A Miracle Named Xan

First Grade Begins

2011-09-09T16:49:00.001-04:00

I was already in school for over an hour this morning when Xan went. So Daddy got to take him. :( I was so sad!So when I picked him up, in the rain, I asked him if he would humor me and let me take a few photos. He did. He's amazing.

Leading By Example?

2011-07-20T19:43:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we do it right, take reading:I miss library days. This was on my memory card from a few weeks ago. Sometimes we do it wrong... I've been ill with pneumonia and meeting Xan's basic needs has been such a challenge. I have absolutely no patience, and a tremendous amount of guilt. I think I am most looking forward to feeling like myself again so I can feel like his mama again.Cause this

Onward to First Grade!

2011-06-20T12:41:00.001-04:00

Hardest part is leaving behind his teachers, I think. Mrs. Kincheloe and Mrs. Soma.

Rain Shower

2011-06-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

...not necessarily what you'd think :)

Ring Bearer, Take 2!

2011-06-10T23:54:00.000-04:00

Xan was ring-bearer for my brother-in-law and new sister-in-law last week in Baltimore!Their "guest book" was a drawing X drew of "Aunt Jessica and Uncle Daniel on their wedding day" before they were even engaged. :)Toasting with his BFF Miss Tay.Dancing with the bride.

...

2011-05-03T00:17:00.003-04:00

"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.ETA: Apparently this is falsely, in part,

Sad :(

2011-04-18T13:50:00.004-04:00

Today Uncle Tony died. I should say it wasn't expected: but it was. His lung cancer metastasized around Thanksgiving of last year: we knew it wouldn't be long. And he's no longer in pain or struggling for breath. That photo above of him is from last summer, at Landen's first birthday party. The past few months, he's been almost just witnessing family events, with tears in his eyes, afraid

Let's catch up! :)

2011-02-06T11:19:00.004-05:00

Xan and his mamaTaken 11-19-10 at Xan's school's Fall FestivalXan and TaylorTaken 11-21-10 at Taylor's fifth birthday partyXanTaken 11-25-10, Thanksgiving. We had Tofurkey!Xan and his cousins Taylor and SamTaken 12-04-10 at the Manassas Santa Claus paradeThe above 2 were sent out in Christmas cards this year.Jay's third birthday partyTaken 12-11-10Right before Christmas we went to DC with an old

Six. Already.

2010-11-14T23:39:00.003-05:00

Please, can we start over? Can we rewind back to six years ago? I'll do the pain, the sleeplessness both over again, I will. Just lemme have little baby Xan back. My heart is breaking for that little one I can never have back. But, you know, I'm also pretty excited at the big boy he is becoming.Happy Birthday to my little Miracle. Let's do this 100+ times more.

Hay Guys!

2010-10-20T19:49:00.002-04:00

Hello! It's been awhile. The weekend following the farm tour I caught X's Cold of Doom and the week after that Andrew and I got food poisoned. Not too fun! So I missed a lot of days. Last weekend was a bit better so I ended up taking Xan to the ghetto "pumpkin patch" over by the high way. They have a bouncy house and such so I let him run wild for a bit. :)Compare to a 11-month old Xan at

Farm Tour 2010

2010-09-25T16:08:00.001-04:00

Today was the annual Prince William County Farm Tour. My favorite place is always Lynn Vale. The animals at the shelter are cute but I feel so badly for them that every visit is tainted with sadness.Nothing sad about flowers: even dead ones are pretty!

You've Got A Friend In Me

2010-09-24T12:05:00.001-04:00

Since he's been ill I purchased both Toy Story films for him. He was over the moon, as you can see! And newly obsessed with Buzz and Woody!

Another Fever

2010-09-22T16:00:00.002-04:00

The downside to all that socializing X gets to do now: illness. He is exposed to hundreds more germs than ever. At least his immune system gets stronger with each one??

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

2010-09-21T19:02:00.001-04:00

Xan and one of his many girlfriends, Margaret. They keep kissing and I keep getting talked to about it by the teacher.

First Day of School

2010-09-07T08:58:00.000-04:00

With his teacher, Mrs. Kincheloe.

