packing and moving

No, not us, thankfully. We've had enough of that. On Saturday I spent the day over my friend Stephanie's helping her pack. Wow. How could I have forgotten how FUN packing was! Honestly, it was fun, at first, but towards the end it felt like a fight for survival. It was a good day but I've had my packing-fix taken care of for a while so don't call me asking for any help moving for at least a couple of months. Thanks.

I'm exhausted.

I had forgotten what full day of real labor felt like. Ouch.

tea time and hallucinations

I slept walked as a kid. Not every night, but often enough to be dubbed a "sleep walker".

My most extreme case of sleep walking - the story that takes the cake - is this: I was roughly somewhere between 10 and 12 years old. Apparently I got out of bed and made my way downstairs (not unusual).... but then (unusual) I left the house. Unlocked the front door and headed down the street.

I went a couple doors down to my grandparent's home and rang their doorbell. It was sometime around 1 or 2 a.m., so it's a wonder they got up and answered it, and didn't think it was some psychopath (though I'm sure they had their suspicions). As soon as they saw it was me, they were thrown for a loop. Apparently I asked them if they wanted to have some tea.

They're English. We frequently had afternoon tea together.

But never at 1 am.

Nanny and Pop called my parents and from there one of the came over to escort me home, still asleep. The only thing I recollected vaguely the next morning was the texture of the sidewalk beneath my bare feet walking home; I had 'come-to' barely enough at that point to have that bizarre and dream-like memory implanted in my head the next morning.

I tried to figure out if it was a dream or if it actually happened.
I asked my parents, and they told me the whole story.

...

To this day I still have interesting episodes during the night, but rarely ever sleep walk. I tend more than anything to have hallucinations; moments of being caught between a state of dreaming and a state of consciousness. I'll find myself sitting up in bed terrified of imagined objects in the room, or standing up trying to avoid an impending presence, holding on to things, trying to swat or avoid things that aren't in front of me, or just being in pure panic about something going on that I can't even understand or make out - and that always isn't real.

Luckily it doesn't happen very often, but it is very real and very scary when it does.

Quite honestly I rather be a 'happy sleep-walker' visiting neighbors for tea, opposed to a terrified, pseudo-awake dreamer trying to find reality.

a little history

We didn't used to always live so far away from my parents. We moved out to Tucson in the summer of 2004 - two years ago - for Steven's job. He looked and looked and looked, and Tucson was it. It was the only thing he could find. So we packed our things. I applied and was accepted to grad school.

Before we moved here we had purchased an old, small, colonial house that was a foreclosure in my hometown. Across the street from my grandparents and my parents. Yes, you read right. My grandparents and my parents.

It had its pros and cons. Even when we lived twenty-or-so miles in another town, we frequently spent a couple to a few sundays a month together. My parents have a ritual: Sunday church, come home, drink wine, cook a nice dinner. Every Sunday.

Of course when we moved in across the street we ended up spending a little more time together - here and there. An occasional evening during the week, a few more afternoons on the weekend during the span of the month.

A little fact about my parents: they drink every day. And everytime we hung out there were always drinks all around. I never drank so much in my life living across the street from my parents. And then it carried over even when they were not around. I hate to say it, but they had an influence on me, and not the best. It's not like I didn't have a choice, but it was much easier to not decline and just go with it. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a drink?

But everyday? Everytime they've come to visit and stay with us in the past two years I've been surprised now that I have "distance" to really see. They put down a 1 1/2 liter bottle of wine between the two of them a day- in addition to anything they order if we go out. I remember when L was born I went into the closet of the bedroom where they were staying to get a blanket and saw a 2 liter bottle of vodka by their clothes. So it may even be more...

I know my dad is probably worse than my mom. But they're not out of control, at least so far as I have seen for the most part over the years, so is there anything wrong? Can you drink everyday and not be an alcoholic?

turning one & more fun

1-year-old. I can't believe a year has gone by already. And before I know it I know another year will go by, and another, and another.

L's party was great. It was a luau here at our house that also secretly doubled as our first house-warming party, too, since we'd never had any decent amount of people over to the house since we moved in.

Lei's, pinapples, piña coladas, pool floats, tiki torches, margaritas, grass skirts, burgers and dogs, sunblock and slushees. We even had a palm-tree-piñata that we forgot about. But a few of my friends with older kids (3 and up) ended up not being able to make it, and they were our prime piñata-destructing candidates.

Now we have a stuffed palm tree piñata in our living room that we don't really know what to do with. Any ideas?

After the exciting chaos of the party on Sunday we still had a good four days with my parents here with us.

One thing we did was drive up to Mount Lemmon. I love it there. Lush forest, magnificent rock formations and a break from the heat of the city makes it a great retreat.

We headed out the door around 11 am. But not before my parents had a quick glass of wine. "It's noon somewhere" is their motto. We packed some snacks that were leftovers from the party.

