HUH???!!!

You might be wondering if I've been abducted by aliens...or, perhaps you think I have joined nudist colony, or a cult, or...I dunno.

That little face up there? It says it ALL!

The truth of the matter is, I have been finding things a bit overwhelming of late. It happens to all of us, I imagine...and it's nothing I can't handle with a smile on my face, but still. Things are a bit crazy, and my blog is one of the casualties for now. *patting my blog on the head* *wondering if it is possible for a blog to have a head*

Jude is now mobile, and I spend my days chasing him around as he torments the cats, smacks the dog and gets himself into various sticky situations. He is not above trying to get under the couch, or into the cat's sleeping baskets. If he catches sight of the dog's rawhide, a dog toy or any kind of slipper/shoe/sock, he's SO THERE. 

What you can't see here is that he is pulling Rory's fur. Look how calm Rory is about it.

I just can't quite get over what a big boy he is getting to be. We have graduated to size 3 diapers and 12 month outfits due to his length. All of his pants are too big around the waist, however, because this kid? He HATES to eat. 

Call me crazy, but I was under the impression that babies live to eat. I was wrong. The fight begins the moment he even sees the bottle or bowl of food and doesn't end until one of us gives up. I end up spending my whole day hovering a bottle over his mouth (and trying to restrain him as he whacks at it and screams), in an effort to at LEAST make 20 ounces. I know it's all about the teeth that are taking their sweet time ramming through his tender little gums, but come on. There have been a few times that we have both ended up in tears. Mine fearful, his frustrated.

Thankfully he is getting better at this:

 I had to break him of this habit, obviously...so I bought him a snuggly.

I'm hoping that in a few weeks,  I will be able to update here a bit more often...and have more time to visit and comment on the blogs I love to read. But, in the meantime, I hope you are all well. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go prick my finger and feed the tulips.

FeeeeeeEEEEED ME, SEE-MOAH!

5 Pet Peeves...

because I am feeling peevish tonight, and it just can't be helped.

1) Kate Gosselin. Just her name ticks me off.

2) Improper use of quotation marks.

This particular irritation began a few years ago when I went to pick my cat Rory up from the vet. On his carrier was a little "Hello, My Name Is" sticker, and the sticker read:

"Rory".

Why the quotation marks? Rory is not just what we're calling him these days. It's his name. I mean...I know that in the cat world his name is likely something different, like Zoomba, slayer of small creatures...or YYYYYYEEEEEEEoooooOOOOOOOOOOOwwwwwWWWWWWW, eater of moths. But, he is Rory to me.

After I had Jude, this sickness seemed to have infected several friends and family members as well. I cannot tell you how many cards were inscribed as such:

To Baby "Jude".

I can just picture the air quotes. What? His name isn't really Jude? What is it, then...because I should surely be calling him by his proper name.

But the crowning glory?

The use of quotation marks to emphasize a word. For example:

What a "beautiful" day!!!

*stomp-stomp-fume*

(At this juncture, I would like to mention that I am aware that my grammar is not always perfect. I am much too fond of asterisks, parentheses and ellipses. I pepper my written conversations with emoticons and am never completely sure what to do with a comma, BUT...it's my blog. *grin*) <----a perfect example of my imperfect writing style.

3) The fact that gravity works on everything but my underwear. WHY must it always ride up, even as my boobs succumb to gravity's relentless pull?

4) The fact that my can of formula tells me that breastmilk is best for my baby:

I know. I failed at breastfeeding and I feel terrible about it as it is. Why rub it in?

My mother and I were at BabiesRUs a month or so ago, and she picked up an Evenflo bottle-gripper thingy because she wondered what it was. Right underneath the Evenflo logo, it said "Breastmilk is the best nutrition for your baby". You could have knocked me over with a feather.

I am tired of seeing these little reminders everywhere. There is more than enough guilt placed on moms as it is. Why add to it? And, what if I was using my bottle-gripper thingy on a bottle full of breastmilk?

5) Do you ever watch What Not To Wear?

I canNOT stand it when the wardrobe malfunctions turned fashion plates model-walk. I squirm. I comment on it every time. WHY is she twirling around a lamp post? WHAT is she doing to that hydrant? Something about those fake smiles and stiff-legged saunters make me twitch and flail.

Case in point: (the insanity REALLY begins at 3:47!)



(Stacy and Clinton would totally toss my entire wardrobe because I still wear my maternity jeans because they are comfy it is outdated and ugly.)