weren't sure anymore. Some names fell off the list completely and others faded to the background. One name though always stuck around near the top. We waited for baby to tell us his name and felt we hadn't gotten an answer, but after long consideration and recalling the names we had been through and passed up, we realized that baby told us his name long ago! It was right there on our first list, boldly screaming at us, "Here I am!" So without ignoring all the signs pointing the way, his name will be Odin Zain Burleson. It's a strong boy's name that I hope will guide our son through a long life, giving him the strength, courage and fortitude to navigate the challenges that accompany the gift of life. I love my babies!

Asa's Little Brother

2009-04-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is Danea's DH giving the update for our newborn while Danea recovers at the hospital. First off, he's a very healthy little guy that tipped the scales at 7 lbs. 2 oz. & 19" long. He was born at 2:45 pm. His facial features remind me much of how Asa looked as a newborn. His thin hair is medium dark and has deep blue eyes.

Danea is also doing well considering the nature of the surgery. She's a bit worn out, but all is well.

And of course everyone is screaming "Wait a minute! What's his name?!?" LOL and guess what - We haven't settled officially though I think we already know it. That will be revealed as soon as the paperwork makes it official, which gives us a few days.

It's time.

2009-04-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to update!

Ya, been a few weeks. Busy weeks too. The good news is baby is still inside and growing. At least that's technical good news, cuz he's causing me big time grief. The contractions have only been coming in handfuls, nothing to worry about. Yay! But the back pains and pubic symphosis have become unbearable. I even had to call Jeff home from work earlier this week because my body suddenly decided it no longer wanted to allow me to walk. Thankfully it changed it's mind the next day. To sum it all up, lots of pain and lots on my plate! The even better news is that they, the doctors, have decided(ok, maybe more like agreed upon my request) to take kiddo out early. This Monday, April 13th early! That's right, only two more sleeps! Now if only you knew how big my to do list is in order to actually be ready for this kid to come home! Ugh.

Still no name, suggestions but nothing confirmed. Then to add to my no name concerns, the last two nights I have dreamt he is a she. They saw a peepee twice, it's all good right?! ;)

It's time to say thanks.

Just when things were looking pretty gloomy, Jeff's hours being cut, money becoming more than tight, my bum camera purchase, etc. Jeff's Great Aunt Billy passed and left us a wonderful and generous gift. It was a blessing that has enabled us to loosen the purse strings a bit, especially during the next few months. It also gave us the opportunity for me to invest in a whole new camera system. Yup, I researched and chose the Nikon D300 with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II LD. I was thrilled and terrified, but in the end, THRILLED! So once things really settle, hopefully by August and I am not a walking zombie, I can finally start to put focus on a photography career. Yippee! Thanks again Aunt Bill, bless your soul.

It's time to share pictures.

Newborn photo shoot pictures! Ok, so when I did these two weeks ago I never imagined how much I would pay for it physically. It wasn't a strenuous shoot and I just figured I'm in pain no matter what, so why not preoccupy myself with a cute little peanut to take pictures of? Truthfully though, it was totally worth it and I had been anxiously awaiting her arrival in hopes to be able to do so. (Posted the maternity shoot last month or so) She was a little doll, even though I wasn't able to get her to pose for those coveted chin on arms shots. Hehe. Even so, I am thrilled with the results of my first shoot. But I also want to mention my new camera was only 5 days old and the night before I had figured out the last factor in shooting manual, so I only took it as a backup. Needless to say I took one test shot with it and was hooked. Shot the whole shoot with that puppy and was beyond happy with the results! Here are a few of my favorites:

Thanks you Sean and Charlotte for such a wonderful opportunity!

It's time to talk Birthday.

My birthday was nice and quiet. Jeff, Asa, Julie and I went out for dinner. Then on Saturday, Julie, Alecia and I went for lunch and manicures/pedicures. Well actually Alecia just came for lunch but it was great just to get out sans kids! I decided to spend the birthday money from my mom on some acrylic nails but was totally swindled by the broken English speaking woman. I asked for natural looking acrylic -no polish, just clear, and she gave me the most expensive gel. Not to mention they are the farthest thing from natural looking in color, very pink. But I am so not up on manicure lingo and thought maybe I asked wrong even though the 4-5 times in my life that I have had nails put on, I have always asked using that wording and this is the first time this has happened. I paid almost double AND gave her a tip. &*^$@#!!! Sometimes I hate myself when I get flustered and don't say anything. Thankfully, this doesn't happen often, - not standing up for myself because I'm unsure of the circumstances, but it's still aggravating!

Now before heading off to lunch with the girls, I finally remembered to take a side shot. 36.5 weeks and huge! I will try and get one today wearing the same shirt as my 37 week shot with Asa. I can't fit many shirts from my first pregnancy, they all fit like half tops, it's hilarious and insane! I started 14lbs heavier this time but am only 10 lbs heavier then I was when I had Asa, so I haven't gained quite as much, maybe only 14-15lbs this time. But ya wouldn't know by looking at me! LOL.

It's Grandma Time.

Yup my MIL is in town, arrived Wednesday night. She has been such a help already, dove right in doing laundry and dishes, making lunches, cooking dinner, helping me organize and all with Asa following her around like a lil' puppy dog...hehe. So if I haven't said it enough, thanks mom, it really means a lot to have your help!

It's time to say "Really?"

Really? I still get an average of 2-3 hits a day from the smackblog. LOL. That cracks me up!

And now it begins...

2009-03-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

I spent the day in Labor & Delivery. I've done really good avoiding the place this time around. I was at the hospital with Asa as he has had a fever and hasn't been eating much. That's when the contractions started...and frequently! They didn't check me for 2.5 hours but at that time I was 1cm dilated, then nothing an hour later so now I am home. I'm still contracting but nothing any stronger.

This kid better not pull an Asa! &$^#@*!

So Fortunate

2009-03-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Years ago I had an idea for a scrapbook page, so I started saving all our fortune cookie fortunes. Since we don't eat Chinese a lot(to Jeff's dismay), this took about 2-3 years, including the 9 months I was pregnant with Asa and Chinese food was out of the question...haha. So last fall I started the layout. Yet, once again, it got set aside and I just now was able to complete it. I used the only small photos I had, which are mostly of Asa but they were the only ones on hand that worked. Besides, it applies to all family and friends not just those shown in the pictures. I think when I order photos next I'll order more wallets so that I can tuck a bunch of photos away in the food box and make the layout a bit more interactive.

Lots of TT used here and I have to admit I enjoyed having the option of alpha stickers, much quicker than stamping although I had a very cool stamped title but I just couldn't pull it off with this design as it was too large. The blossoms were hand colored with an orange glaze pen and then gone over with red glaze pen. When that dried I added all the white dots with a white glaze pen. Did I mention that I love those glaze pens? I know it was a lot of hand detailing but this is the kind of stuff that I find relaxing. The chop sticks were also inked and stamped to match.

Hopefully sometime in the next two weeks we will get a chance to go to Ikea and get a little table and chair set for Asa. Right now he wants to color daily and this takes up my desk. So once he has his own space I can dive into more layouts which I am anxious to do!

-----------------------------------

In other news, Asa is on my bed watching tv. I am sharing this because it's odd. It started while I was folding laundry, which by the way, I thought would be an easy task but even standing still doing this completely winded me. Who thought boxer shorts and t-shirts could be so exhuasting!? Haha. When I finished that we played for a bit on the bed but when I said I had to go have a snack, he "said" he wanted to stay on the bed, that was almost an hour ago. For the first 15 minutes he just sat in there quietly. But with each peak in on him I have turned the tv on, brought him Rowan AKA Ro-Ro, milk, Sara's bug blanky and his snack cup. He is not one to just sit and watch tv either so it's a bit strange for him to be so still. I know he has teeth coming in, and I just hope he's not getting sick. I know something's up cuz he is snuggly and not eating much at all. I hope he feels better soon. Oh ya, and Jeff thinks he's getting sick too, so they better keep it to themselves, that's the last thing I need!

Quick update, before posting this I went in to check on him again. He got all teary eyed and told me that he was done but, he wanted to be carried and held, not an easy feat for me right now. He then had a meltdown but is now fast asleep in his crib. I sure hope he feels better when he wakes up. :(

Birthday Wishes

2009-03-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

So my birthday is coming up. My goal to have children by 35 has sort of been met. Haha.

There isn't a whole lot that I can think of that I want. Sure I would love some new clothes but there is no point with my current body state. So I have been compiling lists. Yes, plural. Why? Because the reality is, my wishes go far beyond the means of an average birthday gift. But for gits and shiggles I figure I'll share what I have so far.

Completely Unreasonable List

- New house. I don't necessarily mean "new" but actually mean "to own", heck I'd settle for a larger rental at the same price...haha.
- Cruise or two week vacation. Can kids be left at home?
- New camera and lenses.
- Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly maid service. I'm flexible...haha

Unreasonable List

- Just one particular lens Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD
- Full spa day for a pregnant woman...they do exist and I love the thought of it...haha.
- I'd like to think this is reasonable, but probably not... Stanley Steamer for livingroom, diningroom and hall.
- A one time only full on house cleaning maid service.
- A really nice 30" swivel bar stool for my tall scrap desk.
- Flat screen TV. Wall mountable preferably and it doesn't have to be top of the line or huge, just a nice viewing size from across the room. 28-30 inches would be perfectly reasonable for this unreasonable gift.

Reasonable

- New stove top tea kettle.
- 6 skeins of this beautiful (more colorful than the picture depicts) thick yarn so Sara can knit me some cool photography props! 2367 Green/Turquoise Yarn Ah heck, for that price you may as well throw in the 2343 Green/Orange/Red Multi and your choice from the top row. Haha.
- Another 3/4 hair piece or brown wig. Yup, I love these, make fun if you like! Isn't this adorable... cute wig.
- Pack of RW-DVD and/or RW-CD's. Def' need the rewrite kind.
- A babysitter so Jeff and I can go out on a date. I'm talking 5-7 hours of of kid free entertainment. Should this be in the unreasonable category?
- Gift certificate for a frame store for when we finally have money to order those photo shoot family pictures.
- Manicure or pedicure.

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure more ideas will come as the days pass, so I might add to this list but there really isn't a whole lot of reasonable gifts I want. Figures. Maybe I need to find myself a sugar daddy. Think Jeff would mind?

Maybe.

2009-03-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

I think I may have had a pregnancy hormonal overload today?

I felt tired and overwhelmed and cried just a teeny bit. Thankfully Jeff was here to comfort me. He was warm and loving and didn't laugh at me at all. Besides, it's not like I was unreasonable about anything. I simply needed to rest and then I expressed a few normal thoughts and feelings. I feel much better now.

I sure could use a chocolate glazed donut though.

Gettin' Crafty

2009-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sometime last summer after purchasing the bright green potty for Asa, I looked around the bathroom and decided it was time for a change. The bathroom was Egyptian theme...don't ask, and I felt it was time for something more child friendly. However this is still the main bathroom, so I did want a child's theme exactly, but something that would work for both adult and child. Make sense? So I shopped around and found a bright floral shower curtain and went from there.

I like monkeys and found some cute accessories at Target, including a matching monkey face mat. This would be the kids side of the decor and easily changeable if desired. Well being that we needed to start watching our budget I decided everything else would be made or purchased from dollar store finds. So I found some Dollar Tree frames that I added my own flower blossoms, paper leaves and circle stamps to. These were a play off the curtain. Again, from the Dollar Tree I found some flowers, a vase and glass pebbles. It was now coming together.

Now what was left, was a large blank spot over the toilet and with the determination to stay cheap I purchased a $5 canvas from Big Lots. It's been in the closet ever since. Months! Finally, on Monday I had a bit of energy and was feeling creative, so using the monkey's and the curtain as inspiration I pulled out the craft paints and went to work. I'm not one who can draw off the top of my head but give me something to "copy" and I do pretty good. So here are the monkeys...

And here is my painting...

I copied the look of the flowers from the curtain, which you can kinda see in the first picture. All in all, it's not fantastic but I think it's pretty cute if I do say so myself ...and I do, regardless if it sounds tacky or vain ...haha. Besides Asa makes monkey squawks every time he looks at it so at least it's recognizable, and that's all I was hoping for!

Discipline & Chores

2009-03-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

Many people will argue at what is best for children. When and how to discipline, chores, no chores but Jeff and I agreed to start young. Asa is now a year and a half and for the past 6 months(somethings from the get go) we have been working hard to instill right and wrong, good behavior and manners. We're not crazy strict, we just want to be consistent. The best way for kids to learn, in our opinion, is to follow the rules and create boundaries that you, as a parent must stick too as well. There are many times he does something that I wouldn't normally fuss about but make a point of correcting regardless so that he will learn these boundaries. This doesn't mean we don't have fun, but it does mean trial and error on what does and doesn't work for such a small child and it definitely means keeping your cool and a light heart when trying to enforce the rules.

Take yesterday afternoon for example. Asa was eating some freeze dried banana snacks when he decided to throw a few pieces on the floor. He knows this is wrong and I was quite surprised to see him do this, normally if something drops he says"uh oh" and does his best to pick up the mess. I had just sat down with a cup of hot chocolate and didn't have the energy to get up. So from the couch I asked him politely to pick it up. To make a long story short, he wouldn't and for the next ten minutes he tried to play with me and do anything but go and pick up the banana. I told him no, that I wouldn't play with him until he picked it up and I proceeded to pretend to ignore him. This is not easy when he brings over a book and in a soft and sincere voice starts "reading" it to you. I glanced over at Jeff, who up until now was Switzerland. "He's reading to you, you know." He said with a grin. "Oh I know." I said trying not to let Asa see how cute I thought he was.

Finally Jeff decided to step in. He took Asa by the hand and walked him to the banana, this is one way we enforce when he is being defiant. Jeff asked him again to pick up the banana. Asa sat down and when Jeff let go of his hand, he tried crawling away laughing. So now comes the tough love...haha. Jeff placed him back in the sitting position and held him by each forearm, telling him he needs to pick the banana up off the floor. Asa, now fully amused, throws his head back with a "Whheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Jeff and I keep a straight face, but it wasn't easy.

Again, he was asked and again he through his head back, this time keeping it back, making fun sounds and doing anything to avoid looking at Jeff. He did this two more times amongst daddies requests, the last time after holding his head all the way back for about 10 seconds, he looked forward eye to eye with daddy and said the most perkiest and cheerful "HIIII!" with a smile.

I practically spit out my hot chocolate. I buried my head in my arm so he wouldn't hear me laughing. Jeff, also taken back by his enthusiasm turned his head towards me, also trying not to laugh. I was almost in tears at this point. Finally I collected myself and said to Jeff, if asking him to pick it up doesn't work, then I will often ask " Asa, can you please pick *whatever it is* up, and hand it to mommy." So Jeff tried this approach and our playful son, handed the banana to daddy without hesitation. It's not always easy to discipline a child that is being cute, and sometimes it means trying a new approach.

Asa doesn't have chores yet as I'm not completely insane. But he does seem to take it upon himself to help out. I of course cannot help but to gush over my child when he does these things on his own accord. For example, after sorting laundry I scooped up a big pile to take to the washing machine. Asa seeing two items still on the floor picked them up. "Thanks baby," I said "momma can take those." "Nah!" he responded with a head shake and off he went leading the way. He held these items while I loaded up the washing machine. When I was done, I lifted him up and he tossed the clothes in for me. That's my boy! I'll enjoy it while I can.

Then today after arriving home with many paper bags of groceries, he happily carried a frozen pizza into the kitchen. Curious about what he would do next I placed a very light bag by the door and without fail he went and got it for me. On my trip to retrieve that last bags, I left one "light" bag for him. I had to help him grab both handles but his determined self carried that bag all the way to the kitchen with a few dramatic grunts. Imagine carrying a bag that is almost 2/3 your size! I gave him lots of praise and told him how proud I was of him, then I went about unpacking and putting away the groceries. Asa, however was not done helping. He had found a yogurt, opened the fridge and was trying to put in on the shelf. I moved the left overs out of the way and handed him the bag with all the rest of the yogurts and he, one by one, put each on the shelf. Then he helped put the boxes of cereal away(the only other items on a shelf he could reach). When he was done he went back to the fridge pulled out a yogurt, shut the fridge door and said "Peessss". "Of course you can monkey, you've been such a big help!"

He'll be 19 months in 4 days. I am both tickled and proud at how grown up he is getting, but I am also a little sad for the exact same reasons.

--------------------------

Last night I started organizing and sorting photos to burn on disc and get off my comp. Here are a few that I found amongst the hundreds, that caught my eye. (And this was just from ONE folder titled "Images to sort through") LOL.

Asa @ 6 months, drool and all.

Little toes, 9 months.

Ok, I swore this was taken just a couple months ago when we went to visit daddy at work. It's not a great picture but Asa was all about the daddy snuggles as soon as he saw him. Too sweet to not take a picture of. And the date... last JULY! 11.5 months old. Seriously am I the only one that can't believe how fast time is flying by?!

Milestone

2009-03-02T19:38:00.001-08:00

It's small and probably just in my head but today I am 32 weeks. That means I have passed the 31 week mark without incident. Not a big deal really, but 31 weeks was when I went into preterm labor with Asa. Everything was fine then as is now, however I now feel more at ease not having that scare.

Friday I see my perinatologist. This pregnancy has been pretty uneventful(thank goodness) and I have been seen regularly by a nurse practitioner in the woman's clinic, whom also was with me through my pregnancy with Asa. So this will be my second visit in the high risk department (first was my 8 week apt) and I will most likely remain there until the end now. I am hoping that we will be able to narrow down a c-section date at this time but I image she may want to see the baby's development before doing so. I am hoping for the 37-38 week mark as I am really starting to feel the strain and weight of this little guy. Plus there are all the out of town visitors who are hoping to figure out their travel schedule sooner rather than later.

Just think, Mr. Noname could be here in 5-6 weeks!!!

Morning Chuckle

2009-02-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Everyday I get a kick out of how much more Asa seems to understand and he, without a doubt, has become much more entertaining.