Kindergarten Orientation

2010-09-03T20:38:00.002-04:00

First, I will apologize for this crappy photograph. I shall endeavor to do better on his first day of school!Today X got to meet his teacher/TA and his classmates. He told me that he noticed a boy crying. I said "did you cry?" "No... I think that boy missed his mama." "oh. Did you miss me?" And he laughed and laughed. "No, that would be silly!"I hope it's okay that I am so gonna cry on

Sad That Summer Is Winding Down...

2010-08-19T01:19:00.001-04:00

My little man is starting school in two weeks. How can this be?

WTH?

2010-07-24T23:18:00.002-04:00

Do I really want to analyze why *my* child looks at *my* relationship and wants to fake being married to his cousin?I guess not. Ignore the title, I am too lazy to change it.

104.9

2010-07-16T03:31:00.001-04:00

That was Xan's temperature when he woke up screaming about his bedroom "becoming alive and grabbing me, mama!"Shocked, I immediately grabbed the Motrin and even though he's on the weight-line between 1.5 and 2 pills I promptly told him if he didn't chew and swallow the two he would never ever get better (wee, lying ftw). 30 seconds later his temperature had not changed and even after having

Today's Post Brought To You By Percocet

2010-07-13T14:31:00.004-04:00

Had my lower wisdom cracked into pieces and pulled out yesterday. Fun times!I took a dozen photos of him getting those over his eyes and loved every one because of his adorable still-toddler-looking hands, the srs bsnss expression on his face, among some other things! But I love those eyes! :)And to gross you out:Sharon thinks it looks like popcorn.

He Makes Me Laugh

2010-07-10T16:04:00.002-04:00

We were making tortillas for lunch and had to let the dough rise. And he looked really pissed at that cow, lol!

Happy Fourth!

2010-07-05T01:12:00.010-04:00

Should I start with an apology for not updating in eons? Or maybe promise to keep writing? Well you get neither an apology nor a promise, so there! :)I have had some serious doubts about my parenting abilities lately. With Andrew's night shift on going for over a year now I've had way too much time solo with the wee one. It's really not easy. Hats off to all the "real" single parents out

Y Hallo Thar

2009-01-21T17:47:00.003-05:00

He's 4 now. I am also older but no, it's none of your business how old, random people of the internet.I haven't used this in a looooong time. Oh well!

.

2007-11-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

......

Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

2007-11-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, that's not exactly true.But part of me wishes it was.Let me preface by saying three things. Primarily: I'm aware that consistency is the key with raising children. At the very least, it's always been highly effective with my child. The problem with that is, we haven't found something that works for us all yet, so yes, we're inconsistent in our discipline while we struggle to find

Windows Vista FTL

2007-04-11T15:33:00.000-04:00

That's For the loss. Seriously. I installed the Kodak software and yet it won't let me run it as an administrator and therefore "complete" the installation.I give up.But I can't. So I'm trying to get photos up.Today we got the ugliest furniture in the world but sitting on the floor was old before it started so I was glad to see the ugliness. :)HAPPY NOW CWB?Xan is Xan. He's slightly evil (

Hi!

2006-12-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

Working 50+ hours a week leaves me little time to spend with Xan let alone update blogs and stuff. Sorry I've been so absent!My Flickr is being updated as we speak (nearly a month since I last did it WOW). It expires tomorrow. :( I don't know if I can afford to renew it! I hope so though.We're all alive, Xan is really healthy and getting SO big.

Two.

2006-11-17T19:41:00.001-05:00

Xan Was Born on Prematurity Awareness Day

2006-11-16T00:35:00.003-05:00

What was supposed to be a small quiet evening turned into a slightly rowdy but still fun evening. Auntie Eryn, Miss Tabby Cat and her two wee minions, my mom, Andrew, Xan and I all had some cake, some homemade "pizzas" and lots of conversation/playing.Xan got two wooden puzzles, a wooden shape-sorter with Sesame Street characters on it, two books, a gift card and a drum.A good time was had by all.

Flickr

2006-10-16T01:56:00.000-04:00

Doing a HUGE upload right now.My mom's home so she took Xan and I to Walmart and I got the photos put on discs. Since I won't have the cable till Andrew gets here.

