Whew! We Made It

We made it down to Austin and back for the baby shower. By "we," I mean K and I. Yep, we flew solo.

My friend's older daughter woke up with a slight fever, and she hadn't eatern her dinner the night before. She seemed like she was feeling OK, but that's such a tough call to make. She understandibly decided not to make the trip.

That left me to go it alone with a 20-month-old.

I stopped by my friend's house first and got the baby gift to take to the shower. She also loaned me her car DVD player. (Note to self: Must buy one of those!)

We hit the road. It took us a little over four hours to get there, including a stop for lunch and gas. We arrived at the shower about a half-hour late.

We had a great time. My college roommate looks awesome, even at 7 months pregnant. Her whole family was there, and they are all terrific. It was so great to catch up with all of them. K was the hit of the day. She just ran from person to person, high-fiving them and pointing out "Baby, baby" on all of the new baby gifts. It was a two-story house, so she had way too fine of time trying to sneak up to the second floor without me catching her.

It was after 6 pm before people started to leave. By the time we got on the road, it was 6:15. K watched a Little Einsteins movie, and we stopped at McD's in Waco to play on the playground and get a quick dinner. She slept in the car the rest of the way home.

We got in at 10:15 pm. That makes for a 13 hour day, but it was well worth it. I'm so glad I was able to go. My former roommate lives in Maryland, so I know I won't get to see her before the baby is born. I hope everything goes well for her. She'll be a great mommy!

Road Trip!

My college roommate lives in Maryland. She is originally from Austin. She is expecting her first baby in April. Her sister is hosting a baby shower for her this Saturday in Austin. I really want to go, but hubby has to work that day, so that would mean taking K with me.

I was talking with another friend who was invited, and her husband is gone too, and they have two little girls. She said, "Let's just go and bring all three girls! I can fit three carseats in the back of my car!"

I definitely wouldn't want to make the 3 1/2 hour drive by myself, but with a friend, it will be really fun! I hope the girls either entertain each other or sleep. I'm not holding out for either.

Maybe we'll wear astronaut diapers so we don't have to stop. (I've been dying to use that line somewere!)

I just hope the girls are good during the shower. We realize we won't get to visit much, but it's the only chance we have to see our friend before she has the baby.

Seven hours in a car with three children whose cumulative age is under 8: priceless! (or insane!)

Gone to the Dogs

My mom came to visit this weekend. She said Spring Break was too far away for her to wait and see K.

She got here around 8 pm on Friday, so we didn't do much. Saturday morning, we got up and went to IKEA, Pei Wei for lunch, and her favorite quilt store. It was a lot of fun (especially IKEA - I love that store!) and K was very good.

We got home and put K down for her nap. Mom and I just puttered around the house, read the paper, and made a dessert. When Gary got home from a judging gig (he's been home about 20 minutes this whole week) he and I got ready to go out. We went for an early Valentine's dinner, since he'll be gone next week.

Sunday morning started off pretty slow. Mom had a head cold, and felt lousy. The three dogs (our two and her one) were in the backyard. Suddenly, we heard horrible growling ans snarling. I ran outside, and my female had Mom's dog flipped over on her back, and was attacking her! My dog, Montana, is definitely an alpha dog, and she just doesn't want anyone to forget it. When Mom first got Jenny three years ago, Montana did that a few times, but they've been fine since then.

I grabbed Montana's hind legs and "wheelbarrowed" her off of Jenny. Mom checked Jenny out and she was shaky, but no skin was broken. Poor K was still inside and saw and heard everything. She was standing inthe doorway, crying. We brough Jenny in, and left my two outside. Sampson, our male, hadn't gotten too involved, although he did try to step in once I got Montana off of Jenny.

Everyone is fine, but it is the worst sound in the world to hear dogs fighting. Somewhere in the process of pulling them apart, I skinned the top of my foot against the brick steps. It is really sore today, but I guess that's better than a bite, so I'm pretty lucky.

Mom went home soon after that, and K and I hung out in our jammies for the rest of the day. It had been a fun weekend up until that point. Dumb dog -- I wish I knew what was going on in that little head of hers.

Go Baby!

I believe Go Baby! on the Disney Channel is both a blessing and a curse. It's a little 5-minute clip on between shows, and K is absolutely in love with it. No, she's obsessed with it. We tape it every day, since it comes on at 6:25 am. When we get home, she immediately runs into the house, grabs the clicker, forces it into my hands, makes herself comfortable on the couch, and authoritatively says "Baby!"

If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here: http://disney.go.com/disneychannel/playhouse/gobaby/showandtell.html

It's a little semi-animated baby, and it's really cute. The thing is, there are only 8 episodes. We have seen every single one of them at least 20 times.

I am ready to pay the production company to put a rush on the next batch of them. We've got to have more!

At least I know I can put it on and have 5 minutes of peace to check the mail, use the potty (yes, I said potty) or whatever. That's too short, though. I need to figure out how to play them all in a loop, so I can have a good uninterrupted block of time.

When the 5-minute show is over, K yells "Uh oh!" from the other room, and I know I'd better jump and put on one from another day. If not, it's a "Baby, baby!" screaming fit.

I've got them all memorized. Please, write Disney and urge them to come out with some new ones before my brain turns more into mush than it already has!

Sunflower Girl

It was so nice out today, we had to take a few pictures. Notice the ever-present babydoll. She is obsessed with babies, and won't put it down. She says "Baby" all the time. Is she trying to tell us something?

Welcome Eleanor!

My (only) cousin and his wife welcomed their first baby, Eleanor, into the world on January 30. She is beautiful and perfect. They live in New York, so it may be a while before I'll get to see her. I hope they send lots of pictures, though.