This morning after he finished his breakfast, he refused to say "Up please." when he was all done eating. We probably should have taught him "Down please." Guess we never thought that through, but I digress. He was refusing to use his manners and instead chose to bang his hands on the tray, make loud squawking bird like noises and anything else you can image a 1.5 year old to do. He wasn't having a tantrum, just being silly and difficult. I kept asking him "What do you say when you are all finished?" This did not work. "Where did your manners go?" Still not the response I had been hoping for.

Finally, after a few minutes of pretending like I didn't know what he wanted, I ask him again "Where did your manners go, are they hiding?" I lifted my arm and asked "Are they under your arm?" He paused a moment and looked at me. Then he grabbed the cuff of his sleeved and pulled it open wide. "Oh." I said walking towards him, "They're in your sleeve? Let me see." I looked in his sleeve, reached in as though to grab something and then patted his head. "There ya go. Now what do you say?"

"Peeeeeeeeesssssssss" he responded with a smile.

Thoughts of the day...

2009-02-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

I feel surprisingly good despite all the bad news of the past few weeks.

I think I actually feel some relief regarding Ollie. All the worry of the past 5-6 months is gone.

When the lady at the yarn store saw Asa and I walk in this morning she said with a snicker "Looks like mommy will be busy picking up a lot of yarn today." I responded "Actually he's really good with looking and not touching." Thinking as the words came out of my mouth, please don't let this be the time he proves me wrong. Nope, he was an fantastic even when left at the kids table to color. He even put all the crayons back in the cup without me asking, what a proud momma I am.

Call me crazy but I think it's cute when Asa runs around the house with his little orange gun making little cccr, crr, cccrr noises as he shoots things. And daddy has already taught him not to point it a people. But then again, I'm no longer afraid of guns and know that people kill people not guns.

It's surprising how much dust came off the sofa cushion were Jeff sits when Asa banged it with the rod of a dangley cat toy.

I found this picture in some files and it made me chuckle.

I wish Sara would turn her dang phone on already!

Yay, Jeff brought home cupcakes AND a cake. I've been having some serious cravings. Good husband.

I am so disappointed that a local kids store stopped selling this Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm. This is the best stuff ever!!! Now I have to find a new source. Grrr.

My scraproom desperately needs to be cleaned if it's going to be a make shift nursery in about 6 weeks. Ugh!

Crap this means we need to get the nursery closet cleaned out and shelves built for baby #2's clothes.

We may actually be close to choosing a name for #2. Hehehe.

There's nothing like a 1.5 year old volunteering kiss after kiss with bonus hugs and making a Mmwuah! sound each time his lips meet yours.

I think baby may be head up again?

I guess I better go start some dinner, but what I really feel like doing is tackling some of this mess. How weird is that!?

I received an email from Charlotte and she liked the pictures so much she wants to book a newborn shoot...if I'm up to it at the time. I sure hope I am!

And then there was one.

2009-02-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today we had to make a very heartbreaking decision. Our oldest fur baby took a turn for the worst over the weekend and we took him in to have him put down. This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. Secretly I had hoped to find he had passed in his sleep when we went to get him to place in the career, but on the other hand I wanted to be with him when he took his last breath.

This morning I knew it was time as he had lost some control over bodily functions through the night, so I gave him a bath and tucked him into a snugly bed. I knew at this point there would be no bouncing back from this. Jeff stayed with Asa in the patient room and I followed the doctor to a treatment table in another room. I was there with my hand on his chest, stroking his ear with my thumb as the doctor gave him some sleeping gas. I weaped silently for my sweet little fur baby. I continued to stroke his fur tenderly as the injection went in and his chest swelled three times and then was done. I have broke down a few times since, but know that in the end it was the right thing to do.

Olly, Olly Oxen Free.

Rest in peace little guy. You will be missed and forever loved.

Good News All Around!

2009-02-23T13:05:00.000-08:00

So last week I failed the 1 hour glucose test. Boo! This meant that I spent Saturday morning at the lab for the notorious three hour fasting test. No food after 11:30 pm the night before and then at 8am you are given a wonderful bottle of what tastes like Sprite syrup. Yummy the first sip and then gag worthy the next. I chugged it, then went and waited for the second of 4 blood draws in total(the first taken prior to the drink). Needless to say I passed with flying colors. At least that is what I believe the emailed results to me are saying as I have no training in reading that stuff, but the number is clearly lower than the normal range number given. Yay!

Last Thursday I had my first maternity/family shoot and I have to say it went really well. It wasn't easy as the the little boy did not want to look at the camera(reminded me of my own kid) but he would smile and laugh. I am so used to shooting one- two subjects so families are harder. Not to mention I am saving for a zoom lens so shoots with numerous people will be much easier than with the 50mm, which I love with all my heart. So why share all this? For a few reasons, actually. For a mom who owns a digital camera and instantly believes this now makes me a pro, *insert sarcastic tone and snicker* I think I did a pretty good job! Not only that but I have a few great shots to add to my website portfolio!

I have yet to post any paid shoot images on this blog. The main reason is my intent to have a photo blog for client sneak peeks. However this will most likely be my last shoot until after our (still nameless) baby boy is born and I just can't justify putting the time into creating one right now when there are other things on my to-do list. I do however want to share a few, so here ya go, some of my personal favorites so far:

I had a lot of fun trying new poses and locations and they are such a great family and made it all so easy. Thanks guys!

Now the last good news...hehehe, despite one individual's negative review of my photography skills, I have actually had client inquiries from my website thanks to her free publicity! I was so excited to receive shoot requests! Unfortunately I had to turn one lady down as she lived too far away but another lady wants to schedule with me down the road. I have to say, for not advertising one iota nor putting much energy into getting new clients I seem to be doing ok so far, at least in terms of practice and portfolio building. I can't wait until things settle down after the baby is born and I can actually put some focus on starting down the professional photography career path!

Pondering

2009-02-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

For the most part, what happened on Monday has passed. I said what I wanted over there and left it at that. Then, for some reason I awoke this morning with a thought in my head. In the paragraph that this anonymous "mediagirl" chose to write about me, she seemed to do a good job at putting a nice spin on the truth to try and make her point. (But isn't that typical of the media?...Haha) This leads me to believe it is someone who "knows" me, has followed my scrapbooking career and has a personal vendetta. So why do I believe this? To myself there are a few obvious reasons.

First her intentional down play of my SB accomplishments to simply being a few layouts published in magazines. You would have to do extensive searches to find that I have been published as it's really at the bottom of my list of work in the SB community, not to mention, it's been years. And while one was trying to find out if I had been published in a scrapbook magazine, you will come across dozens of info(like on this blog) and sites leading you first, to everything else from the companies I've worked for and conventions I've taught at. And yes, I have Googled myself, both married and maiden names haha. My point here is to show the obvious and intentional lack of info on her part in an attempt to discredit me.

The second reason I believe she "knows" me is her linking to my personal blog and not my website. Was she not trying to point out that I am now claiming to be a "professional photographer"? What better way to achieve that then link to my site with gallery? Again, an obvious answer. By linking my personal blog which has no images from any of my paid shoots and mostly just snap shots of Asa,(many on the first few pages with me griping about the crappy image quality of my new camera) she knew people would do a quick scroll to verify her opinions and leave it at that. No one coming from a "smack" blog will actually read the contents of a link. By linking to my actual photo site it would show that I am simply portfolio building, personally I think there are some decent shots there, and that I have never actually claimed to now be a full on pro running a photography business. I have simply made it known that I am working at changing career paths.

Last she implies that I have no camera or photography knowledge, that I now own a digital and thus believe I am a pro. LOL. Yet again one of the first google links that comes up is my membership to a photography site since 2002(long before I started working in the SB industry). And not that I feel the need to defend my credentials here, but I was shooting full manual way back then on a film camera! Uh ya, and there's a bunch of posts here from a photo course I took last summer.

So why else would she pick myself to try and publicly humiliate? I have not been active in the SB community for over a year. By this I mean I don't post on any forums or in galleries(except that one moment of weakness on the 2p's photo forum). UGH! Besides, she did have one thing correct, many scrapbookers have decided to become professional photographers, and these ladies make it known. I however, have only mentioned my intentions here, on my personal blog and let's face it, on average it's just viewed by a few friends and family members(so I thought). *wink* Except of course the over 400 hits since Monday. Hehehe.

It must be a pretty sad existence to live your life searching for people to hurt and holding onto such jealous and hateful thoughts in your heart. I'll never know why she chose me, nor will I speculate. She has her pathetic reasons and it will soon be forgotten by most.

Now before I too move on and leave this in the past, she had brought something else up, that actually made me laugh as I had been planning on posting about it here. As my regulars have probably noticed, I have been playing around with with various image markings and have yet to decide on one I like. In fact I don't know if I am settled on any that I have done so far and have even been debating going with more of a framed look like Angela Cardas has. I have done some with a transparent band across, a recommendation from various pros to make it hard for people to steal and clone off. Or the name and logo, as shown on the next page when you click older posts. Then there is just the bug, which I like but think it may really need to have a name there somewhere. I would love any input or suggestions. I plan on starting a photo blog for LGBP so clients can get a sneak peek and I really need to make a decision soon!

Confirmation!

2009-02-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

It IS a boy and we got some cute shots!

When we had Asa's 3D ultrasounds done he was stubborn and kept his hands in front of his face. #2 did this also but he was easily moved as he is the wiggliest kid evah! I had suspected that on Saturday while in the bath he may have flipped head down. I watched wide eyed as my stomach rolled and twitched as though an alien would emerge. An hour later I had a painful and ongoing small lump up by my ribs. I guessed it was a foot and that he may have turned from the breech position. I was correct! I think I may still schedule another cesarean but we'll see how I feel in a few weeks.

Little man looks just like daddy in my opinion...lol. Granted it's really hard to gage what the baby actually looks like from these shots but I am willing to guess he has daddy's mouth...hehe.

Secretly I was hoping that seeing his face would instantly confirm a name in my head. It didn't. Sigh. Does he look like a Zain to you? LOL.

Actually, maybe he kinda does.

Sometimes People Forget

2009-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

There is a living human being beyond your computer screen. This particular personal blog belongs to one!

I am someone who laughs and cries.
I have lived 31 years of my life with a crippling chronic illness and not let it win.
I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me.
I have a 1 1/2 year old who makes my heart sing every day!
I have a new life growing inside me.
I have been blessed with creative talents regardless of what some opinions may be and they have lead me down a path of hope that I too can be successful and have a job and not give in to my disability.
I have made some amazing and close friends because others believed in my creative abilities.
I have had over 22 surgeries from head to toe, literally.
I will make it happen, whatever my goals may be.
I always do my best to never hurt others.
I will try to brush others negativity away but it can still hurt.
I fear the world of hate my children will grow up in.
I will teach my children kindness and respect of others.

I love with all my heart.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is having a great day.

Jeff, Asa and myself went to Los Gatos to scoot out locations for a maternity shoot I will be doing on Monday. Jeff surprised us with a trip to a delicious gelato place, and then we walked the main street. I took some pictures along the way. It wasn't until we were about to turn around that we realized Rowan had not accompanied us the whole trip. So instead of heading back a different way we backtracked our steps in hopes we would find him. As it turns out, Jeff has his camera set to continue snapping even when the card is full. Needless to say the cute shots of Asa peeking back at me over Jeff's shoulder and the "Oh look, there's Rowan hung up on the iron fence waiting for us." don't actually exist. *Grumble, grumble* He even started to give me a lecture about emptying my card, but in my defense 1. I han't really planned on taking many shots and 2. I swear his camera read that I had 460 available?? Oh well, I did get a few cute pictures and best of all I think I found some very cool locations so it was a trip well worth it!

Here's my little man walking with dad. He still won't cooperate with the camera and so I do the best I can. I played with some actions and texture on these.

Let me just add that this kid seems to draw so much attention. People in cafe windows and on the sidewalk would talk to him or wave. We would hear giggles, and hellos and "Oh, he is so cute." A group of little girls went crazy when we passed them, it was so funny! I'm sure it must happen with all kids but it still surprises me how much attention babies get from strangers.

This year Asa and I made Daddy's Valentines Day card. I knew I wanted to try doing hand prints with him, but truthfully I hadn't thought ahead as to what I would actually do with the hand prints! So the card itself has no rhyme nor reason but I sure had fun making it. Gosh it feels good to explore my stash and pull out and use product that is old yet beautiful! Besides industry "old" and reality "old" are two very different time lines and I have so much cool old stuff that I can't wait to use!

I also discovered Asa would much rather use a paint brush then his fingers, don't blame him, and he loves painting. I made the center heart from some painted cardstock he did. Unfortunately he got lazy and I had to make the rest of the card. Personally I'm not buying the I don't know how to sew bit, he just didn't want to. Whatever.

Here he is showing off his card in front of a cool viney wall we found in an alley on our journey.

Lastly, I decided to make Asa and Jeff's valentines match this card since I already had everything out. The small one is Asa's and the bigger is Jeff's. I think it was smart planning on my part, may have most of an upcoming layout already complete. *Wink, wink.*

Oh and the shots of Asa and mommy don't actually exist either, even though we did pose and smile for them. Few shots of us together actually exist and I'm starting to think it's a conspiracy. Ha!

Baby Talk

2009-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Master Asa Burleson has been talking for a while now. Ok, he seemed to talk straight out of the womb, but he has some actual coherent words at this point. Yay! The list seems to grow everyday. He has some very clear words but also has those "what's that mommy?" point, to which I tell him, he repeats, sometimes VERY clearly and then never says it again words.

So here is a list of official Asa words, starting with words he's been saying for a couple months until recently. It seems the past few weeks a new words pops up everyday, so I may not remember them all.

Clear words:

Bubba- This may have actually been his first "without a doubt" word.
Dadda- In the beginning this word followed the sound of daddy unlocking the door upon his arrival home from work. Asa, sometimes overwhelmed with excitement, would freeze, then spin, not knowing quite what to do with himself and then run to the door clapping and repeating dadadadadadada... over and over. Note: I never received any similar greetings of excitement. Chop liver I tell ya.
Hi, Bye or Buh bye- All greetings, coming and going are accompanied with a hand wave.
Up pssss or Up Prrssss- He is actually saying Up Please. Something I felt was time for him to learn, sparked by my annoyance of him whining about me lifting him onto the couch, which, in his defense is too high for him to climb onto. However, this phrase is now used for anything he wants. I can't seem to break him of the "Up" and just say please.
Nana- Banana. Apparently his drug of choice, it's all about the nana's.
Mamma's- This is said while pointing at various objects that I have instilled in his brain as do not touch items because, they are, "Mamma's!" This includes my cereal, tea cup, camera and cel phone. Rarely does he refer to me as Momma, except the occasional times that he points at me and says "Momma" in a way to let me know who I am, just in case I had forgotten.
Dadda's- Again used to show us what we already know belongs to the person. Expect for the one morning Asa and I argued over the remote. "Dadda's." He said pointing at it. "Mamma's too." I replied. "Dadda's." He insisted. "And mamma's." I responded. "Dadda's" he kept saying, ignoring my argument that I too have rights to the remote. "Fine." I said giving up "But I can use it too!" And just like his father, he walked away getting in the last word... "Dadda's."
Eye- This seems to be his favorite word and I really don't know what the appeal is? I'm guessing his own knowledge as he is always proud to show you were an eye is located. Just a heads up though, this word can come out of the blue and is often followed by a quick sharp jab. So one must be paying attention to Asa's vocals while in poking range or just have really good reflexes. He is getting slightly better at restraining himself from the full on pokes but our efforts at reminding him are never ending.
Hat- Daddy wears one and thus Asa is always happy to wear one too, often stealing daddy's.
Ht, hat or het- Hot. Very similar to hat and usually needs to be taken into context. IE... said while pointing at my tea "Mamma's, ht." or when given a plate of food.
Cado- Avocado. The first night saying this he actually picked up on the syllables, but quickly decided cado was much more efficient. He, by the way, LOVES them!
Boon- Moon, no idea why he can say momma but can't grasp the "mmm" sound for this one??
Ba- Bath. This past week he's let us know he wants one as soon as he is finished dinner and hands us his plate. Yes he hands us his plate when he is all done, good kid, but again one must be paying attention as it comes towards you, he's definitely keeping my reflexes fine tuned.
Ogi- Oliver. Usually said when he picks up Oli's medicine syringe, that he knows he's not supposed to touch so when caught he says "Ogi" and quickly puts it down. When Oliver and Bubba are out playing, he refers to both as Bubba.
Cob- Jacob. There is a picture of Jacob on my desk that he likes and points to often.
Ah-nah- No. Usually said while shaking his head and walking away from you. If you insist on whatever it is he disagrees with, it will escalate in volume and tears will ensue. If you just stand still and quietly wait it out, repeating yourself softly he will in fact end up walking back towards you and surrender with both arms in the air. This usually takes less than a minute, thankfully. For now.
Ah-den- All done. More often than not this is said while raising his hands to his shoulders in a shrug like motion.

On that note, I think my list, at least for now is, ah-den! He does have many other non coherent words that we can only identify because he is pointing at an object. Unfortunately for him, no matter how much he repeats himself, there are many times I am left staring blankly and telling him that I have no idea what he is saying so maybe he should just show me. Thankfully his understanding of what I am saying is very well understood. He just doesn't always care, nor agree.

Sneak Peek...

2009-02-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I have been sick since last Thursday, so there has been a delay in my posting these pictures. We had our shoot with Angela a week ago Sunday and she has posted 18 sneak peeks. I am so excited about them and it only makes me more anxious to see the rest! Here are a few of my favorites and a link to her blog, which also has a link to all 18 images. Right now we are the second entry so scroll until you find us as I'm sure you'll know who we are! Hehe.

Uh... so I'm looking through them and having a very hard time picking just a few favorites...LOL

Asa thought it was pretty funny that we all drank at the same time.

Daddy showed him a hole in the wall, so he kept sticking his finger in it!

My prego tummy. I loved how this iron gate looks too, great shot Angela!

This is probably my very favorite so far and I will def' be framing this baby!

I love cool close ups and this one fits the bill perfectly!

Thanks again Angela!!!

Cardas Photography

Introducing...

2009-02-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Charlie.