There Were Flowers... and There Was Vomit

2006-10-15T00:16:00.000-04:00

Get Xan dressed, myself dressed. We both look adorable of course, who would be expecting less?Call the cab (and Eryn's mom - she paid for my cab there, so she was waiting in the lobby when we got there). Cabby is a nice Lebanese man. He adores children and is yacking my ear off about how he stopped after five kids because "it's hard on women." Otherwise he'd have had 16 kids he said. He tells me

Denny's: NOT SO FAMILY FRIENDLY

2006-10-13T17:44:00.000-04:00

Not posting photos is driving me NUTS. Might get my mom to take me to Walmart on Sunday when they get home and put them all on a disc so I can upload them. I'm not taking near as many photos as I'd like because I'm trying to save space on the camera. I'll have to delete some before the wedding on Saturday though.So my friend Angela and I, kidlets-in-tow went out for lunch. To what we THOUGHT

Dark

2006-10-10T00:06:00.000-04:00

Why I am sitting in the dark I have no idea. I want to go watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding because I've never seen the whole thing and could use some potentially amusing sappiness.I wanted to watch is earlier but Xan was engrossed in Treehouse (zomg, cable tv!) and I was zombie-fied a little too.Dora and Diego worked together today. Xan wet his pants.Oh how I wish I could upload some photos today.I

Dora

2006-10-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

He's still in love with her. In fact, he's a mere foot from my mom's big TV staring at her. It's a "new" episode (meaning it's not one of the three-still-working-ones on the four-episode disc we bought him a few months ago). Cable tv people. Cable tv.It's easy to say that he's watched more TV this weekend than in the month beforehand.But it's ok. We're sick. We're stranded in a new city. And

Landed.

2006-10-08T19:41:00.000-04:00

Xan as a Canadian, that is. Just have to trot down to the Harry Hayes building (probably NOT on Tuesday seeing as it's the first open day after a long weekend but maybe...) and register his birth as a Canadian. Then they send him his citizenship card and a SIN. So, yay to that. Lucky wee bum has automatic dual citizenship.Gotta go get a new ID card...Forgot the cable that connects the camera

Leaving On A Jet Plane...

2006-10-05T22:51:00.000-04:00

Bailey is being so cute it's breaking my heart.Xan is sleeping alone on the bed, which is really just the mattress and boxspring, with a single blanket. His pillow doesn't even have a case on it.I have to finish packing: make sure everything we had left to get in the bags (but were using all week) is packed.I hate to leave my girls. I love them so much. And some people think that's stupid, but

Oh Just SAY IT ALREADY

2006-10-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

Xan can speak. I mean, he knows a crapton of words. Today he was playing at the Chic-Fil-A playzonethingy and says to my mother-in-law "Butterfly!" (He learned that from the Very Hungry Caterpillar, seriously people read to your kids!) and she said "Butterfly?" and he said "Yes."Yes. Yesh. Vigorous nodding. This is what Xan relies on to communicate. That and shrieking his f'ing lungs out

2006-10-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

I'm very tired. My friend Jenni came by today and took home tons of stuff, furniture too. Very glad. Jenne is coming tomorrow to take more. My friends and husband have been so helpful during this time it's amazing.I was scared to have them over, that it would turn into a cry-fest or something about how we're leaving. We had a few touchy moments but otherwise we were positive. This is the

Thank God for the Digital Age

2006-10-02T10:12:00.000-04:00

I'm freaking out earlier. Can't find the phone (it's on vibrate AND I bet it's in Andrew's pocket so not too worried about it) can't find the garbage bags, can't find the tape gun can't find a single freaking thing.SO what do I do when there's too much to do ? Get online and do none of it! Haha. No, I did. But see it worked. I calmed down. I found the tape gun and the garbage bags. Right

Pink

2006-10-01T08:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday my friend Jenne came over with her two girls, Autumn and Molly, to spend a little time together. She brought me a beautiful necklace she made all by herself (photo soon: That is a huge deal for me, for some reason stringing beads is beyond my limits of patience. Surprising, I KNOW because I well known for my infinite patience.)Molly was done up entirely in pink, soft and fluffy and

2006-10-01T01:25:00.000-04:00

I'm so tired. I'm totally going to bed right now.It's Andrew's birthday. Tomorrow morning, well this morning around 11ish his mom is going to pick us up and take us "to lunch" but it's actually his surprise party. Don't worry Sharon he doesn't ever EVER read this, I don't even have the link saved anywhere anymore, it's just in my head.Plus he's sleeping now. I'm freaking tired, but if I

Don't Watch This.