I got sick on the way up, but I really think it was my 'last hurrah'. I'll be 12 weeks along as of Friday and am really starting to feel much better!!

The rest of their stay we just did fun little outtings around town and spent quality time together hanging out at home by the pool. They really enjoyed laying out in the backyard reading, sunning, drinking, swimming, and watching L swim, seeing as how much she loves the water. I think it was a really relaxing break away for them. I hope it was.

Considering they had to fly back to life with a tempermental seventeen year old. And work. And all that other fun stuff that makes up everyday life.

the word is out

I drove my parents to the airport yesterday and we said our teary farewells. We had a pretty nice week together for the most part. They got to spend time with L which was most important of all.

We had a little change of plan for announcing the baby #2 news: we decided instead of picking them up at the airport with L wearing the "Big Sister" shirt - when things would be emotionally charged enough having not seen each other for awhile - that we'd wait until we got home and have them dress her for bed... in the very telling tee.

Of course I didn't take into consideration these were my parents we were talking about.

First they put on the pants. Then came the shirt. Dad unfolded it and read it outloud: "Big Sister"... and so you think that would be it: the big tell-all; the wallop of a surprise. Nope. Mom didn't blink an eye. They put the shirt on her. And that was that!!


After letting them romp with L on the sofa we finally coaxed the inquisition out of them.

Turns out mom thought it was a second-hand store item (sorry mom, I don't buy clothes that make blatantly misleading statements like that). And dad thought it pertained to her furry pet sisters (however had he taken a moment to properly reason it would have occurred to him that L is their little sister).

They were happy once they got it. Well, mom was an emotional-happy, and dad quite honestly looked a bit bewildered. But it was late, they had jet lag from the time change, and they had just split a bottle of wine between the two of them. After it soaked in by the next morning I think they were both digging it.

More later.

incoming parents

My parents will be arriving this evening at 6:06 p.m. We finally reached a decision about how to break the news to them that they are going to be grandparents- again. We will arrive at the airport to pick them up with L wearing this:

I think they'll get the point. Huh?

You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a t-shirt that said something about being a big sister on it. Let alone one that actually fit L. The one I finally found (the only one in Tucson, mind you) was a size 3T. I didn't care. At least it said Big Sister.

After calling over a dozen retailers and searching several stores I was seriously at the point where I was ready to grab one of her onesies and take a sharpie to it. Luckily Babies'R'Us saw us through in the end :o)

pink void

Farewell Syd Barrett

a 1-year-old and pregnancy

L is napping. I am lying on the couch with a wicked headache. I grabbed the laptop and decided to get my mind off of it... as much as possible.

L will be 1-year-old in 10 days. She crawls faster than lightning. She coasts like no body's business. She is even standing now, solo, without holding onto anything for a few seconds at a time. I want to encourage her to do even more. She is so smart and so capable.

She has 12 teeth. Yes. 12. Four on the front top, four on the front bottom, two molars on the top and two molars on the bottom. The girl's ready for prime rib for crying out loud.

Her vocabulary consists of "da-da", "ba-ba" (her former attempt at "ma-ma"; my former name), "ma-ma" (at last! she finally just said it about a month ago), "dod" (dog), "uh-oh" (yep - you know what that means!), "bob" (I have no clue...), "ah-duh(n)" (all done), and "hi" - lots and lots of hi's - to everyone and everything!

I just got through looking at Gymboree Play & Music classes for her age-group. I thought it might be a fun developmental activity to do weekly with her. Just a thought.

We'll be throwing a birthday party for her on the 16th. It will be "L's Birthday Luau"... complete with tiki torches and lei's! My parents will be in-town visiting at the time and will be partaking in the fun. Barbecued eats, fun in the sun and pool, and good times with good friends.

As for the pregnancy yet far...

It's going well. So far so good! I have actually been feeling a little better so far as morning sickness goes this past week (knock on wood). Dry toast first thing in the morning seems to keep things under control for the most part.

The only weird thing going on right now is insanely tight/achey muscles. My back is in a knot and my legs and joints ache almost constantly. It would be really easy to take advil all day long, but I'm trying to stay away from that sort of thing unless I really need it. I exercise 3 days a week and stretch daily, I'm drinking plenty of fluids and electrolytes, and taking hot baths, so I really can't determine what's causing it. The only thing I can guess is that it's hormonal.

Heck, it's all hormonal right now.

My first prenatal visit is in 5 days. I am just over 2 months pregnant now. I have to figure out a special way to tell my parents about baby #2. They'll be here in 9 days.

Any ideas?? Anyone?

The first time we told them when they came to visit for Thanksgiving 2004. How? We wrapped tiny 2x3 frames that had a print-out picture in it that said "PICTURE DUE JULY, 9 2005". We had them open the frames simultaneously and their responses were priceless as they figured out just exactly what it meant!