Last Wednesday, while having his diaper changed, Asa started pointing to the top of his armoire. I couldn't make out what he was trying to say but took a guess that he was pointing at Charlie(AKA Chester, but then I think Chester the molester so now it's Charlie. No offense to any one named Chester.).

Charlie is a stuffed cheetah that Jeff bought me many moons ago when we were first dating. He has moved from shelf to shelf over the years but has always been in a position to look over the room he resides in. Since finishing the nursery prior to Asa's birth, he has sat perched atop the armoire. I'm surprised it's taken Asa so long to notice him, especially since Mrs.Lion is up there also, albeit on the other side but he says goodnight to her each and every evening.

Asa squealed in delight the moment I handed Charlie down to him. From that moment on, they have been best buds. Sure Asa plays with some stuffed toys every now and again, usually an hour or so here and there, but this was an instant bond that I can't explain. For two days straight Charlie went wherever Asa did, including naps, snacks and bedtime. What touched me the most was watching Asa play with him. He no longer just holds his toys but really gets imaginative. He reads to Charlie and feeds him. He puts him in his chair and even covers him up if he has his blanket with him. Charlie is a staple in everyday play. First thing in the morning Asa grabs onto him before I lift him from his crib. And Charlie is the first stuffed toy to NEVER be thrown from the crib in the morning. Even Rowan gets tossed, but so far, not the Cheetah.

The first two days with Charlie Asa kept insisting on sitting on a little bench stool by the kitchen. There's not much around it so I don't know why. But the two of them sat playing and talking for quite sometime. Then they watched Yo Gabba Gabba while enjoying a snack all cozy on the couch. This is when I got smart and pulled out the camera! Note: Sara's quilt is in this shot. ;)

Later that afternoon Asa insisted on riding his horse, with Charlie of course!

This next picture cracks me up. After some vigorous riding Asa just stopped, laid his head against Charlie and completely zoned out. For almost 3 minutes his stayed just like this, staring past me. I snapped a few pictures and talked to him. He gave me a soft smile once so he was sorta listening to me but for the most part he was just chillin' on his horse with his new best friend.

The next day Asa and Charlie had their snacks in the nursery rocking chair, per Asa's "Up psss" and patting the seat, request. Not only did Asa share his snack, switching the drink for the snacks and vice-versa but when he was done eating he started reading books. I went to the kitchen(I can see in the room from there) and did some dishes. For almost a half an hour he played. He got really loud a couple times and I thought maybe he wanted down and was afraid to do it on his own since the chair rocks, but when I peeked in, he was was just excitedly reading a book...haha.

Dad got home while the two friends were once again sitting on the stool. Since daddy has a knack for making Asa laugh, I snapped a few more shots of the new best buds.

Today Charlie is wearing a diaper. Asa threw a small fit at the thought of having his diaper changed, but Charlie took it like a man. A man that wears diapers, but man none the less. Thus, Asa followed suit... with a smile.

I have a feeling Charlie will be around for a while.

Lazy Sunday

2009-01-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

It started with cinnamon french toast and since I don't usually make hot breakfasts, this was about the only accomplishment I made today. I had hoped to finish a LO but when I had an hour or so to myself it ended up being spent on the phone and editing images. Missy called from CHA made me a bit nostalgic. I think really she was calling to complain that I only had one new layout in Technique Tuesday's booth. Word on the street is that Eileen wants me to stop getting knocked up so I will come back to work for them...hehe. I'm not ruling it out completely but I told Missy(and Eileen months ago) that I think my designing days are over and that I really want to put my energy into photography and enjoy scrapping for me again. Regardless, it was very flattering to have two ladies bitch about my lack of design presence. Thanks girlies.

We took Asa to the park. Unfortunately the sky opened up about 15 minutes after arriving and we had to run for cover so not to get soaked. As you all know, Asa and I are made of sugar and Jeff certainly wouldn't want us melting away. Ha!

We did however manage a few photos. Asa loves the swings, so much so I try to avoid them as long as possible when we go to a park in hopes to get him to actually play for a while first. Today he made a beeline for it so that is what he got to do before the rain came down on us. Believe it or not my kid is actually quite a happy smiley kid. He just seems to have a hatred for sharing this side with the camera. Thankfully Daddy was able to distract him and I caught some big grins. Jeff pretended to take swing kicks to the face and chest. Apparently watching dad pretend to get bashed and cry out in pain warrants big laughs. Gotta love boys!

Note the slightly more serious face when he sees what I am doing.

But he's having too much fun to care!

I love the hair and grin in this shot despite being slightly out of focus. This makes me hear his laugh and like any mom knows(dads too) that's a great feeling.

And now, for the first time so far...shame on me...Tad!

I am 27 weeks tomorrow and yes those are frumpy black sweats. I wish my lower hand wasn't there cuz I think it blocks just how far out my tummy is at the bottom! None the less, it's a long over due profile shot. Newan, MIL's nick name for baby #2 which is short for "New One" as we yet to have choose a name, spent all yesterday kicking and rolling non stop. Although, I think he tired himself out as today he has been quite mellow. I actually had a hard time watching a movie with Jeff because of his distracting kicks last night. LOL. And twice after going to bed I had to tell him to "Go To Sleep!" as he was keeping me awake. Lil' bugger.

So there ya have it, a lazy Sunday, the best kind!

Oh Ya Baby!

2009-01-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a very long time, but your eyes aren't deceiving you... I finished a layout!

No need to get all proud of me though. This is a LO I started almost a year ago and has been sitting waiting for the final touches since. But hey, I am thrilled to have it done. And the best part... wait for it... it's ALL MINE! Yup, no sending it to anyone, it goes right into my scrapbook! Well, it will go right into the pile of pages that should be in a scrapbook...hahaha. Note the creative skull and flame border that mimics his tattoo...except for the added tools. Man I've missed this! Good new is, I have another LO that I started in the fall that needs to be finished so I may be posting another soon. It's only half done so it needs a lot more work. It's like I'm warming myself up to get back in the groove. Which will of course happen right before baby arrives and then I'll be out for who knows how long again. Pwtttttttttt!

For now, I will sit back and enjoy being creative, regardless of how much I get done. Hey, maybe I'll even start submitting again.

P.S. Asa was only 5 months old in these pitures. The small one on the bttom makes me think of Joey's "How you doin'?"

It Came!

2009-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to take a picture, but I am excited to say that the beautiful baby blanket that Miss M made Asa for his shower two years ago(well she started it then) finally arrived. Hey man, better late then never! Here's a link so you can see it since I don't have an actual picture yet: Sara's Awesome Quilt For Asa.

Asa loves it. He tries carrying it around but since it's pretty much adult size this means he trips, drops it and then picks it up again, walks two feet. Repeat. I did have a good chuckle though. The blanket was half draped over the coffee table, must have been Asa's placement as I hadn't put it there. Asa had been watching TV in his mini armchair. He got thirsty and climbed backwards on his chair to take a drink of milk from his sippy cup which was also on the coffee table directly behind him. When he put the cup down, two splashes of milk landed on the edge of the table. He stared at them for a moment and then directed his attention to his new quilt. He stretched out his arm, but couldn't quite reach. "Awww" I thought to myself "He sure loves that blanket." He then put one leg over the side of the chair and placed it firmly on the ground which enabled him to now reach the blanket. I was so proud to see how he does his own problem solving. Look at my boy getting so big! With the blanket now firmly in his hand he stood back on the chair, pulled it close, wiped up the milk with it and then sat back down to finish watching his show. LMBO!

I can't help but laugh again thinking about it. I immediately thought of Sara and all her hard work and here's my kid using it to mop up milk. But on the bright side it was just two little drops AND he cleaned up his own mess, one has to be impressed with that, no?

So Sara, thanks girl, it's beautiful!

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In other news, Sony just called about my camera that's in the shop. Said they can't find an issue. So I made it clear that I take people shots and that it won't stop motion below ISO1600. Like the guy in he camera store, I'm sure they have just snapped a picture on non moving object. I have a bad feeling about it and think we'll end up paying the crappy restocking fee and I'll be out a camera...sigh.

This news came just before Jeff's lunch time call were he informed me that they are cutting back his hours...again. Yup, the second time in the past 2 weeks. Things are about to get very tight here, being that he is the the bread winner of the household. I won't even mention how much a month we will be out but it is a very hefty chunk. Sigh. I'm trying not to let it get me down but worry will soon kick in I'm sure.

---------------------------------

Help Find Me A Name!

And now for a request. We are absolutely STUCK on another boy name. We have a few in the running but nothing that we both LOVE. So I am asking my readers to help out if they can with any name suggestions. But here's the catch. I like different, but not wacky and I don't want it to be in the top 100, the farther down the top 1000 list the better. What list, you ask? This one: Government Baby Name Site It's an actual government site(part of the Social Security site) that is fun to search! LOL.

**Forgot to add, Jeff bet me 10 bucks that non of my readers could find a better name than us...LOL.

So Excited!!

2009-01-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

But before I share why I am so giddy I thought I would share a picture. I found it during my cleaning spell on the weekend. I held it up to my skype cam to show my MIL...

"Aah." She said. "How old was he there?"

"I think I was about 7-9 months." LOL.

Yup, he's definitely my son! Now if only we can keep Jeff believing he's his. Bwahahaha! Just kidding. I've never cheated on Jeff. Besides, I heard it's not cheating if they don't speak English.

Ok, so now on to why I am excited! My friend Angela, whom I met through Susanne a few years back and then worked with at Technique Tuesday, is now a full time, and may I add, amazing photographer. The best part... she's going to be in town at the end of the month and is going to do a family/maternity/couple shoot with us!!! I am so stinkin' excited about it! This girl has the amazing nack of creative backgrounds and making a chain link fence look cool! Her niche is weddings and couples but she's good with it all. If only we were in the market for a wedding photographer then maybe I'd actually have some wedding photos I like, sigh. But at least I know I will have some family ones to look forward too!

Here's a link to her sites: Cardas Photography I recomend scrolling through her photo blog, as she keeps this updated with sneak peeks from her shoots. And checking out her couples gallery in the portrait site is a MUST. The couples reflection in the puddle shot...LOVE IT!

This will be the first time we have invested in a custom photographer and I am so thrilled that it's her. Teehee. I just can't wait! Less than two weeks away! Ugh, what will I wear?

Let There Be Crayons!

2009-01-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely my scraproom is getting cleaner. I got quite a bit done today. Asa had a long morning nap which enabled me to work away at it. However I decided it would be a great idea to multi-task and start downloading videos onto the comp. I get tired of not being able to just grab a tape and record on the fly. The issue I then had was staying focused on the job at hand and not sitting down to watch the videos as they loaded. Ah shucks give a girl a break, I'm pregnant I needed to take a load off anyway. Again I will say, it was slow going...haha.

Jeff took Asa out around 3pm. By this time I was tired and thought it would be best to have a quick power nap before getting back to work. Two hours later I awoke. Barely. Apparently rest is important too. At least the day wasn't a total bust. Besides I did manage to get some things done yesterday also, thanks to a kid who can self entertain! *Insert victory dance here.* For the most part Asa likes to be near or ON me but he also has the wonderful ability to play by himself. Along with reading his new favorite activity is drawing. I am thrilled that he loves to draw and color... not so much when he so proudly shows me the masterpiece he created on 3 pages of my day planner, which he then tore out and brought to me. Doh! Stupid thing is, I saw him sitting quietly in his chair and thought he was reading. Ha. I'll pay better attention next time!

The other day I "cleaned" off my desk, by clean I mean put away any non scrapbooking items and crap that had been piled on it as it is not actually clean in any sense of the word. BUT there is room to work so I took a chance and sat Asa on the chair with some crayons and paper and he played for about 10 minutes. Yesterday he walked into my room, patted the chair to let me know he wanted to draw again and then proceeded to play happily for over 30 minutes. I gave him some pencil crayons, translation for you crazy Americans would be colored pencils. Personally I feel the word "colored" to be offensive and will stick to more accepting and tolerant Canadian term for these delightful imagination fun makers. The best part was that he didn't care that I was in and out of the room doing my own thing. His attention was fully on the task at hand. This task included finding small scraps of paper on my desk to write on, and ignoring the big sheets of paper I had so generously offered him. So being the most amazing mom EVAH, I used my handy paper trimmer, surprisingly it's like riding a bike and I still knew how, and cut up a bunch of small pieces for him.

He just looked so big and grown up sitting there busy as a bee, and thus I had to try and sneak a quick video. The "sneak" part didn't last long but I did manage to catch him on film and so I will share it with you now. I love how he uses both hands to adjust the pencil so he can write better. 17 months is all he is, can you believe it? Sigh.

And did I mention he's really liking music and requests it on a daily basis. Hence the swaying grooves. Hehe.

A Little Less Pressure

2009-01-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

I guess it wasn't obvious(from Susanne's last comment) but this new look is my final blog edit. For now. I made the side and title pictures myself and changed all the blog colors. I am sure new ones will come and go with time but for now, this is it. A Danea original.

I know this may sound strange but I am feeling such a load off my shoulders by updating this blog. The truth is my To Do list has grown and I have been feeling so overwhelmed lately. The fact that I hadn't been updating was weighing on me. It was a constant and annoying little voice in my ear that added to my frustrations. Every night in bed I would write a blog in my head for the next morning and every morning, time passed and no updates.

As you all know my due date is fast approaching and there are things that still need to be done. Like get a freakin' side belly shot! Or rearranging my scraproom to become a make shift and temporary nursery. The problem is that it's a disaster zone right now! Unfortunately it has been too hard to tackle with a 17 month old underfoot. So I have asked Jeff to take Asa for a guys day tomorrow in hopes of a few hours alone to work on it. Sure Asa naps and that gives me time, but I have the most energy in the morning and he often naps after lunch, when I'm ready to go back to bed myself. Then there are the everyday chores and tasks that need to be done and so the big, not so regular tasks on my list keep getting bumped for dishes & laundry & dusting & so on. These are all things best done when Asa is napping. It's been a never ending cycle of un-accomplishments. LOL.

I looked at a few more pictures today that I had taken on New Years Eve day. Once again I was sadly discouraged with the poor quality. Damn they better find something wrong with that camera and fix it! It was a beautiful sunny day, but cold. We took Asa to the park and even though the play area was only half shaded I STILL had to shoot at 1600. I did however like the very first image and I cannot blame the improper exposure on anything but myself. As I slowly waddled along after my boys I couldn't help but smile at how cute Asa looked hurriedly following after Daddy, his new hand me down pocket watch just a swinging with every little step. So I grabbed my camera and snapped this shot, completely oblivious to the known fact that I shoot manual and adjustments always need to be made. Duh. Regardless it's my favorite shot and I decided to play up the exposure with a grungy look. Now, had I been thinking before typing this last paragraph I should have said "I was playing with exposure and came up with this cool vintage looking shot that I enhanced with some grunge brushes." Ya, that's what I meant to say. Haha.

Slow Going

2009-01-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

Since there is so much to catch up on, I'm going to give the short version. Christmas was very nice and uneventful. It was just us three the whole day. Asa loved (and still does) the rocking chair Santa brought him. He also likes his rocking horse from G-ma. The rocking horse however has taken some getting used to. The occasional ride, including Christmas morning, but mostly petting and even, wait for it... feeding. One morning I saw him walk behind the couch with a spoon in his hand. I peaked over and was I was quite surprised (and impressed) to see him place the spoon in the horses mouth. For the next couple days he pretended to feed himself and the horse with a bowl and spoon. So cute.

I've been using Skype a lot with my family and the other day Asa and Hunter decided to show off for each other. Asa's trick, riding his horse of course. Since then he rides everyday and for not technically being able to reaching the stirrups, as his feet barely rest on the bar above, he sure can get it a rockin'!

The disappointing news from the holidays was the realization that my new upgraded camera takes crap pictures. Sigh. I thought and was hoping at first that it was just user error. The problem was that I couldn't take any indoor pictures of people on a bright day without having to set the camera at ISO 1600. Not only that but the quality at 1600 is crap. Then to add to those issues was the problem with white balance, no matter what I would try it was touch and go to get a correct reading, and it was rare to do so with indoor lights. Grrr. So last weekend I took it back. Needless to say they just didn't get what I was saying but they did give me two options: I could return it for a hefty restocking fee, or have it sent in to be looked at under warranty. I had it sent in. If it's the same when it's returned, I will pay the fee as I couldn't sell clients the quality of indoor images that I got with it. So right now I am cameraless. Sort of. I pulled out Jeff's 7D and think I have mastered the basics. I haven't tried to get any new clients do to these issues but I am going to send out an advertisement in this months momsClub newsletter. Yay. So hopefully I will get some takers.

So now, here are some VERY overdue Christmas pictures. Last year I bought all new decorations on clearance. I thought it seemed like a good time to go colorful for the kids. My gold and burgundy was going on 13 years old...LOL.

This is what Santa left for Asa on Christmas morning.

The first thing he did was sit in his chair and grab a book. Does Santa know this kid or what! Ha.

Opening presents with Daddy.

Taking a break on Daddy's lap. Opening presents is hard work!

Showing Mommy his new remote, which he mostly uses like a phone.

Riding his new rocking horse. He spotted it behind the couch and had to go investigate.

Later that morning... he tried so hard to share his chair with George and the NASA bear from grandma.

He gave up after a few minutes, hugged and kissed the bear and took him to his bedroom where apparently, it was best for the bear to reside alone on the floor in the dark??

I Promise...

2009-01-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

To update with more regularity. Ugh. I'm thinking I need some blogger Ex-lax to get some posts flowing... haha. Things have been busy and yet not much seems to be happening. I still have some Christmas photo editing to do and so much to talk about. I will try and do small posts over the next couple weeks in hopes of catching up. Maybe tomorrow morning I will actually post some pictures from Christmas. Then I will start filling ya'll in on the comings and goings and how fast this pregnancy is passing and I don't have one profile shot to show for it!!!

Ok, I am off to get a drink and actually try and relax before bed. I need to put a heat pad on my hip. Hip sounds so much nicer than butt, however it really seems to be my right cheek.

Hope all is well with everyone, so stay tuned, if possible I'll even get some videos up!