2006-09-19T11:27:00.000-04:00

This link is saved for me.Penn and Teller: Bullshit! CircumcisionThe thing that gets me, is, it will offend you if you're stubborn enough to think you know everything, or to refuse to admit you were wrong about it.It upsets me to watch it. And I never did it to Xan.NO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IN THE WORLD CONDONES THIS BY THE WAY. Individual doctors for whatever reasons push their own agendas. And we

Amazed

2006-09-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

So Xan and I are brutally sick. We were both tired yesterday but then suddenly last night (around 10, 11) Xan started coughing and my nose started running. It progressively got worse and neither of us slept all night.Andrew came home from work (after a brutal receiving night) with water, OJ, milk and Infant's Suspension drops (like cheap tylenol). !!!He grabbed the diapers (none clean, really,

In the tub...

2006-09-07T03:07:00.000-04:00

"Xan, can you hand me the penguin? Where's the penguin?! Thank you!"Xan claps."Can you say 'penguin?'""Yesh.""Say 'penguin.'""Yesh.""So you can say 'penguin' but are you just choosing not to?""Yesh."Xan said "seal" two days ago and "whale" the day before that. (Thanks to an under the sea puzzle.) He likes counting rhyme (1,2, buckle my shoe...) and the ABC song but has ZERO interest in trying

Can You Show Me Where It Hurts?

2006-09-04T15:33:00.000-04:00

There is no pain you are receding. A distant ships smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. Your lips move but I cant hear what you're saying. When I was a child I had a fever. My hands felt just like two balloons. Now I got that feeling once again. I can't explain, you would not understand. This is not how I am. I have become comfortably numb. (And no, I'm not too "young" for

You May Be My Lucky Star

2006-09-03T17:23:00.000-04:00

You know, when I was pregnant I wish someone had told me "quick, learn some neat skills that (may or may not be completely useless but) will entertain your toddler for hours on end."Like shadow puppets, or how to play an instrument (let's face it, piano lessons in pre-teen years just don't cut it, nor do clarinet lessons in high school).Lucky for me Xan's still at that "the world is awe-inspiring

As I Sit Here Typing

2006-08-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

Xan is emptying a kitchen cupboard. He has a pot, a bowl and the flour sifter so far. He then SPRINTS back to the kitchen and oh, we have another bowl.Back he goes. Wait, he noticed me watching him. Now I have to name the things he got. "Oooh dat." "Pot." "Ooooooh." Runs back to the kitchen.I was watching Boston Legal till the little bum begged me for Dora. Here we go, dutch oven.

Internet Parenting

2006-08-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Does the Internet make parents better? Or worse?Before Xan was born, I read everything. And immediately after he was born I never had fewer than four parenting books open/bookmarked.Slowly over the months, especially after one year I started getting fewer and fewer books. I was more comfortable; I trusted myself as a mother more.I took a few months "off" from the Internet. I didn't update or read

I Didn't Write This

2006-08-21T23:36:00.000-04:00

But I lost it once and don't want to do that again. It just makes me happy to read it, over and over.*****I’m sitting at the Bourgeois Pig cafe on Fullerton, next to two people who are obviously on a first, blind date. You wouldn't necessarily notice them at first - they are average looking white people in a room and a neighborhood full of the same, but something about them is making the whole

Snip.

2006-08-14T15:43:00.000-04:00

I cut his hair. *gasp*He had this curly mullet growing out the back and he looked so... not neat and it was driving me bonkers so I just cut it.Just across the back (waaay less than perfectly, of course, but to me it still looks better than the mullet) and straight above his ears.In a week or two I'll go get it done in a salon, I suppose. Can't have him with uneven hair forever. :P

Bailey & Xan

2006-07-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

They've had their moments. From the very first time they met: when we brought Xan home and she tried to rip him apart. To the time at Christmas when she was spooked and trying to attack Portia, whom I lifted up to save, leaving Xan directly in her path. She climbed his back, cut him up a bit.But now the two of them... it's like a painting. She will walk up to him and crouch down. Bracing

And I'm destroyed again, in memories.