P.S. I've been playing with blogger templates (and Pyzam templates too) I have discovered a few things and will most likely be changing things around. So don't get settled on this, as I think I will attempt to make my own... cuz I have so much free time...hahaha.

Peace On Earth...

2008-12-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Or at least at the moment.

Two of my boys are asleep, the other keeps kicking and rolling. I have to admit the quiet is nice but I'm starting to get restless. We have some friends coming over after dinner for a visit and I'm looking forward to spending some time with them.

Then of course Santa comes tonight. Yay!

Tomorrow it's just us. We bought some yummy pre-made turkey dinner goodies at the market's deli today. There didn't seem to be a need for cooking a turkey for 2.5 people. So those are the plans, a quiet evening with friends and quiet day tomorrow with the my boys. Hmmm maybe not so quiet tomorrow as multiple packages to Asa make a LOT of noise...LOL. Oh, and of course there will Skype calls. Asa is really getting into the video calls now...hehe.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh So Proud!

2008-12-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Last night Asa decided to help me fold laundry while sitting on my bed. This isn't the first time he's helped, although the outcome is always the same. This is what I saw when I turned around after hanging up a few shirts. What a great little helper and he has the sorting part down pat!

He's not gender specific, undies are undies, but these just don't go over the head as easily. Hope that's not saying anything about the size I wear...Bwhahaha.

And then...

2008-12-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's 10:24 and my child is still asleep. Any other day and I would go poke him to make sure he was still with us, but I heard him roll and moan around 7:30 and go back to sleep. He was up very late last night but before I get to that I need to go back, waaaaaaayyyyyy back, because let's face it it's been weeks and a lot has gone on.

Nov 23rd I started having contractions. To make a long story short, the doc suspected an infection and put me on antibiotics. The meds made me violently ill but I didn't make the connection until the 5th day of 7. In fact I was blaming my daily intake of pumpkin pie. Silly me. In the end, all was well.

And then...

We spent Thanksgiving with Jeremy & Deedee and Jeremy's family. It was a really nice dinner and great company. I tried my best to get a family photo before we left but it wasn't that great. My kid won't smile for the camera. Figures. I also tried me best to get a couple shots of Daddy pushing Asa on one of Bo's ride toys after dinner. It was so funny to watch as Asa LOVES going fast. His mouth open with squeals of delight. Most pictures were to blurry, user error I'm sure but I did get one "OK" shot. I hope Asa's need for speed isn't a sign for things to come. Right. He IS his fathers son!

I did end up using the pics on my first designed Christmas card as a test for a future photography business product. I was really happy with how they turned out.

And then...

Nov 30th I put up the Christmas decorations...mostly. I still have a few more things to do today and more bows to make so I'll post pictures later. Last year I decided to change all my colors to something more kid friendly. I've had the same burgundy/gold with white lights for 13 years. Very pretty but as a kid it was all the colors of Christmas that I remember, so I bought all new goodies at the end of season sales last year. I was just starting to put the lights on the tree when when Asa went down for his nap. By the time he woke I had the tree almost finished. I walked him out to take a peak. When he looked around the fireplace, Rowan in hand, his mouth dropped open. He looked back at me, and then the tree, and then back at me,with a little squeal he shoved Rowan in his mouth and started clapping! He then proceeded to walk into the living room and sat on the floor cross legged right in front of the tree and just stared up at it! My heart melted. I wish everyone was impressed with my decorating abilities...haha. Had I predicted his response I would have had the video rolling. Alas, I did not. Bummer.

And then...

My final draft business cards came in. they are a pretty pearl finish that look almost metallic. I ended up keeping them clean and simple and I am thrilled with the outcome. It was attempt #3 so I am happy these ones turned out! LOL.

My scanner cropped the back side tight but there is a wider edge all around this.

And then...

Tues Dec 2nd Miss Susanne came to visit. We had a great time and yet, once again I completely forgot to take pictures. Duh! We hung out the first couple days.

And then...

Thursday morning I went and had this done:

Probably a good 10-11 inches gone, and I love it!

And then...

We visited Santa at the mall on Friday. Asa was in such a mellow mood. Not cranky not overly joyous. Just chill. Had he had a few more minutes to get to know Santa he may have been easier to coax a smile out of, instead he was content to sit and chat on Santa's lap. Not a funny picture like last year but I nice one to have. (And it's the same Santa too!)

And then...

Three hours after this photo was taken we all realized Asa's mood was simply the calm before the storm as he broke his first tooth in over 5 months. It was a long night and about to get even longer.

And then...

I started to feel a UTI coming on around 9pm. Unfortunately the nurse hotline would not send a prescription to the pharmacy for me, as they would do for most anyone else. Nope I take Enbrel. My options the ER. Why? Two reasons, #1. Enbrel is an immune suppressant so they wanted to make sure that within the 2 hours of me having having the UTI it didn't somehow, amazingly run ramped through my body and infect my kidneys, in return causing them to fail. Ya right. #2. Because I was only 19 weeks and 4 days, not 20 weeks which is the requirement to be seen in Labor & Delivery...for free. Nope I had to go to the ER just to be prescribed the same damn meds they would have over the phone. Yup $110 later, no different or special test, just $$$ spent and 4 hours wasted. Grrrr! They didn't even do any test to check my kidneys... Big surprise there!

And then...

On Saturday we had plans to meet a couple of my friends at Lisa's tea room. Yay. Jeff was having a nap so I went in to our bathroom to quietly get ready while Susanne got ready in the main bathroom. Not 4 seconds after I heard Jeff get up and leave our bedroom, there was a knock on my bathroom door. As it turns out Suzy Q was waiting patiently on the couch for me as she didn't want to wake up Jeff. the reason? She set her hair on fire. LOL. Ok, I'm laughing because it wasn't actually in flames and it really isn't as bad as it sounds. Her straightener over heated and fried a whole bunch of ends. I cleaned it up the best I could. Thankfully the area that was actually burnt was underneath and not noticeable at all. This girl has the worst luck I tell ya. That or she is jinxed at my house. Thankfully she didn't pass out at all this time. The tea room was great and sans kids. Yay!

And then...

On Tuesday morning Susanne went home. :(

And then...

Uncle Dusten called on Skype and Asa got to see him through the video. Asa laughed the whole time. He thought it was great to see Uncle D making faces and silly sounds. Wish I was videoing the web cams...LOL. Skype is great we talk to both Grandmas and Asa's cousins too!

And then...

Friday night I went to the moms night out dinner with the moms club. It was the Christmas party dinner were we did the gift game. I had two cool gifts taken from me, pay back ladies, pay back...sleep with one eye open. LOL. It was a lot of fun and always great to get out with just adults and other moms at that!

And then...

Yesterday we went to a Christmas party at a friends house. Lots of great food and people and kids. We had a great time, and Asa loved playing with all the kids. He didn't even have any meltdowns and was perfectly content to be left to his own devices. He would, on occasion come and see Jeff or myself. But more often then not you would call his name as he walked by and he would turn, smile and nod, then be on his way again. He was one of the only kids that didn't have a tantrum or melt down, I was so proud of him. He got cranky twice, when a little girl tried playing with the Christmas puzzle he received as a gift, and when Daddy picked him up to leave. It was 10pm and Asa was still going strong. This kid is usually in bed at 6:45, so it was crazy to see him so high energy at this hour. He was so happy to play and visit with adults. He didn't even really fall asleep in the car which I was SURE he would do. But as I said he slept really late this morning and is actually napping again. Guess all the excitement caught up with him...hehehe.

And then...

A bit out of order but I wanted to save this until last...

On Friday I officially launched my new website that I have been playing with for months. My comp time is limited, not to mention I have had a few paid clients and been busy with them and working on pictures for my web gallery. I am very excited to finally be "official" even though my time for the next 9 months or so will be limited with pregnancy and a newborn. I have yet to start a photo blog but that is next on my list! So without further adu:

www.littlegreenbugphotography.com

Phewph! Now to go finish the rest of my decorations and cleaning. I'll add pictures when I am done. Hope everyone is doing well!

Daddy Made A...

2008-11-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

No need to search for pink airplanes for the nursery. Yay!

Oh So Dapper.

2008-11-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have a shoot this weekend. Jeff's "good" lens has not been satisfying me for many months now. Not sure if it stopped working properly of if I am just getting more keen on sharper/better quality pics and it never was as good as we thought? Either way, as much as I love our 50mm, this thing freakin' rocks, I need a portrait zoom lens. So I pulled out my El Cheapo sigma and took Asa out side for a test run. It's not bad but it's not great either. It will work for this weekend, but I won't be surprised if I end up relying on my 50mm again. The only trouble there is that this is a family shoot which means I have to get back far enough to fit them all in the frame, then for close ups I need to run forward. Forward, back, forward, back...the last thing I want is another face plant with new camera in hand. Ugh. (Did I ever mention that here?) Needless to say I have to find a wish list lens if I am going to do this for a living. But for now I shall post a few cute pics of my adorable child and make do with the lenses I have.

He would not smile, nor did he even want to look at me. Apparently the back yard is full of much more interesting things than mom and her camera, can't blame him I guess.

At least I can give this lens kudos for close up sharpness, unfortunately though even in bright shaded light I had a hard time with motion blur. But check out those eye lashes!

P.S. The only way to get him to look up was to cry wolf, I mean "Airplane!" Poor kid loves airplanes so much he will stop everything for a peak, in this case, to no avail... mean momma!

Quicky

2008-11-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Once again I find I have lots to share but little time to do so. This past week has been busy and yet I seem to be getting nothing accomplished. Part of the reason are these stupid back pains I am having again that I know are due to this pregnancy. Last night I saw the chiropractor. You see I had this same problem while pregnant with Asa but was told it was just round ligament pains. That is until my 3rd trimester when I could barely walk. My chiropractor said it was too late to treat me but had he known early on... well I'm not making that same mistake twice and I am already feeling better afetr my first visit with him. Yay!

Last night Asa woke up hungry at 10:15pm. This was predictable. Why? Because my daddy, God love him, gave Asa not one but two sippy cups full of milk right before dinner(which was running late). Needless to say Asa was full for dinner, but with liquid...side note: He peed out his diaper over night the first time in many, many months. But I digress, I went in and fed him some oatmeal. He then laid his head on my shoulder, signalling he was ready to go back to bed. I started singing him Hush Little Baby, when he pulled his head back, looked me in the eye and then gave me a big kiss. I'm talking no coaxing, no hinting, completely on his own doing. Then he laid his head back down and I tried my best not to cry. I know, silly sentimental momma, but this was the first time he'd done it all on his own. Makes me wonder what he was thinking that he felt so inclinded to kiss me out of the blue like that? Sigh, he makes my heart sing.

So today I cut his hair using Jeff's buzzer and three different attachments. I think I did a pretty good job too. Asa was great. He giggled whe I did the back of his neck and head but otherwise he was pretty still. I took some pictures both the share and as test shots for my new camera.

This first picture was from last week. His hair was getting really long which meant a very high Mohawk... LOL.

I experimented with making an old school cross processed filter, which seems very popular right now. It's not a very heavy filter but I like it. Asa wouldn't sit still nor did he want to look at me. So I'll just pretend I was going for more artsy type photos...hehehe.

Rockin the new do.

My favorite of the group.

This one, just because I love how focused he is on his drawing. Yup, he loves to draw!

Comprehension

2008-11-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

Let me first start with some late pictures. Since my mom taught Asa to growl like Frankenstein when she came to visit, I thought it to be the perfect costume. Not to mention I saw a how to make your own in Parents Magazine. Can I just say how old it makes me feel to admit I read and utilize ideas I see in Parents magazine...hahaha.

The neck pieces were supposed to stay tucked into his shirt but that just didn't happen so I glued a small piece of velcro to them, could have done a better job but he only wore it a few times so no big deal. We didn't take him trick-or-treating but we did take him to look at a house that was all done up in halloween lights, it was fantastic. His eyed lit up with wonder and when I asked if he liked the lights he started clapping, guess that was a yes...hehe.

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Moments after taking these photos I fell on the concrete, landing on both elbows with full force and bunging up three toes on my right foot. Not sure how I fell but my elbows still hurt and I am pretty sure I broke my second toe. Oh and did I mention I had my new camera around my neck and it landed lens up and went straight into my chest. The camera seems to have survived minus a few cosmetic scratches...sigh.

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Flushing the toilet has become a source of entertianment... and I don't mean mine.

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Yesterday I felt sick so Jeff watched Asa while I slept. When I got up, this was the first conversation we had.

Jeff: "How small do you cut apple pieces up for Asa?"
Me: "I don't give him apple. I don't think they are soft enough for him to chew."
Jeff with funny look on his face: "He choked on a piece when I gave it to him. He started turning colors, well, his face turned red."
Me: I had no real response as this just confirmed my theory as to why I don't give him apple.

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Everything Asa picks up becomes a phone. He even has a phone voice and does the side "gaze" while talking. Yesterday among the babble he even started shaking his head. Guess he was letting the mystery caller know he wasn't able to go out and play.

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Last night Asa came into my scraproom holding my calculater which I had just lent to Jeff. Jeff's calculator/Asa's favorite phone, was missing. Let me just say how wierd and wonderful it is to hear his tiny footsteps coming down the hall. He walked straight in holding out the calculator for me. "Thank you." I said and but it back on my desk. He smiled, then pointed at it "Ba?" So I handed it back to him. "Ok, you can still play with it." And off he went.

5 minutes later I walked into our room to talk to Jeff. "Did Asa bring you your calculator cuz I handed it to him and told him to take it to you." he asked. (How impressive is it that he did exactly as he was told!) "Yes he brought it right to me, but I gave it back and haven't seen it since." Asa walked in a moment later calculatorless.

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Last night Asa sat on our bed with me while daddy did folded and put away his laundry. Asa attempted to help pile socks. Later that night I heard him in his room opening and closing drawers and when I walked in to see what he was doing, I witnessed him pulling out and then putting his clothes back in. It may not be obvious to all but he was clearly doing laundry just as daddy had. How stinkin' cute!

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I found my calculator this morning in his bottom shirt drawer while putting away laundry.

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This morning after getting Asa out of his crib we walked hand in hand into the kitchen.

Me: "Are you hungry for breakfast, what would you like to eat?"
Asa: "Ba"
Me, while opening the cereal cubboard: "Can you show momma what you would like to eat? You can have cherios or a breakfast bar, it's up to you. Show momma what you would like."
Asa: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah." Then squating and pointing at the box of breakfast bars(his very favorite) "Dee ba!"

He then stood back up and looked at me. Truth is I didn't expect a response as I didn't really expect that he understaood what I was asking of him. But he did understand and it was so cute to see him stand there one hand on the cupboard door, one hand in mine and think it over with an "Aaaaaaaahhh." Seriously how cute is that?

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Flushing the toilet has become a source of entertianment... and I don't mean mine.

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Asa has dicovered a show called Super Why. (ok so maybe I discovered when I turned the tv on one morning) It's all about reading and letters and the alphabet. When I put it on he goes and sits in front of the tv. It seems to be the only show ever that has grabbed his full attention from start to finish. Not even Yo Gabba Gabba has that kind of power.

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When it gets really quiet and no kid in sight, he most likely has shut the door and accidently locked himself in a room. Like toilets doors are a source of wonder.

I love my Asa.

Does everything happen for a reason?

2008-10-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Please refer to my previous post if you haven't already.

I personally do believe everything happens for a reason, it's just that sometimes that reason takes a while to become clear. Today it was a bit speedier in shedding some light. So let me go back over the past few weeks and various thoughts I've been having about my camera.

You see I love my camera, but when I saw the new Sony alpha 350 I fell in love. Sony bought out Minolta technology last year. I was sure this meant the end of Minolta. Since all our camera & lenses are Minolta that really sucked. However Sony has virtually copied and enhanced the Minolta including making them compatible with Minolta lenses. In fact the new alpha 350 is pretty much the same as my 5D with just one or two button shifts or additions. It also has live view(so you can use the LCD screen and not the view finder) which is uncommon for digital slrs. Not only that but the LCD screen tilts meaning the kids like Asa who refuse to smile when I hold the camera in front of my face will be a thing of the past. No more holding the camera down and guessing if they are in the frame, I'll actually be able to see it on the screen!

I've been having some concerns recently about my file size when selling digital images apposed to prints. What if a client blows up a picture too big and it looks like crap? My camera is 6.1 mega pixels. The alpha 350 is 14.

So why am I sharing all this info? Because I am getting a new camera. I won't delve into how but I will say a very big thank you to the person helping me out! You see although I was dreaming about the alpha 350, it was a long ways away and if my camera hadn't of broke it wouldn't have been an option. I have no idea how, from sitting in a camera bag, the thing went south, and what seemed devestating this morning has turned into a blessing. Funny how that works isn't it? I guess it goes to show that that even bad things can be a blessing in desguise. It must have been in the stars that I have a better camera for starting my business.

Freakin' Sucky, Crappy, Horrible Day!

2008-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Oh it started out great. In fact the past week has been really good. I did another paid shoot on Saturday and am very happy with the shots. I've been working on those and my photography website the past few days. Asa slept for over 3 hours yesterday so I managed to get a lot of work done. Yay!

This morning I received another request for a shoot this Sunday, but I hadn't responded yet cuz my kid needed to eat. He's so needy...haha. I was pretty excited about this shoot because it would give me enough money to order all the packaging AND custom printed pieces I've been wanting.

I finished Asa's Halloween costume, got him all dressed up, make-up too (just a touch of color on his cheeks) and took him outside for a quick photo shoot. Guess what? My camera is broken!!! Everything appears to be in great working order, until you try to actually take the picture. It focuses fine, then nothing. I tried everything I could think of to no avail. So I started doing some online searches thinking maybe I hit a button somewhere. Nope. So I started calling various camera shops and got the same response, it sounds like a shutter problem. Good news is, they think it's fixable, bad news is, it could cost around $300 to fix.

Hold on, just need to wipe my tears and blow my nose.

Ya, I've been crying a bit about this. Why is it that now that things are starting to more forward they have to come to a screeching halt? I don't have the money to fix it and to be honest that's half the price of the new model I've been drooling over, and no I don't have the money for that either. I just don't know that it's worth fixing. And now I have to cancel this next session. I tried looking at Jeff's digital SLR but it's so completely different that there is NO way I could learn it by the weekend. This just F***king sucks. Ya, I said it...but with astreks.

Well, I need to go turn this violin music off and go back to bed. Maybe things will work out better if I start the day over. Sigh.

Finally!

2008-10-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

For the last couple weeks Asa has been taking one or two steps here and there. But they have been few and far between. Then last Tuesday night he casually walked from me, to Jeff. (I was sitting on the couch, Jeff was on the love seat about 4 feet away) He did this again on Wednesday night after a surprise noontime walk from his highchair to the couch (about 5feet). Then Thursday morning, upset that I told him not to touch my keyboard he {fake} cried and walked across the scraproom towards me, to both of our delight. That is when I ran and got the video recorder in hopes he would do it again as there was no coaxing him in the past. That's when I caught that first clip.

Today seems to be the day, after almost a week of sporadic steps, he has decided to walk. In fact he seems to be walking simply for the sake of walking today. Circling the dining room table, into the living room, laughing and then heading back to do it all again. He has even stopped to pick up various toys to take with him on his little journeys, it's just so cute. And right now he is having a well deserved nap!

I think I need a nap too, I'm tired out from just watching him. Hehehe.

Getting Crafty...

2008-10-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

***We interrupt this post to advise any readers to scroll down to the Tuesday Oct 7th post, if you haven't done so already. That's where the big news is.

Now back to the regularly scheduled blog.***

With Inspiration from Miss M, who made her own fall wreath this year and Miss Susanne who sent me an adorable craft project called bat-o-lantern, I got crafty!

If I haven't mentioned it already, fall is my favorite season! I love the colors and cool weather, although these things can be a bit harder to come by in California, so I pretend and make my own. At least Halloween is still great and hey, not nearly the chance of rain as there is back home...hehe.

Last week I hit the dollar tree and was surprised to see some decent flowers, so the wreath is entirely dollar store finds! Yay!

I went over to my friend Alecia's to make the bat. Asa and Kaden played on the kitchen floor while we got crafty, but time only let us each complete one for now. Ok, here come the pictures...

Taken in front of my front porch fall vignette.

Isn't he a cutie!

Where the chair actually sits by the door. My wreath hanger is stored away with the Christmas decorations, so this is most likely where it will stay.

Anyone else getting crafty for fall?

Enlighten Me...

2008-10-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have never been much into politics. Not in Canada or in the US but I have to admit this election has me all wrapped up. I'm actually interested in what everyone has to say and what each party has to offer. I'll admit that I don't follow any particular party and never have. I consider myself pretty much middle of the road. I have some liberal beliefs and I have some conservative beliefs.

I may be one of what seems like few, that actually fact checks, or at least tries to find the truth. I don't automatically believe the Obama smear emails and fact check the claims. Nor do I automatically believe that McCain is the same as Bush...again some simple fact checks show otherwise. I do my part to educate myself with the truth. This means watching more than just one certain news network, or reading one news magazine. Common sense is that all media outlets are bias to varying degrees, so in order to get to the truth one must review many sources before forming an educated decision. Unfortunately I personally don't believe there are many people who do this. Some do, but many don't. Sadly my efforts to educate myself are, in short, futile. I am not a US citizen and therefor, unless I travel to Ohio, I cannot vote in this election legally...haha. But that is not the purpose of this entry. The purpose is to hopefully have someone explain something to me. I don't claim to be fully knowledgeable in the world of politics and when I apply logic, all be it my logic, I have become confused. It regards the candidates plans to lift the US out of this current economic crisis. I am posting with seriousness and not some hidden agenda. If anyone can help me understand better then I will be most grateful. So let's begin with what I personally, understand to be the candidates solutions...

Let's start with Obama, because quite frankly his plan is what is causing my confusion. He wants to lower taxes for the middle class and give tax refunds to those who don't even pay taxes. He wants to raise taxes on the rich(those who make over $250,00 a year) and businesses. He also proposes over $700 billion in new government social programs. That part I am pretty sure I am correct with. Now McCain's proposal is to leave taxes for the middle class the same, except for an added child tax credit. Sounds good to me, I'm having a second...ha! However McCain wants to lower taxes for businesses and he also wants to cut billions in wasted government spending and programs that don't work. Again, I think I got this part correct. So now I'll break this all down using my logic and possibly common sense...

Obama's lowering of taxes sounds wonderful, who doesn't want to pay less right? However I personally believe giving tax refunds to people who don't pay taxes is idiotic. If they have never paid it why would they get a refund? Isn't that sort of like walking into the Gap, grabbing a shirt off the shelf, taking it to the till and stating you would like to return it? And even better, the checker says "absolutely" with a smile, knowing you just took it off the shelf? Sure that may not be the best metaphor but it's all I got. Haha. Ultimately, to offer tax cuts and refunds one must make up for these cuts in another area, in this case it's business...

Obama wants to raise taxes on businesses, if you look deep, it's not just big business either, it's new and small business also. So lets delve deeper into the economy. Right now many businesses (big and small) are feeling the money crunch. For example eBay just laid off 1600 employees. We all know Starbucks closed many stores this past year(but some may not have noticed because you only go to the one on the opposite corner of the street. Hehe.) My point is, businesses are tightening their belt straps, many struggling to keep a profit and this means higher unemployment rates. Just because a company is considered a multi million dollar company it doesn't mean the company is pocketing millions. Profits are reinvested into a company by ways of product, production, employees, insurance and so on. Businesses are not cheap to run. Heck you all know I want to start my own photography business and I am amazed at the cost and I'll be working from home! But that's another topic. When I ask myself what effect raising business taxes will have on the economy I come up with a couple different answers in regards to the tightening of the money belt strap for these companies that are already burdened. Ok, so now these companies have to make up for this new loss of money, how? a) cut more jobs b) raise product prices, and c) more chain closers. These three examples lead to a loss of investors willing to invest in failing businesses. I just don't see a way around any of those. Am I missing something? Do I not have all the facts, or is my understanding of economics off base in regards to a failing economy?

So I looked into what companies would be affected...pretty much all. This means everything from your local grocery store to Walmart and Mc Donalds. So our taxes are cut but guess what, our grocery bill just went up and so did the cost of living in general. (refer back to b) Ultimately this raise in prices will make up for those taxes we no longer pay. But again, if I am wrong, please explain why.

So let's reflect his opponents proposal, no tax cuts except the child credit and lowering the taxes on businesses. So how will these affect the economy? Well like Obama, McCain needs to find the money to make up for the child credit. So can lowering the business taxes do this? Not directly but in the long run...yes. For now though, he may have to turn to the government spending cuts for that one. So how will lowering the business tax affect the economy? Well lets brains storm here. For starters this tax relief won't put hundreds of thousands in the pockets of business owners, remember, to run a successful business one needs to re-invest into that business. So with some financial relief that comes with lowered taxes, business won't need to cut jobs. In fact existing and new businesses will have more money to actually create jobs and it seems to me that this is the goal. With more jobs comes higher production. With higher production comes more profits and with more profits comes a successful business and this means more investors which keep companies thriving.(Take a look at Wall Street right now, investors have backed out of investing and the economy needs them in order to grow and thrive!) Lastly, with growing companies comes MORE taxes being paid. Sure the taxes may have been lowered in the beginning but the more successful you become, ultimately the more taxes you pay. ( This is that "in the long run" I mentioned earlier.) So you can raise taxes for a quick fix but ultimately this lowers production and can close businesses all together or you can lower them, enabling them to succeed and get more taxes in the long run. Put another way, imagine two stores side by side, both selling the same green pants. One store charges $50 and the other store charges $40. Sure some one will spend the $50. Let's say 3 people did. They made $30 more profit than the cheaper store right off the shelf. However the cheaper store sold 7 pairs because of there lower price. The stores each paid $25 wholesale for the pants. In the end who made the most profit? It's basic math but for those who don't want to have to think, and I totally understand, it was the store who sold them for $40. It's the same logic for taxes, you can make someone pay more for a quick buck but ultimately you loose money in the long run. Again, am I wrong here?

The last question I have in regards to the economy goes back once again to Obama and his $700 billion in new spending proposals. Where exactly does he plan to get that money? Does he plan on paying for this with the taxes he raised for businesses and the rich? That must be a mighty tax increase to pay for that AND all the cuts he is proposing! I just don't get it.

Now don't get me wrong here, I am not an Obama hater. There are many issues on both sides of the board that can raise questions, but right this minute the fall of the US economy is what is weighing on every ones minds and this is why I am at a loss as to how Obama's plan will work. So don't bother responding with other issues, I simply want to hear about this one and this one alone. When I have brought this up with others,(Obama supporters) they haven't had any answers on how his proposal will work but instead try and deflect with statements of "change", "peace" and "social heath care" that Obama stands for. What I want to know, is if Obama is elected how will his plan get us out of this crisis and not dig a deeper hole, because as I stated above, I just can't find the logic in his plan.

Now I'll really be impressed if anyone actually bothered to read this post in its entirety! LOL!

Alright, Alright...sheesh!

2008-10-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently Asa has had enough. He has a message for you all but unfortunately I cannot post it directly so you have to click the link. He swears it's worth it.

What a bossy child!

Asa's Message

Ugh

2008-10-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

I have such little desire to blog anymore. I don't know why? There is much to blog about and share. In fact I write blogs in my head almost every night, but morning comes and then the day passes and... no blog.

Blah.

I suck.

For The Love Of Flying

2008-10-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yes it's been a while. Things have been busy here, including my mom being in town(she went home yesterday) and me taking on some new TT assignments. Things have been good though, just busy. I have lots of catching up to do and pictures to take and post!

But today I want to share our airshow experience from last Sunday. I was pretty excited to see how Asa would react to all the airplanes since he has become such a fan. Sure he stops to look when he hears one in the sky and he loves flying his imaginary (and toy) bi-planes but how would he react to the real deal? Beyond my expectations, that's how. I figured he would be impressed...for a while, but the novelty didn't fade as I expected. Nope, he refused to nap because he wanted to see it all. He pointed out every plane on the ground and even watched the acts in the sky! He made airplane noises and motions with his hands. He discovered jets and seemed thrilled with their loud engines. I had more fun watching and taping him then I did the show. In fact, I was quite disappointed with the show. The prices were jacked up and the performers were few, so if it wasn't for the joy of Asa I probably would have been very upset with the show in general. Thankfully Asa made every overpriced dollar worth it!

Oh and as we watched the parashooters land one by one, Asa began to clap...no prompting, all on his own, how stinkin' cute is that!

Now as I mentioned I did take some video, but it's too long to post, however I will post the video I took after getting home because, quite frankly it's the most entertaining. So without further adu, here is how Asa felt about the airshow when reflecting back later that evening...

Chop Liver

2008-09-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

That's me. Yup. I've been bumped. Move it along lady, nothing to see here. Sigh.

It wasn't three hours after she arrived that my status as top dog came to a sudden halt and then took a nose dive at 300 miles an hour. It was bed time. This included the same bedtime routine we've had for a year, bottle, lullaby's and small talk about planes. But that night was different, screams ensued the moment we sat in the rocker. He fought me, pushing and crying and trying to toss his untouched bottle. Oh joy.

"Fine," I said. "Let's go say goodnight to everyone." We hadn't officially done this and I thought maybe that's what was eating Gilbert Grape. This behavior is not like him so I was grasping at straws. Funny how his whole demeanor changed the second I stood up with him, little bugger. Daddy was in the shower so we walked straight over to Grandma. "Give grandma a kiss goodnight." I urged calmly, leaning him towards her. Ha! He outstretched his arms and dove into her arms. I was a bit surprised to be honest. Apparently his whole tantrum was because he wanted grandma.

"Alright," I chuckled, doubting that this could really be what just turned my child wicked moments ago "you put him to bed." *Insert that haha sucker, good luck with that, tone* and off they went. About thirty seconds later I saw something that needed to go in his room and figured I would quietly sneak in. There they were, Asa happily sitting on grandma's lap enjoying his bottle. He barely gave me a glance, and I my friends, officially became an outcast. Oh sure I still get occational kisses... if I beg. But he has become grandmas little shadow, no longer mine. They laugh and play and snuggle. And me, I watch them. Oh and did I meantion I seem to have some new found freedom that I thought was long gone? Oh ya people, don't be feeling sorry for me, this is GREAT! Hahaha.

How long can you stay grandma? *wink*

Happiness is...

2008-09-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Watching Asa dance and bounce to any kind of music.

Commercials.
Silly songs from his toys.
The radio.
Supermarket tunes.
My Cellphone song ringer.
Pretty much anything.

I love it!

The Longest Post In The History Of My Blog...I Think.

2008-09-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

I debated breaking up this post by topics but every time I plan to do that, I never go back. Something new comes up and moments get lost. So I am just going to throw it all in this post, starting with Asa's first "official" haircut. Sure I have cut his hair on my own but I don't consider it official until I fork over some cash. And I did. And he was well behaved. And he got his first real Mohawk. And I took pictures... of course. What was funny was when the woman asked me to sit with him. "Uh, but then I won't be able to take pictures." It never actually occurred to me that my one year old child may not like getting his haircut by a stranger, or the noise the buzzer makes. Nor did it occur to me that he may not sit still, I was too busy planning some shots. I guess that's why my response seemed to puzzle her for a moment. "Ah, he'll be fine." I said to try and shake that look off her face. "Ok" was her response, she smiled and grabbed the booster cushion. Luckily for me, he was fine. That's my boy! Oh, but I have one thing on my side, this was just before he got sick and he was very snuggly that morning so I brought Rowan with us. Rowan is his teething blanket that I have been meaning to post about for months. He normally just sleeps with Rowan but he likes having him close when he's not feeling so well. (Just a few days ago he discovered he can reach into his crib and grab him, so Rowan is becoming a staple.)

Ok so here's my big little mans getting his first haircut.

Not long after this shot he started to get frustrated that Rowan was trapped under the apron, so I pulled him out for him. This was the second time the hairdresser gave me a strange look because "Oh no, he get hair on it." I wasn't worried, and a bit of hair beats a possible meltdown. Ha!

Did I mention that Rowan is more often than not, found stuffed in Asa's mouth? This makes for a pretty rank Rowan in just a couple days. Thank goodness Rowan #2 is always clean and ready to go. Shhhh, he doesn't know there are two.

Hehehe, everyone in the shop got a chuckle and his hairdresser giggled the whole time she was cutting the Mohawk. Sadly his hair grows so fast that it almost needs another buzz already! Here he is, all done.

Topic # two.

Someone and I won't mention who, brought sickness into my home. Cough CoughDevincough. So I have been sick as can be this last week with the worst sinus cold ever. Seriously who gets colds in the summer? This sucks. But this also makes me feel the need to share some info with friends and family that they may not have gotten yet. I take a weekly shot of Enbrel which is a biological immune suppressant. What this means is this. RA is an over active immune system. Think of it as an army. You have commanding cells that tell the soldiers to go and fight off disease and infections. But unfortunately there are no sargents that then say good job men, when they are done and send them back to base. Sure I have a few sargent cells but I'm pretty sure they are all retarded, or smoke too much pot, not sure which. But when the troops do get back to their barracks they discover that the commanding officer is drunk and passed out, so the soldiers go on a fighting spree despite there being nothing to attack, so they start attacking the knee which just happened to look at one of them wrong, and then they jump on the ankle who tried to defend the knee, and it just goes on from there. Unfortunately since there are no capable cells in charge this senseless fighting continues. Enbrel is like a dose of Sargent cells who round up the belligerent soldiers and send them back to base. Unfortunately those now in command are angry and for the most part keep all the soldier cells locked up. They become over protective and instead of sending troops out at the possible first sign of trouble to fight off invaders they discuss it for a while. They wait and see if the trouble will go away on it's own. For me this means what might have easily been taken care of and fought off quickly, now makes me really sick because the army is afraid to attack.

To sum it all up, I can catch things easier than most, and when I do, I have to stop taking the Enbrel to let my over zealous fighter cells go to work, which also means they get destructive too. The reason I am sharing all this is simple. Please give me a heads up if you or someone you have been around recently has been ill. Then I can take the necessary precautions to keep myself healthy. (Of course I am only talking to those of you who will be visiting with me and not those in other states sharing that someone they know is ill just because.)I'm also thinking I should really stop greeting everyone with a French kiss. And did I mention that Asa starting preschool terrifies me....LOL.

With all that said, by Wednesday morning I was a horrible mess. It was Asa's 12 month check up and there was no way I was going to be able to take him. If he hadn't still been having diarrhea I would have rescheduled, but instead Jeff came home early to take him. This meant one thing for me. A hot bath and bed! So once they were out the door I ran the water. That's when the doorbell rang. To my surprise it was a flower delivery. HUH? Sure you have the correct address. Yup, that's my name alright. Can I just say that I have the best husband ever! The card stated that he wanted the flowers to help make me feel better. He also wrote a few different things and at the end he congratulated me on the success of my future photography business. I cried. You can't get much better than that!

The picture doesn't do these justice, this bouquet was gorgeous and HUGE!

Besides occasionally working on Heidi's photo shoot pictures, this week has been pretty uneventful. I have been too sick to get anything done so every thing has pretty much been on hold. However I am feeling much better today and trying to get back to business.

Yesterday I received a package in the mail and am pretty excited to share. Here it is my fiends, my first published photo! Well this is just the cover, but keep scrolling down...haha.

Oh ya, baby! LOL. And see that tiny little black line in the bottom left corner of the photo? That's my name...hehehe.

Momma's so proud!

P.S. It didn't end up being as log s I thought.

Mr. Jacob

2008-08-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few days and posting is long over due. Devin & Jacob are in town for a visit. Last week they came over and so did my friend Alecia with her son Kaden. Is was so neat to see three babies all about 3 months apart, interact with each other!

Jacob is a little doll with the best toothless grin I have even seen! I managed to get a few snapshots while they were hanging out at our place.

Isn't he a cutie pie!