2006-07-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

Birth StoryI am so strongCarrying you in the slingWe giggle and laughnurse and danceour hearts drumming close together(a dream last night --flashes of a blade, white sheets, my abdomen.woke to find you had squirmed your wayacross two feet of bedto be nestled into my body)Each time you cry or whimperwaves of guilt flood meI go over and over those two dayslook for something I could have donefor

Cook-Out That Wasn't.

2006-06-20T09:50:00.000-04:00

Meaning nothing was cooked outside. A ham was baked, so we didn't eat that, but there were strawberries and pickles and fresh rolls and potato salad, and corn on the cob. So we ate our fill. :)Pile of photos over at Flickr.Kinda rushed this morning, my friend Jenne is bringing her girls over and we're gonna walk to the park. :)

2006-06-17T12:23:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a family BBQ thing. I'm thinking of making a cheesecake. Hmm. Highly ambitious of me. Or something light... maybe something lemon-y?Probably grab some beer for Andrew and I. We never drink, why not once in awhile?Xan's napping. I'm forcefully keeping myself away from World of Warcraft. Thus the blogging. And making all my favorites in Flickr public. And so on. <3

Dear Self,

2006-05-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

No matter how much you want to pick up every belonging of every person that leaves their crap in your house and throw it all out the ********* window, or into the dumpster you probably shouldn't. That doesn't mean I'll stop you.Also, beating Xan will only teach him to beat other children. Now, do we want him to beat other children? Because some other children are really ******* beastly and

Boo, I'm Older

2006-05-09T08:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I turned 26.Boo.People came outta the woodwork and called. That was nice. But every call was a minimum of an hour, lol, because um, they never call. And I can't call. Sucky.I got some money, some cards, some chocolate, a gift card and some body wash. <3 My mother-in-law cooked dinner for me (stuffed shells, mmm) and baked me a cake. It was a good day till the very end, and that

I Can't Believe I Thought It Would Taste Like Bacon

2006-05-06T10:16:00.000-04:00

So if you've ever been eating Bacon Bits and suddenly found yourself wishing for something larger to bite into, I have the product for you:Wait, you didn't ever wish that? Yeah me neither. I can't believe they call this crap bacon. Andrew and I buried our strips in our eggs and wrapped the toast around 'em: they slid down, albeit not easily. So salty. So... bacon-bit-tasting.And so nasty.I

One Step Forward

2006-05-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

...forty back. Am I the only one who feels this?I shut off the computer a few hours ago ON A MISSION to go clean places that haven't been cleaned, um, ever or something. Like the underside of the table. THAT CLEAN. I was inspired.Xan, was not inspired. In fact, he was miserable. He kept getting into things while I was trying to clean things and it was getting messier than when I started and my

Non-Dairy

2006-04-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

My "local" best friend, Jenne, recently had her second child. Xan and I miss her, and her oldest: Autumn. So we want to go by and bring a casserole to make at least one meal easier on Jenne.BUT, both girls (babies, both nursing too, so Jenne also) can't tolerate dairy.So I need a recipe, if anyone has a favorite. Preferably something vegetarian. I can figure out the dairy substitutes.

Oh, forgot to mention!

2006-04-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

Xan says......wittle wiggle (tickle tickle)...kiddy (kitty)...oh cool...oh shh (oh shit, and BLAME THAT ONE ON MY HUSBAND WHO IS ACTIVELY TEACHING HIM THAT)...No...Yeah...Da...Mummum...go go go!He still signs "more." And "diaper." He said 'book pl" once b/c I was trying to get him to say "book please." (So much nicer than having board books thrown at you ha). He won't say it anymore.He gives me

Katie my Lady and Park

2006-04-28T08:32:00.000-04:00

Last night when Nathan, Xan and I went to the park it was neat. They renovated it: it's all new playground stuffs. And Nathan was screaming into this pipe thing that was MADE to be yelled in and some other older child was playing with him. Xan ran around the park 23423432 times. He wouldn't stop running around. I helped him down the slide a couple times but he had zero interest. He liked the

Hello.

2006-04-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Hurray, I fixed it! Blogger was only letting me write in italics before but now it's normal again yay.Oh, the photos from Easter are up on my Flickr. There is a link in the sidebar (and in the previous sentence) and YES you need to login or register in order to view the photos. If that sounds too complicated for you simply comment to this entry or send me an email and I will send you an invite

Country Music

2006-04-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

So, everything is cyclical, right? So it stands to reason that after my wee, ah... interest in country music in high school (give me a break, k? I lived in Cowtown, aka Calgary) I'd come back to it someday right?:PIt all started in the interest of finding some continuous source of music that wasn't too pumped up for Xan to sleep to. I flipped to GAC and found it. And Xan slept on blissfully. And

Easter 2005

2006-04-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

And, camera cable-willing, I will post Easter 2006 photos later on tonight. :)

Sneaky Sneaky

2006-03-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

The wee man has taken to slipping by me, honest to God holding his breath and moving uber slow to get things he's not supposed to be touching. Like the open computer tower he is three feet from, crouched low right now and staring at me attentively for the one second my periphreal isn't on him. And when I bust him and put him over with the 234,356,756 toys he owns (which, hopefully this weekend

Nebulize This.

2006-03-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

Xan has asthma. PROBABLY. Hopefully not, of course, but it really looks like it.We have a nebulizer to administer four breathing treatments a day.We have oral steroids.And we have this wee Miracle who just keeps on running around laughing and pulling apart everything he finds.Mama-Guilt is in overload right now. How my Miracle was crying at night and coughing and puking and I'd give him some

100.

2006-02-27T08:02:00.000-05:00

I uploaded some photos to Flickr.Things have been hectic lately, and my gaming addiction continues. >< Instead of blogging, I'm gaming. How much do I suck?Xan is healthy, and ridiculously grown-up looking everyday. He's a real live BOY with no strings, and such. Insane. I get baby lust when I look at newborn Xan: but only for Xan. So far. lol.He has finally given up on the Baby Einstein Seasons

Gaming And Toddlers.

2006-01-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Were any of you into gaming (like MMORPGs?) online before you had your little ones? How do you juggle both, now, or have you given up on the games?I play (and love) World of Warcraft. (Right now my main is Angelkicker, an Undead Priest, on Laughing Skull server, lol, if you want to play with me!) I got addicted since I was playing the Beta while pregnant. Actually, WoW was released for sale,

Being vegetarian doesn't have to be boring.

2006-01-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight I made Boca burgers. Nathan gobbled his down and kept telling me how good it was. We all watched him carefully. I said to him"See, Xan has a burger too?""Yeah.""But Xan doesn't eat meat, does he?""Oh, yeah, I forgot.""Nathan, these burgers aren't made from meat, it's soy which is like fake meat, in this case.""Fake meat?""Yeah, it was good, eh?""Yeah.":) Then Xan and I were chomping

Mama = Mean.

2006-01-19T11:48:00.000-05:00

First I pin the wee Miracle down and slather him with diaper rash cream which must have burned because he tried to run away and it hurt too much to run so he was crying. I, too was crying, of course. It looks *slightly* better this morning, though, so here's to hoping.And just now I laughed my ass off at him because he is SOBBING HYSTERICALLY LIKE I CUT OFF HIS ARM because I won't let him talk

Go, Diego, Go: FAR FAR AWAY.

2006-01-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

"Say 'click!' Take a pic! Say 'click!' Take a pic!"*stab*1. ANNOYING. Why did they make a boy Dora ANYWAY? Xan loves Dora, we don't need Diego.2. It's PHOTOGRAPH not PICTURE. I don't understand who/what decided that would be a good word to swap, the reason for it, any of it. It's beyond irritating: it's like using a verb as a noun (think "quote" instead of "quotation.") Yes, I hate it when

The Mama and the Miracle.

2006-01-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

No More Baby.