In other news I had my first PAID shoot yesterday! Yay! It was for a lady from my moms club and I gave her a great deal. In fact I am going to offer this deal to other momsClub members too, although the price is really low so I am not sure I can keep it up. I ordered my website today so hopefully that will be up and running in the next few weeks with a gallery AND more permanent price list. I'm excited and nervous all at once!

Asa Bo Basa is sick with the runs and not wanting to eat or drink much. He has his 12 month apt on Wed but if he's not better tomorrow I'll take him in. He found it hilarious when I started gagging at the stench he was able to produce in each diaper. The more I gagged the harder he laughed. Seriously though it must have been due to being sick cuz I just don't get how such a small body could produce such a horrid odor! Thankfully he's not usually so smelly. Gassy? Yes, this kid could put a grown man to shame. He has tooted so loud that I have actually turned in disbelief to look and make sure there wasn't an intruder in the house. Hope he's better soon.

I will try and get some shoot proofs posted in the next couple days.

Am I Missing Something?

2008-08-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just wet to check out my sitemeter, which tells my how many views etc my blog gets. Well last Sunday I had over double the hits, almost triple. I didn't even post on Sunday! LOL. It's too many days past for me to check were they were coming from, so can someone give me a heads up? Did you regulars keep coming back in disbelief over my shy turtle logo...hahaha... or was there some sort of link from somewhere?

I just don't get it. Nor do I get how that car full of teenagers came up across our yard and hit the garage of the neighbors unit because "someone cut me off." Uhh, I see the skid marks, I'm not buying it. Someones parents aren't too happy right now...haha! Talk about strange to look out and see a car in your courtyard area! (Oh and no one was hurt!)

Give it to me baby...

2008-08-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Feedback that is. Since my shy turtle idea got flushed, how about this:

This is the ruff draft and possibly the finished product. Before you answer though let me just give a quick rundown of what I am going for. I want cute but not too babyish. I will mostly do kids and families but possibly seniors and couples down the road. I haven't yet decide on whether to have Creative Photography or just Photography. Since I enjoy post processing and adding a creative touch to images I think the "Creative" fits don't you? Then again I could use "Portraiture" or "Imagining" etc... I will make it clear on my website that creative post editing is part of what I do artistically as a photographer and is part of what they are paying for when they hire me. I also want a name with a usable image logo, hence the green bug, thus I can simply use the bug on say stationary or the back of my business cards or even on image proofs instead of the whole name(if desired). I am trying to find whether this font is a free font or one that needs to be paid for if used in this manner but I can't find any info on it.

Oh and I made that little bug aint he cute. Hehe.

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Ok, Ok...

2008-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Maybe you weren't quite sure? Maybe you suspected but didn't want to say anything just in case? But breath a sigh of relief cuz...

Sara hit the nail on the head, yesterdays post was a joke!

Shy Turtle...hahaha.

So the night before last Jeff and I were laying in bed and I told him about my quest for a new name(that part is true). I told him I want something fun like Blue Frog Photography, which by the way is already taken. I said bugs and frogs and some animals can make for cute names. That's when he blurted out The Shy Turtle Photography. I had a good laughed but just couldn't let it go. We started talking about what the logo would look like and I laughed so hard I was practically choking(laughing while laying down is not the best idea). Then I suggested blogging it and we laughed even more while thinking up all the "poop" innuendos I could use. And for anyone who didn't catch on reread the last paragraph, it may not have been as obvious as it was to me. Ya, I know, maybe we were just over tired, or deranged. Or both? I had to explain it to my MIL last night on the phone. She was completely discussed and mumbled something about "different generation"...haha.

So there will be no shy turtle photography. What about Funny Feet Photography. I think it's cute, maybe with a funky pair of rain boots for the logo image, but of course we would all know it really references the photographer...shhhh... hehe.

It's all in the name...

2008-08-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Scrappetite.

I like it, it has a nice ring. And the catch phrase"Feeding your insatiable hunger to scrap..." it's nice but the more I think about it the more I feel it is better suited for scrapbooking and not so much photography. Sure if all my clients were scrappers, but the chances there are slim. We created it waaaay back in the day when I sold paper piecings online. Ah, see the connection. Sweet huh! But now I am in a different place and feel the need for something new. But what?

I was sharing this dilemma with Jeff last night. He came up with scrappetite and I know that he will most likely come up with the perfect name again. He's creative like that. I tell him what I need and he brainstorms. Just one more reason why I love him.

In the meantime I've been struggling to squeeze out some ideas on my own. I want something fun and easy to remember but not too cutesy. I've had a few ideas but they were all pretty crappy. After some hard pushing I have come up with only ONE idea. I even created a logo for it, but looking at it now, I realize how much it stinks. Sigh. It's so frustrating when your creative juices are completely stopped up! Oh well I guess, back to the drawing board, I'm not going to exert myself anymore today, I'll just let it stew for a while. I'm sure the perfect name will come to us yet. Heck with my luck, we'll probably end up so bloated with ideas it'll be hard to pick just one. *Grunt*

Sigh

2008-08-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day. Ha!

I should be in bed but I just don't feel tired yet. To much on my mind I guess.

I joined a site called Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers. It wasn't cheap but it's already a wealth of information! I'm so excited about it and can't stop reading. I have even played with a story board template regardless of not knowing what to do with it now that it's done...LOL. But to be honest right now I am feeling a bit nervous. Why? Because I know there are going to be some people on that board that are also on 2p's and I dread the thought of them making that connection and possibly judging me like some of those other ladies did. I know it's stupid to think about but I am not this horrible "rude" and "arrogant" person they said I am. It bugs me. It's hurtful and I want things to be different on this board. It's not a nasty board at all and everyone seems really nice, I just don't want the association. I guess it boils down to being a bit gun shy after my last experience with a forum. Silly, I know.

Huh, as soon as I typed that out, my eyes got heavy, guess maybe that was bothering me the most and I just needed to get it off my chest. Oh and here's that storyboard I was talking about. This was just a quick play, left the background white, not sure about keeping the date on it, but it sure was fun to do!

**Note: It's a 10x20, and when you click to enlarge it you can't see the edges...haha. Oh well, just imagine it with that grey line around it in this small version. ;)

Of All The Gifts...

2008-08-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is what my child can't get enough of.

That's right, it's a Birthday card. Granted it's not just any old birthday card, it plays some sort of funky disco dance tune. What's even funnier is how he will start to bounce his leg to it or get his body groovin'. Oh but if he sees you watching he instantly stops moving and just grins at you. He loves this silly little card. We were at the drug store when I started opening the musical cards and doing silly little dances for him. He would giggle at some but when I opened up this one, he lunged forward with a squeal of delight! He wouldn't let go of it and almost cried when I had to pay for it. He likes to point at the balloons and say "ba" don't get too excited though, everything is "ba". Haha. It apparently tastes pretty good too. Proof of his paper appetite. Yup, this kid eats paper whenever he gets the chance. I blame this on Grandma who gave him a pair of shorts to occupy him while we shopped last April, and only a few minutes later I looked down and half of the tag was entirely gone! Good going Grandma. Haha. Since then he has been a paper magnet. Thankfully he's gotten much better at not putting it in his mouth as soon as I say "yuck" or "no, yucky" or "bring that to mom" or "hey, not in your mouth." I think that's the only reason that so much of this card still exists.

Anyway, he has had this card on every trip and outing and plays with it at home. Figures that he likes the least expensive item, good thing we kept it simple with very few gifts. Looks like Christmas will be easy on the wallet this year. Ha!

My Birthday Boy!

2008-08-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today my little man turns ONE.

Happy Birthday Asa!

Teehee, I'm So Excited!

2008-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

So I have some exciting news that I can finally share, hopefully there's no jinxin' it now. So let me just jump on in...

The beginning of last month, I received an email from an editor of a German baby magazine. She was requesting the use of one of my photos, this one to be exact:

Why? To accompany an article about BabyLegs. She had Googled BabyLegs and found my blog entry. From here she saw the photos and thought this one would work perfectly. It has taken about a month to get everything finalized. Last week she sent me the page layout with my photo placement. It looks to me(it's all in German) that the article is more along the lines of hot products as the photo is at the top and beside it is a small writeup and product info. Below this are two more products. It looks great and I am so excited! Since what she sent was a mock up and the magazine has not yet been published I won't post the picture but as soon as I get the real thing I will be sure to post it! Today payment went through and according to some photographer friends I can now officially say I'm an international photographer! LOL. Won't that look great on my resume!

In other photography news I am trying really hard to get the money together to start my business. I already have two clients lined up from my moms group, with the potential of more from word of mouth and that baby shoot I did a couple weeks ago. :) I'm so excited, it looks like it's really coming together! Teehee.

And now I digress... you see there is the adult in me that says to let it go, but there is also a 12 year old girl that wants nothing more than to say a big fat NEANER, NEANER, NEANER! Besides, isn't it healthy to let out your inner child?

Again, you may be asking why the neaners? Remember that 2p's post back at the beginning of July. Well not to bring it all up again but that was in regards to this magazine and me posting for advice and asking if anyone had experience with this. I was met with remarks and statements that this was a scam. When I asked why they thought it was a scam, I was then accusued of being defensive and not accepting advice from others. It was one of the most bizarre and hurtful things I have been subjected to, and it quickly snowballed into a very nasty 'let's bash the new girl' thread. Oh, ya, the "new girl", that would be me. I was told editors don't look for pictures online, that it just didn't make sense. To sum it up, this was in no way legit. Well to all those nay sayers, I take a quote from one of my posts on that thread... Sometimes things DO make sense, and sometimes life REALLY IS that good"

Ha!

Today I am happily enjoying the good life!

Goody, goody gum drops my photo AND my baby are gunna be in a magazine!

Putz!

2008-07-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

That's me. A. Total. And. Complete. Putz. Sigh.

My last photo assignment was due yesterday. For those of you who are a wee bit challenged, that means it's late. But today my plan was to take Asa on a photo outing and complete my assignment, which is to shoot in RAW and then post 3 photos before(straight out of camera) and after(after editing). So I cleaned off my card(most of it, I have a hard time letting go) and then changed my settings to RAW "&" JPEG, because, well, baby steps just in case. Then off we went with my new antique child's chair that I intend on refinishing with a distressed look but for today the white chipped paint would do.

I took a bunch of pictures of a squirmy, slightly tired child. Then many more while walking the quaint main street of our little town (little town in the middle of a big city..ha!). Anyway I was excited to see how they turned out but couldn't figure out why the RAW files weren't showing up on my card. I looked in the manual, Googled RAW files and finally turned my camera back on to do another test shot. Grumble, grumble grumble! APPERANTLY, when I turned it to RAW, I somehow didn't, or clicked it back or bumped it, who knows? All I can say is that every shot was the same old JPEG as usual and I didn't complete my assignment so we'll be back at it tomorrow. But don't fret my friends this story has a happy ending... with pictures and lots of them...yay!

So here's my little man, one week shy of being a full blown 1 year old. *whimper*

He looks so grown up here.

Still not able to get one of his adorable smiles. Nope, all I ever get on camera are these goofy jaw titled grins. Hehe.

Daddy & I never get tired of watching him (and enticing him to) fly his airplanes. Unfortunately this shot was blurry but come on, look at how cute he is making his raspberry blowing propeller noise!

Fly it high babe, to the sky.

Sadly most of you don't get to spend much time, if any with Asa. These next two shots warm my heart. They are the essence of Asa. Forget sitting and having his picture taken, there are things to see and explore. Especially among new sites. Most often it's the little things that entice him the most, rocks, cracks, bolts, leaves, textures, tags and today was no exception. He quietly checked out his surroundings.

Oh hey, I know, let's sit him backwards!

Or not.

Seriously, he freaked when we put him in backwards. Really don't know why?LOL. But Grandma rescued him. Can't tell these two are related at all. Ha!

Final note: After seeing these pictures I have decided to leave the chair as is. I think it has the perfect amount of charm and character. What do you think?

Ok, Ok!

2008-07-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm updating already. Get off my back! Ha!

Alright so there's only one person who keeps hounding me about updating and that's Jeff. Yup, my husband. You know the one I am married to, live with, talk to every day at his lunch break. The man I sleep beside at night and share the days happenings over dinner. Ya, that's the guy. He's the guy who apparently cannot get enough of me,so he needs to see it all again on my blog...hehe. Now that's love! Although secretly I think he just wants to see more pictures of Asa and hear yet again about how cute his son is.

So the past couple weeks have been busy. I'm taking the photo course but tomorrow is the last day, I have still not finished reading the lesson so that means I have not yet completed my assignment either. Yikes.

My MIL arrived last Tuesday, I can't believe it's been a week already, and Asa is smitten. For the first few days all he did was giggle every time he looked at her. I intend on doing an Asa update on Thursday so I won't get into all his happenings right now, but man is he keeping me on my toes!

So the Saturday before last I did a newborn shoot for some friends. Some may remember I wasn't up to doing Asa's portraits until he was about a month old and he refused to cooperate. This was much more successful! Yay! This is little Lola who was one week old. She was such a sweety but a wee bit cranky. I didn't mind though I was having too much fun!

This first shot was completely inspired by my friend Miss Jessie Baldwin. I have loved the images she does of families with the children in focus and mom and dad looking on in the background, so I had to give it a try. I am a huge fan of her work and I find her style to be truly inspirational, so thanks girly!

This shot was taken with natural window light. All I had to do was touch up her skin tones as newborns can be a bit red in some spots. Isn't she a doll!

Look at this wittle baby bum!

This last shot is one of those unplanned moments. This photo quickly became a favorite of both mine and her mom. But I'll admit that it's what's going on beyond this shot that warms my heart.

They say a photo is worth a thousand words so I will share what is happening just outside the frame. This little cutie was very upset when we tried to take some shots with daddy holding her. Not 2 minutes into dad's shoot with his little girl we discovered why. Umm, ya, she started pooping! All over dad and my black backdrop. But it was dad's reaction that I found so sweet. Like it was the most natural thing in the world, he placed his hand behind her as a make shift diaper. His expression warm and loving as he gently bounced her. His voice calm as he gave soft words of assurance. Mom was busy cleaning and I, having a good chuckle, found this site to be quite a tender one, and so before rushing to lend a hand, I snapped a few shots. Ya, I was careful to keep it clean but I did take one candid of mom and dad cleaning up the mess for their keepsake album...hahaha. Turns out, this tough dad is a softy at heart.

P.S. Baby poop washes out of a black backdrop just fine!

Blah

2008-07-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Lots I could say, but just not feeling it.

Maybe tomorrow?

Experimentation

2008-07-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I finished this weeks photography assignment early...YAY! We were to take 3 shots of the same subject that had both bright light and dark shadows using the 3 different metering options that digital SLR cameras have. I'll admit it was hard for me to find a likable subject that wasn't human(my favorite). So after circling the house twice I settled on the Oleander bush out front. I was pleased to see that all metering options on my camera (Minolta Maxxum 5D) are pretty close but one stood out as being a slightly better exposure, called center weighted. This, by the way, is straight out of camera. In other words no digital enhancements.

Not bad I guess for someone who doesn't do much nature theme photography? But some of you know me way to well, so what are the chances I would leave this baby untouched? Ha! After posting my assignments to the class I couldn't resist having a little fun. I have been dying to play with layers and grunge. Layers and actions and grunge. Oh My!

This was really fun to do, and didn't really take much time. Maybe an hour and that was with doing & deleting and trying new things. To me this photo now reflects my scrapbook style. So does this count as scrapping then? Haha.

Mr. Smarty Pants & His Dad (Mr.Smarty Pants Senior)

2008-07-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Asa will be 1 year in just a few weeks. UGH! How does this happen? ONE YEAR! You have got to be kidding me. Sigh. As sad as I am about the time flying by, I am tickled everyday at how much he grows and learns. It amazes me just how quickly he catches on.

Last month I introduced him to his very own toothbrush. He pretty much just chewed on it. Now I admit, I really don't brush his teeth but maybe once a week he'll be in my bathroom with me and I'll be brushing mine so I'll hand him his. Last Sunday Jeff was in the shower and I was brushing my teeth. Asa was on the floor as usual and when I held out his toothbrush he made a little squeal and boogied on over to me. (By boogie I mean a super fast tummy crawl, not some baby genius bustin' out some John Travolta moves, although that would be mighty impressive...haha). So I handed him his brush and he had at it. I few moments later I turned and with a paste foaming mouth asked if he was doing a good job brushing his teeth. He looked up at me with a smile and started lifting his elbow up and down in an attempt to actually BRUSH his teeth! Can you say proud mommy moment!? I couldn't believe he grasped the concept and was mimicking me. This was maybe the 3rd time we had brushed together. So after daddy came out of the shower we showed him Asa's new skill. Then I ran and grabbed the camcorder in hopes he would still be interested in showing me again. He was! Yay! So here he cleaning his pearly whites...and chin...and cheek...and the air around his face...whatever, I'm still impressed!

Last night he was in his pool. One of his toys is a comb, don't ask just accept it for the stories sake. So I grabbed the comb and gave his wet hair a quick slick back. This was actually the first time I have ever used a comb on him as his hair is fine and I can shape it just fine with my fingers. When I finished, maybe 30 second later, I dropped the comb back in the water to which he immediately grabbed it, reached up to the top of his head and gave it a couple pats. Aaawwww, is he not the smartest little thing. Sure his fine motor skills might suck and so does his hair combing abilities but the fact that he figured this out so quickly is enough to make me want to share this little story on my blog. Proud. So very proud.

Now back to his birthday. Since we will not likely be having a party as we really don't have anyone to invite...haha. I thought I would give some suggestions for those who had wanted to send him something. He really doesn't need much for toys but I was searching amazon and found some cool sets that I liked. I have them listed by priority. So in the top right corner here is my amazon wish list button that is now full of items for Asa. The one thing that he loves that aren't listed on here is books! Right now those hard cardboard books are best as he doesn't really know how to be gentle with paper. He loves his cardboard books so much that they seem to be the one thing he will head for even before toys. He only owns about 6: Goodnight Gorilla, Kiss Goodnight, Pajama Time, Curious George at the Zoo, Baby Animals(the bunny on the front, touch & feel book) and a couple that he got from the doctors office at his checkups, so please feel free to go the book route!!!