2006-01-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Xan just went to sleep all by himself for only the fifth time or so since he was born! And two of the other times were in the last week. :/Geez. I feel so... ripped off. The only time I get to cuddle my TODDLER is when he's sleepy and then he's all lovey and I adore it.I refuse to share it with Andrew, even, I love it so. He says I'm a "greedy" parent, but I don't care.But now it's fading...*

Not Lost, Just Annoyed.

2006-01-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

OMG. Dear Blogger: Please stop lagging SO FREAKING MUCH you're killing me.Xander is running around in just a dipe and he's hilarious. Yeah, RUNNING. That's his new thing. Why walk when you can run?I started Weight Watchers this week. Nope, no starting weight for you. ;) Cross your fingers for me!Alright, better post later when Blogger stops being such a bitch.

The March of Dimes

2006-01-08T00:36:00.000-05:00

Any amount, no matter how small. I'm not sure how little THEY will accept, all I had was five bucks. :) But every bit helps. Too many babies are born premature these days.Thank you. :)Other babies we know, who were born too early:Hannah ThompsonIf your wee one was born before 37 weeks gestation, and you have a Band you'd like me to link to, please let me know. I would love to.

Newborn on Flickr...?

2006-01-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

Xan is getting HUGE. Man. I'm trying to back-upload all the photos from when he was newborn up till now. Ha! I'll try to do at least two days (this year and last) at a time. So, if you notice lots of newborn photos on Flickr, that would be why! A lot of them my family "missed."

Communication...

2006-01-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

Xan says:~Ooooooooh.~Oh, cool.~Oh, really? (HA! BECAUSE OF ME AND WOW AND LJ! HAHA. Drives Andrew nuts.)~Cat~Mama~Dada~Itty (kitty)~Cooooooooooool. (This is all Nathan, btw. "Cool" and "oh, cool.")~Yes.~Yeah.~NO!~Mmmmm. (When he's eating.)~You! (This is a command. He also points to punctuate.)He also chats me up hardcore, but I don't understand half of it.Xan signs:~More.~Milk.~Food.~

New Year, New Settings...

2006-01-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

My Flickr account is now locked down. You can access it by clicking any of the wee boxes on the right there, and if you're signed in, and I have added you (let me know here or email me your account name) you will then be able to access all the photos.Hope you had a great New Year!

Parenting Rambles: I Had a Point but I Lost It.

2005-12-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

Before I had Xan I was an expert on parenting. I knew EVERYTHING. I could answer any parent's questions. Expertly. I was uber critical. I can't remember how many times I said "God, just take that kid home. Why keep shopping if the kid is screaming?" Or how many times I sneered at bottlefeeding women for failing to breastfeed. "Obviously they didn't try hard enough." I didn't get how

Dear Aunt Care Bear

2005-12-27T21:44:00.000-05:00

My favorite artist is Madonna. Mama wanted me to tell you. That way you'd love me EVEN MORE. :PLove, Xan. xoxop.s. Mama got Madonna's new CD for Christmas and I make her listen to it around the clock.

Dear Family and Friends,

2005-12-23T22:46:00.000-05:00

We will continue to upload Xan's photos to Flickr, but as for January 1st they will be locked down "friends and family only."You will need to sign up for a Flickr account. You may do that here. All you need is an email address. Then add me to your contact's list and I'll add you back.You just can never be too careful. :)

Finally, I get to the "tag." 'Cause I'm still IT.

2005-12-23T10:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is a PUBLIC journal so my confessions may not be as nitty gritty as one would hope. Next time tag my locked journal and see what happens! Confess: I don't eat breakfast and rarely eat lunch. Hard to believe someone this fat doesn't eat all day, eh? Well, there it is. Confess: When I walk downstairs I picture myself falling down them. If I hold Xan on a balcony, or near a

Chocolate Bubbles!

2005-12-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

Xan decided enough was enough and dammit, he was going to try chocolate. And tinfoil. He's already had paper. ;)An Aero bar! My grandparents brought me goodies from back home, yay!You know, my mama-dar (mama radar contraction, pay attention!) just went off. I went to see Xan. Blissfully asleep in his crib (thank the Gods the boy will finally nap in his crib. Am I the worst mother ever for

Today.