Since my blog has slowly been turning into a photo blog as apposed to my original scrapbooking intent, here are a few photos from the Fourth that I have been meaning to share. We spent a couple hours at a local park event. We had a great time and Asa and Daddy were glued at the hip all day. Heck all weekend for that matter! Haha.

My handsome boys at the petting zoo. So sweet.

Asa was more interested in the eccentric hat lady holding the bunny than the actual bunny.

Trying on his shiny new Fireman's hat!

The more entertaining way to wear a Fireman's hat... obviously. He did this for a good 10 minutes while we walked...haha.

Face painting. he was wiggly and squiggly so it was hard to get a good picture. Kudos to Heidi who worked fast to get something on his cheek! LOL.

This picture makes me melt. ;)

Asa and daddy making airplane sounds. This is why both of their lips are pushed out. Baby was soooo tired in this shot, just before we headed back to the car.

One more closeup before leaving. He was fast asleep moments later on daddy's shoulder.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Assignment

2008-07-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

So I am taking an online photography class. It's just an ins and outs of digital. It's a 4 week course with a new lesson each week. I just finished my first assignments. They were pretty much experimentations with basic camera settings. Anyway the low light assignment helped to shed some light...pun intended... on my hand held skills or lack there of. Needless to say I did get a couple of interesting shots but my test subject was not very happy to volunteer. He was hot, cranky and restless. This made capturing a non blurry shot almost impossible. Almost.

I call this one: Discontent

He was standing between my legs, natural evening window light in a fairly dark dining room.

Ok, my cranky kid is making a fuss for dinner so I will update more later, maybe get a video or two posted. :) Would love some feedback on this picture. I know it has a different not so sweet and smiling child feel but I am very drawn to it. Yikes! Kiddo is doing this weird breathing/grunting through his nose, I really must go...hahaha.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

From my lil' American man...

And then there is this one that reminds me of 194o's for some reason...haha.

Photos were taken on the hood of daddy's car. The second one, I was by myself and too paranoid he was going to suddenly lunge forward and fall off, so I scratched doing anymore. When I saw this and the flag I new it was worth taking more so I made Jeff go out with me the next day to be my spotter, hence the two different shirts. ;) I also played with more filters and textures.

Have a great day everyone!

2p's

2008-07-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have made the realization that posting there is not quite as satisfying as being punched in the face. That should say a lot.

For my own future reminder:

Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.
Never post at 2p's.

There I think it's out of my system.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

2008-07-01T09:22:00.001-07:00

or not...

Hahaha, kiddo did NOT want his picture taken with the flag this morning. I thought he'd at least want to look at or play with it, but nope, nadda, leave me alone, get this flag away from me. And as I finished typing that last sentence I heard Jeff's smart ass remark in my head... "Can ya blame 'im?"

Funny how he doesn't even have to be here to dish out his sarcasm...hehe. So to everyone else not grumpy with the Canadian flag, have a FANTASTIC day!

Daddy's Ride

2008-06-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Playing with manual mode the other day. I got a few good shots, then there was this one. It was soft focus, so not that great. However there was just something about it that kept me from hitting delete. So I pulled it up in CS3 and started to play. I am lovin' the funky vintage feel of these layered effects.

Indecision

2008-06-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

To have another one... or not.

Pros.

Cons.

Still no decisions.

Ugh.

Sweet Delicious Lemon Evil

2008-06-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Darn you Paula Deen. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't be cursing her...

Darn you Susanne and your little dogs too!

I can't stop thinking about them. For three days straight they were there, on the counter. I couldn't resist them. Each trip to the kitchen regardless of what for would make my mouth salivate. Each tasty mouthful, moist and rich. Tangy but not too sour, sweet but not richly overpowering. It took 4 days after eating the last one to stop feenin' for more. Now it's back, the want, the desire.

"My kids don't like lemon but they can't get enough of these!"

That should have been my warning, the flashing red light and loud ear piercing siren.

"I don't like lemon flavor things." Stated Jeff.

He too made numerous trips to the kitchen, returning with 2...3... sometimes 4 at once. These were his exception.

So here I am trying to resist. I have already broke down and bought the ingredients, now how long can I actually hold back? Should I give in? My waistline is all ready dangerously wide. Surely these will destroy the ability to get back into my summer clothes.

Must.

Hold.

Back.

It's just a desert you might say but those curious of the evil in which I speak, consider this my warning. These miniature glazed delights will get the best of you. Even the name is cute, but names don't give warning of the torment & addiction caused down the road.

**Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible if you choose to make these.**

Lemon Blossoms

Early Morning Play

2008-06-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Asa decided he didn't need to sleep past 6am. Sigh. Strange since he was awake quite late last night. He went down a bit early, about 6:30ish, usually 7. We left his nursery door open because it was so hot last night and we wanted the fan to blow some cool air in there. Side question: When does his nursery simply become his bedroom? We are so lucky, he's such a good kid. I went in to peek on him about an hour and a half later and to my surprise he looked up and gave me a big smile. He had been awake and quiet that whole time! Did I mention he loves his crib and naps, and crib quiet time...hehe.

Anyway he was up and I am up. The turkey just went back to bed about 30 minutes ago. I should have too but alone time is not that common. I'll pay for it in a couple of hours, I'm tired as it is, but I was just having too much fun playing with free brushes I found online. So this is what I did in stead of going back to bed. Crazy, uh ya. But oh so fun!

Pictures were from March 22nd, a mere pittance of what needs to be sorted and worked on.

P.S. This was when Asa started getting his bottom teeth so yes that is drool on his shirt. Eeww!

Tttsssssssssss

2008-06-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's hot!

104

Poor kid sat in his pool less than 5 minutes.(It was cold as I just filled it.) Then he laid back on my lap chewing a rubber ducky. We were in the shade but his arms got hot to the touch so we came in. I didn't realize it was so hot.

Time spent outside = 13 minutes.

I can't seem to focus on anything today. I tried editing some pictures but my CS3 shut down. I HATE when that happens! So now I really don't feel like going back through them and starting over. Maybe I should nap.

Yay Baby!

2008-06-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

We say this a lot around the house. Every time Asa does something on his own or when we're just having fun.

"Yay Baby!" I say cheerfully, accompanied with a few claps.

Asa often mimics with a squeal and a few claps of his own.

Tonight we stopped for groceries and when Asa became restless in the cart, Jeff propped him up on his shoulders. Asa was delighted. At one point he raised both hands high in the air and let out a big growl. This kid LOVES to growl, and I of course was amused with his theatrics.

"Yay Baby." I exclaimed , clapping in delight.

"Aaarhhh" said Asa with a big smile. He lifted his hands to clap, but daddy's head was in the way. He paused for a moment, but is certainly no dummy. "Eeah" he squeaked and proceeded to smack both palms repeatedly on the top of daddy's shaved head.

"Ow! Ouch. Hey! Owww..." said Jeff while wincing.

I busted up laughing and of course did what any good mother would do...

"YAY BABY!" Clap, clap, clap...

Just A Quicky

2008-06-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week visiting with Susanne. We've hit a few scrapbook stores, watched some tv, chatted, ate, baked(she not me)haha and watched Asa play in his new pool which he seems to LOVE. Granted he loves it a whole lot more after the water warms up from sitting in the sun but he's fine with icy cold water too! He must get that from his dad cuz I would have screamed had you sat me down in cold water! Ha!

Uh, yes that is our dead grass/dirt lawn in the background. Ugh! We have so much to do with the back yard and the process is slow, but at least the dandelion trees, yes TREES, have been cut down and cleared out. Now to reseed and get some flowers in!

Susanne goes home tomorrow. *sad face* But I am so happy we've been able to spend some time together. Then my life will return to the previous scheduled program of being a mom with chores, mom duties and editing the millions of photos that people are expecting to see asap.

I also want to note that Asa has been getting more and more active. He has mastered his army crawl and can travel pretty fast. His poor knees though...ouch! Friday he started lifting himself and trying new positions. We thought maybe he was actually going to try and crawl, but he hasn't gone there yet. However after completing many yoga-like moves last night he managed to sit himself up from a laying position for the first time. Yay!

Gotta run but want to add, Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads I know! Xoxo

The Difference 10 Years Make...

2008-06-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Then: Go out almost every weekend.
Now: Look forward to a quiet night at home.

Then: Arrive at the bar around 10:30
Now: If you actually make it to a bar, you're leaving at 10:30 cuz kiddo tired you out!

Then: A little bit of drink spills and gets your hand sticky, this is a great excuse to check out that cute guy on your way to wash them.
Now: You search desperately for a baby wipe in your purse.

Then: You could strut your stuff with the rest of them.
Now: Strut? Heck, I'm too busy wondering if I look as old as I feel.

Then: You shake our groove thang when your favorite club song comes on.
Now: You shake your groove thang when your favorite club song from 10 years ago comes on.

Ok so some things don't change, but going out sure doesn't feel like it used to! But at least I can say I got to go out! A bunch of us moms went out after Saturdays banquet, hence the realization of the changes 10 years make.Ha!

Here are a few pictures of my gown from Saturday nights MOMSClub pageant. Unfortunately I didn't get a full body shot of myself but Erin sent me one that she took.

Here's insanity at it's best!

Susanne is here for a visit so I am late getting this blog posted. Asa turned 10 months on Sunday and is getting SO big! It makes me happy and sad at the same time.

Gimme Your Tongue

2008-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Not a commonly uttered request, except in this household.

It was an amusing surprise. I was holding Asa in the rocker one morning while feeding him his bottle. Sure he is quite capable of doing this himself but I enjoy the quiet time with him. He was pretty much done when he started smiling, making funny noises and sticking out his tongue. I joined in, mimicking and being silly and then I reached over and grabbed his tongue which he was so freely exposing. "Gimme that tongue." I teased, pinching it between my thumb and index finger. To my surprise he let me. So I gave it a little shake and he giggled. I let go and laughed. I figured it was a one time fluke but I tried again.

"Gimme your tongue."

This time almost expressionless, and in a somewhat obedient manner he stuck out his tongue for my taking. I gave it another shake and we both laughed. This continues on for some time. Any time I asked for it, he gave it up. LOL. Who just gives up their tongue when someone asks for it?! Oh ya,my kid does.

I told Jeff about it later that evening. And of course the humor of it was too enticing not to try himself.

"Gimme that tongue." He said, making the pinching motion near Asa's mouth. And out it came.

It's been almost two weeks since this bizarre little game started. He still gives it up, but sometimes, he fusses first, shaking his head and giving a discontent grunt, but inevitably, every time, he pauses and out it comes.

Babies are funny.

Top picture is Jeff as he first grabs Asa's tongue. Bottom is him giving it a pinch and shake...hahaha.

Choosing My Battles

2008-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

And so it begins.

Yes he is in motion. Yes he is hearing a lot of the word "NO!". Yes I seem to be constantly up and down and back and forth, turning him, distracting him, whatever it takes.

And then there was quiet. I sipped my tea. Leaning back for a moment of solitude, I closed my eyes. There was movement, rustling, and I made a choice. With a quick peek behind the couch, I smiled, sat back and took another sip of tea. This I could handle.

He was happy, and I, I finally had a quiet moment to myself. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

A Change In Routine

2008-06-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Creatures of habit.

We've all heard this expression. And for the most part, even those like myself who do not have a strict set of ways to complete their day, all of us have something. For me the most noticeable is my morning tea. But even that has changed over the years. First I enjoyed a Kellogg's breakfast bar with my morning cup of steamy joy. Then I switched to Quaker Oatmeal Bars. Through pregnancy I preferred Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. But not just my choice of food accompaniment has changed, so has how it's prepared. Since my wrist surgery in 2006 Jeff gets everything ready for me, even the tea bag is in the cup when I wake. All I have to do is turn the kettle on and poor the water. I like this part of my routine the best. Haha.

What was once a quiet time for me to ease into the day is not so much anymore. I no longer head straight to the stove, but instead to the bottles. I no longer sit in piece and quiet but instead listen to babbles of a 9 month old after he is fed and ready to play. My trusty wooden tv tray is my still my table of choice, but entertainment has moved from morning shows to distracting my now mobile child from grabbing & eating things he shouldn't.

It's funny how we can be so set in our ways and not even notice how "our ways" have been changed, or even set for us. Every night for the past 9 months I make a stop, without fail, to Asa's room. I lean over his crib, adjust him if need be, or just simply watch him for a moment. And every night as I lay my head down on my pillow I find myself engulfed in a sensation of happiness. It doesn't matter if I'm hurting, or sick or worried. It doesn't matter what the day has thrown at me, the feeling is always the same. I never imaged this life. Yet here I am living day to day, the landscape of routine ever changing. With complete honesty, thankfulness and even a teeny bit of amazement I can truly say I am happy.

So why write about all this? Because Saturday was our 5 year anniversary. 5 years! Where did the time go? I guess this sparked my thinking, my realization of many things including the fact that it feels like 2, not 5. Or the fact that I am happier now than I was then. How is that even possible?!

We didn't do anything special this year. Just the regular Saturday stuff. But we did have plans for Sunday. A friend of ours was playing at a restaurant in Santa Cruz with his band Mr.X so we headed there for the afternoon. We had a great time and I of course took my trusty camera for some fun shots. Most of these are of our friend Bob and his guitars.

Bob

And this is Asa enjoying the music. He was kicked back on dads lap(the only place he really wanted to be all day) drinking his bottle. He propped his feet up on the table and crossed his ankles. I cracked up at how laid back he looked. Not to mention he seemed to really like the music, and was completely unaffected by the volume.

While some some routines change or evolve, I guess one of mine will not. I take pictures. I edit pictures. I post pictures on my blog.

Three Days In A Row!

2008-05-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a posting fool! Or just a fool, most likely both.

So in my previous post, the topic of Asa's hair came up in the comments. I did in fact cut his hair on May 12th, not since Devon came to visit. It was a day that I was finally starting to feel normal again. My hands were still a bit sore but very functionable. Asa's hair was getting a bit wild. He had this long clump right down the front, just one small section of bangs that were growing at a much quicker pace then the rest and it was driving me bonkers. So while he was snacking, I cut it. Yes he may have ingested a few strands but even while occupied the little bugger wiggled and swiggled. He kept trying to look up at the scissors. I must be honest this was not an easy job. I may have been slightly more successful attempting to catch a greased pig while wearing a latex one piece & over sized gumboots in sloppy mud while it rained. In fact I still find a few long strands here and there and keep the scissors handy for those quick touch ups. But for the most part I managed, completing it with his tried and true Mohawk. But unlike a pig, he did not squeal in delight, or displeasure, he simply continued to eat his Ritz glancing at me as though I had been a slightly amusing dinner show.

Speaking of Mohawks last night I overheard Jeff ask Asa if he's ready for his first buzz cut. Summer is almost here so why not look like daddy...haha. I think we should buzz it but leave a real 2 inch thick Mohawk.

Oh and two more things to add. 1. I swear his hair is getting thicker every day! 2. In the fish face post I think he looks different (and OLDER) because he is sucking his chubby cheeks in. Maybe this gives us an idea what he'll look like at 2? Hehe.

P.S. I don't actually own a latex one piece.

Anymore.

Fish Face

2008-05-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday while playing with Asa I started giving him fish kisses. For about ten minutes I made fish faces and wiggled my lips, kissing his cheeks and good times were had by all. Well, the good times were had by me at least, Asa on the other hand would have been just as happy eating paper. I swear this kid has paper radar but that's another post.

So yesterday after breakfast Asa is playing and I here this smacking noise. I walk over and ask what he's doing. He smiles and then makes the fish face. I don't mean "tries" to make it, I mean he sucked those cheeks in and formed some of the best fish lips I've ever seen! He then proceeded to do this for the rest of the day. It makes me wonder if he practiced in the privacy of his crib. He made no attempt to mimmic me while we were playing. He probably didn't want to share his new talent until he had perfected it. Haha. I tried to get a picture of him doing it this morning but like his father he prefers to do things on his agenda and no one else's! So the picture I got was just a he was finishing the one and only fish face while looking at me. I wasn't as prepared as I thought. He did do it multiple times while looking away and down, again letting me know without a doubt that he is his fathers son!

Aaah but you see, I can be stubborn too and will keep trying for the perfect shot. Now if only I had been smart enough to get a picture yesterday. DUH!

1991 Called...

2008-05-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

They said to keep the dress.

Next weekend is the MOMSClub year end banquet. The theme is "pageant." Each mom is to pick a persona, for example Miss Soccer Mom, Miss Diapers...whatever you want to be or seem to be as a mom. I debated on Miss Cripple, but I think too many people would get offended, which really is silly as I would be describing myself, but whatever. I have chosen an identity but I am not going to share just yet.

On Sat I went shopping for a gown. I could not believe how few there were in thrift stores. With proms and formal dances happening all the time I would have thought them to be in abundance but it was my third stop before I actually found anything. You see I have an idea and I pretty much just needed something to fit me. My plan is to completely alter it, and I only hope I can convey what's in my head onto an actual gown.

So my "base" of this planned creation is this:

What a flashback! Yes I graduated in 1992 and no my dress did not have black lace on it but there were others whom attended that did...hehe. I just can't decided whether to keep the waist flattering "V" or not? Now in all seriousness I really don't know what year it's from but it certainly LOOKS like it's from the early 90's! Right after taking this before shot I cut off all that lovely black/navy lace and what a difference, if it wasn't for the V this baby would almost be 17 years ahead of it's time...haha. Of course the scrapper/hoarder in me feels I need to keep the black lace, who knows I may want to do a brothel page in the future. Heck, it wouldn't be the weirdest item I have used on a page. Ha!

The next time you see this dress it will have been Daneafied.

Anyone have any guesses as to what I might be doing? If you already know, don't guess!!

Success

2008-05-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Watsonville Airshow. It has become a yearly tradition. It was Asa's second airshow but he was only a couple weeks old at the first so this one actually counted. All I wanted was for him to not be scared of the noise and to my joy he wasn't! He even showed some interest in various aircraft so we were very happy! Last night as Jeff viewed various photos of the days events, he came across one that was still on his card. One that is over 6 months old and made me laugh.

Like father like son. Good times!

Last week Asa successfully moved for the first time and I was prepared! Here's a short video of my little guy angrily "crawling" to get his book. He hasn't realized the potential this sort of mobility has. Soon enough I'm sure, but for now he continues to gripe when we put things out of his reach just to watch him go. Hehe.

Negative My Friends

2008-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am better, for the most part. All tests came back negative. I will simplify by stating they [doctors] have no idea what caused everything and pretty much chalk it up to an arthritic flare. So in lieu of a rant I will say that I know, and no I do not have a PHD, that there is no way all those symptoms were simply an arthritic flare. What I believe is that they were a bad reaction to Strep A. In fact I actually believe I may have had a mild case or Rheumatic Fever as all my symptoms fit. Unfortunately there are NO tests for Rheumatic Fever, it is simply a judgment call on the part of the doctor based on symptoms. In my case an arthritic with swelling is seen as just having another flare, apparently regardless of the involuntary muscle contractions, breathing issues and the fact that the joint pain and swelling I experienced was NOTHING like an arthritic flare but fit the symptoms of RF perfectly. But again I said I wouldn't rant so I will leave it at that. I am one who has learned over many years that doctors are not always right, and in this case, despite there being no treatment(other than the antibiotics and Prednisone that they gave me) even if it was what I expect, I believe they were wrong.

Now on to other news... last Thursday, May 15th Asa had FOUR firsts. I was so proud of the little guy! I think he just kept getting smarted as the day progressed. Hahaha!

1. He likes to stand against the back cushions of the couch, he had slid to a sitting position and I left the room for maybe 6-7 seconds and when I returned he was standing back up again! Sadly I never saw him do it nor has he done it since but YAY! for him anyway.

2. He had his first poop on his potty(and has had many more since).

3. He discovered that if I roll the ball to him and he picks it up and tosses it back to me, I will roll it right back to him again. So we had our first game of ball and he gets very excited sometimes, so much so that with some attempts his flailing arms send the ball no where near me but I am thrilled that he grasps the concept and tries anyway!

4. Although he has copied noises before, he thought it was very amusing to mimic daddy every time he coughed. LOL. Jeff would cough,(did I mention we are all sick and have been for over a week now?) this would catch Asa's attention so he would look at daddy and cough back, then give us both a big fat grin. He did this every time Jeff coughed. Sometimes he would even get the correct amount of coughs. It was so stinkin' cute!

It's been a while since I've posted a layout, so here's one I did a few weeks ago. It was just posted on TT's website so I will take that as a "safe to post" cue.

Grandma and Asa

Technique Tuesday Stamps Used: Avalon, Sweet Dreams, A Day To Remember and FUNdamental Postage Frames. The photos were printed at Scrapbookpictures.com and I used Narratives overlays on them.

The main photo above made me think of a couple pics I took of Asa yesterday. I was trying for a head shot when he discovered a speck on the couch. I have always thought it amusing that his means of studying and exploring new things consists of touching with one finger(like he was doing in the above shot). He feels, scratches, picks, flicks, pushes and pokes, all with his index finger. Granted if possible this is followed by popping said item into his mouth...haha. These two pictures catch him in action perfectly!

Are You Kidding Me?

2008-05-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I hate doctors.

Since moving here I have had 3 different "family" doctors. I don't usually see a regular practitioner because I am usually dealing with a specialist. The specialist I have seen here at Kaiser have been great. The general practitioners...have been less than desirable. So much so I have felt many times I may as well thrown my copay in the trash as I have left their offices without any answers. Thus the changes in an attempt to find one I like. The search will begin again soon. So here is why I am angry:

More test results arrived this morning. This is exactly what They said:

Component	Your Value	Standard Range

PARVOVIRUS B19 IGM, EIA	0.2	seefn- index
PARVOVIRUS B19 IGG, EIA	7.2	seefn- index

Now if you are like me, you're probably thinking "Huh?" So I called the nurse hotline which sent a message to my regular doctor to call me with an explanation. (The same guy I saw last Friday who was of little help.) I took it upon myself to email Dr.E also. So my general doctor just called. His {rude} response after I explain what happened over the weekend and why Dr. E ordered these test etc..."I have no idea what these test results mean and since he ordered them he will have to try and figure it out on his own." And after that, pretty much goodbye and good luck.

That's it. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Seriously. He wasn't even going to try and figure this out. Talk about pass the buck, droppin' the ball, being an ass. This "technically" shouldn't even be Dr.E's responsibility it should be Dr.Dumbs. If it wasn't for the fact that some of the joints affected were put there by Dr.E then I wouldn't even have him to do this. I am just so thankful that I do. I hate to think about what I would do if circumstances were different, then I would have no doctors to listen to me.

So now I wait again for Dr.E to call. Oh he called last night and said that yesterdays results meant nothing as no results had actually come in yet. He wasn't even sure why that was sent and figured it must have been some sort of computer thing. Sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now lets for a moment try and get away from my anger and frustration. You see today I am really hurting again and more swelling(most had disappeared by last night) has resurfaced. But yesterday I managed to take some time to play with my new Phototools program while feeling better.

Here's a couple of shots of my niece during my trip home. She was sick in this first one and I had to digitally remove the runny snot from her face...haha. No big deal as I really liked the picture.

This next one is a favorite and I'm not totally sure why. I think because it shows Hunter as her independant self. This little girl doesn't sit still. She is always on the go. Forget being pushed in the storller. She'll push it herself! Ha!

New Lab Results Are In...

2008-05-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

NOT DET.

Yup that's what it said and that is ALL it said. What the ^%$#@* does NOT DET mean.

I laughed. I laughed out loud because this my friends, is how my life goes. I have been waiting anxiously for 3 days to get these results and this is what it says. Good grief, can't I just get a yes or no?! I am now waiting for Dr. E to call and hopefully he can shed some light. A nurse said that the computer showed that results were not all in yet so not all is lost. Hopefully this was just some clerical error. Hopefully.

Where To Start?

2008-05-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been busy, crazy, emotional and mysterious. My trip home was a spur of the moment one and because of the sensitive nature I won't be explaining why. I went to be supportive and show love. Unfortunately amongst the good times the Wease family has the ability to host it's own Gong Show and things went back and forth between good and bad. All in all it was nice to get to visit with family but I was only able to see a few friends due to the family drama that kept coming up.

And then I was home.

Now one might think that this would be time for relief and relaxing, maybe even a quiet time to reflect on all that took place on my trip but that is not how my life seems to go and I am about to explain the events that have unfolded leaving where I am today, confused & at a loss.

A week ago Sat, I started to get a sore throat. Since multiple members of my family were getting over bouts of strep throat I suspected I may have caught it but since I was returning home in a few days, there was no point in being seen there. I saw a doctor the following Thursday and had a strep test done. About 3:30am Friday morning I awoke with the worst headache of my life and took a migraine pill for it. At 5:10am I awoke again, no relief from the migraine but even more concerning is what woke me, my stomach muscles were contracting on their own. It was like I was doing mini crunches but I had no control over them. It wasn't painful, but it was very scary. The nurse Hotline told me to go to Emergency, so Jeff came home from work, we gathered up the baby and off we went. To make a long story short the ER doc just shrugged as my symptoms had all but disappeared by the time I was seen two hours later. She gave me some antibiotics for my positive Strep A test and sent me home.

I ate breakfast, took my first pill and went to bed. The stomach spasms started again but I was so exhausted I did my best to ignore them. They stopped, but not without something new taking their place. This time it was breathing. Instead of 7-12 stomach contraction in a row and the a break it was 7-12 deep, fast breaths and then a break. I got out of bed and called the nurse Hotline again and she had me rush to the doctors office. He ran tests. Everything appeared fine. Again I was given a shrug and sent home.

4:00am Saturday morning I awoke to horrible stomach cramping and then vomiting. For the next 5 hours my stomach cramped(not the same as the crunches but actual painful cramps) every 35-40 seconds. Yes I counted, I had nothing better to do. This I knew, was due to the antibiotics. They prescribed my a new one and the rest of Saturday was pretty much uneventful, but don't stop reading as the story is long from finished...

Sunday morning I awoke with painful hands. Now this wouldn't be odd as I am an arthritic but two factors made me concerned. 1. I haven't had a painful hand flare in years. 2. It was only in my artificial joints. Yup, that's correct the painful stiffness was only in the joints that are not even real joints. The joints that are fake, whose purpose is to rid of the pain of "real" arthritic joints. Make sense? See my confusion and concern? By Sunday night not only had these joints become more painful but the were turning red AND so did some of the surrounding joints. Once again, the abnormality is the new sore joints afflicted are only those I had fused as a kid. So lets recap. I am now having extreme pain in my hands but only in the artificial and fused(non-existed all together) joints. All other "normal" joints ate A-OK.

For those who know absolutely nothing about arthritis let me fill you in on something. Arthritis attacks joint tissue including the cartilage. These joints have no cartilage as they are not real/non-existent, thus this is a freaking mystery and of high concern to me. Once again I called my friends at the nurse Hotline and they said to go to Emergency if my symptoms worsened at all. They did, and at 3:30 am on Monday morning we were on our way back to the hospital.

After 5 hours in treatment I walked away with no new info. My visit consisted of the stomach spasm returning. In fact they returned while one nurse was putting in my IV and they were so bad she had to wait for them to pass. Nothing was done or said about them by the ER doctor. While lying in bed doped up with pain meds and trying to sleep I felt the breathing thing coming on again. I tried to ignore it but called the nurse anyway. I continued to call for the nurse for 40 minutes as my breathing became more rapid and of concern, and quite frankly I was trying to sleep and was getting annoyed with this stupid breathing interuption. Finally I got out of bed and stumbled into the hall, it was empty and due to my now complicated breathing issues I could not remain on my feet and went back to the bed were I made one last frantic call for a nurse through my now uncontrollable semi hyperventilating state. A nurse came. A male nurse who quite rudely asked "Why are you breathing so hard?" My response through strained breaths "YOU. TELL. ME! I HAVE. BEEN. CALLING FOR. OVER . 40 MINUTES." His condescending tone did not change and I was told, "Your hyperventilating. Calm down. I'll go get your nurse." And he was gone. 10 minutes later the ER doc showed up(no nurse was seen) and told me that the hyperventilating was likely the cause of the stomach contraction as the body takes over and does weird things. She also said they spoke to a Rheumatologist and I was just having an arthritic flare. Through tears of anger, frustration & fear I called her on her mistakes. I stated that I was no doctor but I am certain of a few things. I had the stomach contractions long before I hyperventilated. I felt the breathing issues start and tried to have someone check them out to no avail. This was the first time I actually hyperventilated and I had no control over it as it came out of nowhere. And lastly I have had RA for 30 years and this was NO FREAKING ARTHRITIC FLARE! I may as well been talking to my big toe. I asked her to try calling my hand surgeon, his deal is artificial joints maybe he would have some idea. Nope, she felt the Rheumatologists knew better and said I would be discharged, my husband, whom I had sent home hours ago with Asa, could come and get me.

Through tears I called Jeff from my room phone and told him all that had happened. I then proceeded to call Kaiser, yes I was sitting in Kaiser's ER but I was now calling my hand surgeons office only a 2 minute walk from my current location. My thought at this point was F&*K Everyone! There is something wrong with me and no one is listening! I guess I will have to do this myself. The operator told me Dr. E was in surgery but would be back in clinic this afternoon. I left the ER and walked over to his office and pleaded my case. I needed to speak with him ASAP. I was given a 4:15 apt. It was 1:30 so we went home. I slept. And then once again we headed back to the doctors.

Now I have mentioned Dr. E in the past, he's probably my favorite doctor ever. I knew it was a long shot that he might have some answers but he is one of the few doctors whom I knew would actually listen. And he did. And he brained stormed. And he called his friend the infectious disease guy. And THEY brain stormed. And I FINALLY felt like I was being heard. He agreed this was odd and that something was clearly wrong. Thank you! In the end he had me tested for Parvovirus which can give a false positive to a Strep A test. Not to mention as he listed the symptoms, as this is a common and non serious childhood "disease" also known as Fifths disease, Jeff and I looked at each other and then at Asa. He seemed to fit the bill of symptoms also. With my suppressed immune system it could be the cause for other weird symptoms including the hand pain and swelling.

As of today we are still awaiting results. Yesterday morning I was in so much pain, Jeff back at work as he had missed 2 days already, I ended up calling a lady from the MOMSclub and she came and took Asa for the day. I was in such bad shape I couldn't even change his diaper without bawling my eyes out. In fact I don't recall ever being in so much pain. I even had her open a bottle of Percocet while she was here and man did I feel much better an hour later. What was even sweeter, she was on her way to a club gathering which was a casserole swap and when the ladies heard about my plight, they sent home 3 casseroles for me, knowing I would have a hard time trying to cook. I was so thankful that these kind ladies gave up some of their dishes for us. I literally had no one else to turn to and I am so greatful to have this group. So if you are reading this, again thank you all SO much! What's even nicer is that they even discussed putting together an aid group for me, people to come and help out each day but as it turns out, the pain is at a minimal today. Not gone, nor is the terrible swelling but I can manage. If you only knew how long it has taken me to peck this all out...hahaha.

So there you have it. This is why I have been MIA. I have never wanted a positive test result so bad! If it's negative we are back to square one, not knowing what is wrong with me. It's exhausting and a bit scary but strangely this is not the first time I have had unusual symptoms to which the doctors have simply shrugged off, it's not the second or third either. This time however seems more concerning. But this is how my life seems to go and really, how boring would it be without family drama and hospitals?

Truly boring indeed.

Just A Note...

2008-04-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am still out of town but will be home tomorrow night. Asa is really missing his daddy! (I am too). I'll have lots of photos to share, I even did a photo shoot of a friends kids..Yay!

Gotta run...

This & That

2008-04-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

**Note I started writing this Friday but am just getting to posting it on Sunday.

Guess what Asa just did?

He was sitting on the floor in my scraproom when I heard some soft grunting. With Asa this could mean pooping OR experimenting with noises and man does he come up with some funny ass noises! Now due to an unexpected trip home next week, I haven't been doing the potting thing everyday since I know we will have two weeks without it so why start, right? But hearing this little grunt made me want to try, so I scooped him up and took him to the bathroom. His diaper was clean so I sat him on his thrown. Within seconds, I thought I heard the tinkle of pee, but after 5 minutes, there was still no poo, so off we got. To my delight, we had pee! And LOTS of it! Yay!I turned him around so he could see and I clapped and cheered. Now I know it was purely a co-inkydink and nothing he actually thought about doing but I was still pretty excited.

In other news, as mentioned above with the two week reference I will be going home next Wed and staying up there for two weeks, so who knows if I will get any blogging time. I'll try.

As I have mentioned in the past, Asa is not a tummy fan. Last week he started crying out for help in the night and I would find him on his tummy. A quick flip and all was right in the world, back to sleep he would go. Then it started happening more frequently, until Wed night I was up 5 times with him in the course of 1.5 hours. Grrr. The little bugger would flip right back over. So I finally just left him to squawk it out and then had Jeff check on him before leaving for work. He was fine. Then yesterday a few minutes after putting him down for his nap he got quiet so I peeked in and found him fast asleep on his tummy. Yay! This means, hopefully, he has come to terms with his rolling over predicament and can manage on his own.

I can't seem to kick this darn cold, it's been almost two weeks. I'd like it to be gone now.

I don't understand why Simon keeps calling David Cook arrogant? I don't find him that way at all. I actually think he seems quite sweet.

Last week Asa and I stopped in to see Jeff at work. As soon as one of his coworkers saw Asa he said "There's the little movie star. Can I get his autograph?" This was in regards to all Asa's ABC photos which apparently make there way around the shop and some, onto Bob's "wall of fame". I thought this was pretty funny.

I am working on my second of 3 new TT assignments that need to be finished up tomorrow. Yay!

My FIL is supposed to be in town this week. On his last trip(March 9th) him, Asa and myself went to the park and Asa had his first ride in a swing. Asa's first tooth appeared the day before and thus he was teething pretty bad, hence the rosy cheeks and lack of enthusiasm in some shots...hehe. Here are some of my favorite photos of the day:

This next one is what I refer to as a "Beautiful Fluke."

Asa has a pretty big head so we bought him this adult, small camo hat.

This picture cracks me up...hehehe.

He was starting to get cranky at this point.

Last but not least, this sums it up, just a couple of guys relaxin' at the park.

Let There Be Poop!

2008-04-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

So today Asa turns 8 months old. 8 MONTHS! Are you kidding me? Everyone hears how "Time flies" or "It goes by so quick." but man I didn't really expect that to be the case. At least not so literally. Sigh.

So Jeff, Asa and I headed to Babies R Us last Saturday after Pedro's. We decided to go ahead and buy a potty. We went with the Boon Bench. It's the same company that makes the Frog Pod, which is next on my "want" list.I know many of you will shake your head at the thought of an 8 month old using a potty, and scoff at the thought of introducing it when he's still so "young". But I will say a few things in my defense. 1. North America is the slowest to potty train their children, many countries potty train their infants out of necessity. 2. I don't actually expect him to grasp the concept and start using it right away and 3. Why the hell not! If I can get him out of diapers sooner then Woohoo!

So Sunday night after his bath I put his bathrobe on him(uh, ya I think it's time for the next size up there Hef) and bare bummed him on the pot. At first he made an unpleasant squawk but that was do to some needed adjustment of the orange flexible peepee guard., and then he was happy as a pig in mud. In fact he started doing this thing where he would raise his arms above his head, clasp his hands together, squeal in delight and then in one quick swoop, brings his hands down fast and hard on his knees. He did this repeatedly like a King on his thrown addressing his people. It cracked me up. He's such a character.

Now due to the style of potty we chose, I won't leave him unattended cuz he looks like he could topple off. I went with this particular pot because it can hold toilet paper, wipes, toys, etc... in the green slide down sides, plus it's a foot stool and works great for me to sit on while giving him a bath. The con is that it doesn't have back support and thus the toppling off fear. Regardless, for now I will just have him sit on it for a while each day to get him used to it. If he goes then great! He often makes a face when he needs to poop so I will try and do a quick change and get him on there if the opportunity arises, but for now, I will just let him enjoy his new thrown.