2005-12-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Xander has:~tried to eat a mango, through the skin. He ended up sucking near the end and actually getting juice out, crafty bugger.~tried to eat an acorn squash whole. O_o You'd THINK I starved him. Hmph.~Ate some pencils.~Dumped the pencil cup thrice.~Ate part of one of my cookie recipe cards.~Only slept for 30 of the usual 120 minutes making up his morning nap. -__- He had to poop, you

More Christmas Baking!

2005-12-19T01:24:00.000-05:00

Actually, they were pretty hard. Maybe I made them too thick? Hard to chew. Must eat with coffee/tea. I didn't listen to Martha and I let the candy get bubbly so I figure they cooked a tad too long. :/ Tsk. ALWAYS LISTEN TO MARTHA!

I'm it!

2005-12-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Flinger, I see that you tagged me and I WILL be posting it soon, but twice (not once, twice!) my freaking Miracle decided to turn off the computer AS I was hitting "post."So I'm a little frustrated. :P

Ho Ho Ho!

2005-12-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

MY GOODNESS Christmas is freaking expensive.Xan is of course getting more toys than any one child on the Earth should own. We already "weeded" and we'll do so again after we see exactly how awful the damage is. To give you an idea: I started shopping in April. Heh.Still have two people to buy for.I was SUPPOSED to get an American Express Gift Card today, but OF COURSE yesterday was the

This Isn't About the Boy.

2005-12-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

So this post is mostly about me.And my insane pack-rat urges, that are SO HARD to suppress. Gar. I've been kinda lucky: my homes, though all ghetto-apartments, have slowly been getting bigger than the one before. But I always manage to find JUNK to stuff it with! I'm feeling very minimilistic. I am ruthless. I sorta my one year old's toys and am FORCING my child to part with them. Okay, I

Little Napoleon

2005-12-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

We're calling Xan "Napoleon" sometimes because he'll get worked up, stand up and deliver the most tyrannical speeches a one-year-old ever has. Gesticulating wildly and barking orders and commands left and right, whilst howling like a screecher monkey.Video to come if I can catch him in the act. ;)

Xan the Mountain Goat

2005-12-09T13:02:00.000-05:00

That is, if file-boxes can be considered "mountains."He can't walk but he CLIMBS. x_x

Snowflakes

2005-12-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

Snowflake Baby Legs, snowflake Happy Heiny.

Christmas Cards?

2005-12-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

If you'd like a Christmas card, drop me a line and I'll get one out to you! :) With a photo of Xan in it, even! *gasp* I know, amazing! I'm short 19 cards already for people I need to send to, so I'll be buying two more boxes ANYWAY. Yay!

A Miracle No Matter How You Look At Him

2005-12-02T00:47:00.000-05:00

Innovation.

2005-11-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

He got tired of trying to get the applesauce up with his pancakes or Lil' Dipper.

Some Family From Back Home (Canada)

2005-11-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

Xan's Uncle Sean, Poppy and Uncle Jamie (my brother, my dad, and my youngest brother.)

Angel In the Waters

2005-11-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

I bought this book, Angel in the Waters**, for Xan for Christmas.It's GORGEOUS. And no, I'm not freaking pregnant, haha. I just love that book. I especially love that they say if a child learns to speak before she is two, she'll be able to tell you what it was like, being in the womb and being born!**You can click the link and read the entire book online. I just wanted a hardcopy for

Flickr

2005-11-26T10:52:00.000-05:00

*jumps on bandwagon*Go ahead and add me if you'd like. It's in the sidebar. The Yahoo! upload was taking EONS. (Remember way back when?) The photos are all public right now, and I haven't paid for an account yet so they're gonna stop me from uploading REAL soon. (Incidently, how does one resize photos BEFORE uploading them? It's eating all the free bandwidth!)I should be able to pay for an

Moo.

2005-11-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Americans! :P

2005-11-25T01:04:00.000-05:00

Xan looking freaked out with his mama.Xan reading with grandma.

Reading.

2005-11-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

Xan and his Uncle Daniel from Phoenix, Arizona.Xan was a bit scared of him initially, but now he's getting used to his Uncle. :)