Dragalicious

I didn't do a Musings post yesterday, just didn't feel like it. And today I have something more important to discuss, fair reader. My inner drag queen. Oh yeah, she's fierce, fabulous and LOVES sparkles. I realized that I have an IDQ the other day...I was looking at shoes online and I immediately gravitated to the photos of the sparkly, flashy, nearly-impossible-to-walk-in ones first. And it hit me: I am a drag queen at heart.

If I could, I would dress like Joan on Mad Men all the time, but with a draggy twist. Sparkly shoes, bigger hair, you know the drill. But I don't have the money or time to invest in said style, so I dress very plainly and wear Chuck Taylors most of the time. But inside....lawd, inside my heart bursts with joy at a nicely teased and sprayed bouffant, sparkly 5.5-inch platform heels, and a form-fitting retro dress with cap sleeves. Honestly, I have no idea what this says about me. I figure it's good to have an alter ego, even if it is super dragalicious.

Monday Musings, No. 2, Vol. 21

It's a post-vacation Monday and I'm swamped with work. But I need a short break, so I thought I'd post some Musings. We spent Thursday thru Sunday in Spokane, WA, visiting the husband's family. It was a good trip b/c we got to meet our baby niece for the first time...I had forgotten how tiny 2 month old babies are! And how snuggly, and sweet, and just plain wonderful. It almost made me want another one now...but then Ellie would start shouting for no reason, or fall down and bonk her noggin, or some such thing and snap me out of it. She's such a helpful baby. Musings are a go:

New trick alert!! Nose picking is now a 'skill' mastered by the little lady. Very ladylike, indeed, especially when she offers her boogery finger to you as a snack. Um, thanks, but no.
And yes, we are working on the concept of sharing. Which is definitely a work in progress and probably will be for a long time. Ellie's like her momma, and doesn't share well with others.
I am addicted to the Mad Men cocktail-mixing game on my iPhone.
The Vandals are 2-1 after a resounding win over UNLV in the Dome on Saturday night! I wish we could have gone...we were so close! Only 1.5 hours away!
Ellie now has a Halloween costume: she will be a giraffe. The husband found it at Old Navy and we had to get it. She's the cutest giraffe you've ever seen.
I need a vacation from my vacation. I'm so tired today.
The Niners are playing the Saints tonight. I want to be excited and think happy thoughts of a Niners' upset victory but I can't. I'm too much of a realist.
I think it's funny how people romanticize the idea of owning an old house. And then they get to see one for themselves and recoil at the work it takes to bring it up to snuff. Having grown up in an old house, yeah, I find it funny. It's also why I live in a brand-new house. I don't need that much work.
It's apple season! I love Fall food.
Speaking of Fall, I suppose now that we have a kid we have to do the whole pumpkin patch thing and carve a jack-o-lantern this year. Of course, she won't remember it at all, but we need the photo op. Parenting!
I rode in the backseat with Ellie on our way to and from Spokane (when I wasn't driving on the return trip...the husband got sick the night before we left so I had to help with driving duties). It is a good way to pass the time. Keeping her entertained also keeps me entertained.
Blazers preseason games start up in about two weeks. Where does the time go, seriously??
I keep finding stuff I "need" in the PB catalogs that come to my house every other day. This is a problem. But their blue smoke velvet curtains are just so divine, dammit. I NEED THEM.
I got the paper I need to make Ellie's b-day invites over the weekend too. We're going with a snowflake "theme" and an ivory/light blue color palette.
Pilates is working. I can feel my abs getting stronger all the time. Even my butt is firmer. Aren't you glad you know that about me?

Growth News and Flu Shot Blues

So, the little lady had her 9-month check up on Friday. She is doing so great! Almost in the 75th percentiles for both length AND weight (w00t!) and even her teeny noggin has grown - from the 5th to the 10th percentile. We were told no vaccines this time, except...the flu shot.

I was actually glad for Ellie to get the flu shot. She goes to daycare and we all know daycares and schools are like giant petri dishes of germy badness. So we assent to the shot and are told that she'll need a second one in a month to complete the series (this is SOP for all infants under 1 yr old). After a brief cry, Ellie is fine and we head back to daycare. She had a great rest of the day - no reaction to the shot or anything like that.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. Ellie wakes up and is a little snuffly and crabby, but she sometimes is in the morning, no big deal. Well, as the day goes on, she becomes crankier and crankier, and her face is a mess of green slimy snot and slobber. She's a hot flu-shot-reacting mess. That dead virus in the vaccine has triggered her army of white blood cells to go on the attack and now she's the walking wounded. Okay, crawling wounded. Whatever.

She hardly slept on Saturday night (whyyyyyy didn't we set up the humidifier before bed that night?? We are dumb, that's why) and was a fussy butthole all day on Sunday. We did set up the humidifier on Sunday night - which uses some sort of liquid Vicks VapoRub in it, so it's extra awesome - and she slept great. I also think she was just exhausted. By Monday morning, she was back in good spirits. Still snotty nosed, but not nearly as bad as the weekend.

However, on Monday morning guess who woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose? If you guessed ME, you are correct. I didn't even get a flu shot, and I'm dealing with the aftermath. I'm a casualty of germ warfare. *sigh*

Seven Hundred Twenty-Nine Day

729 = 9 cubed. Today is 729 Day for Ellie - she's 9 months old today, 9/9. Pretty cool if you ask me. Hard to believe that my little baby is not a little baby anymore...very much a bittersweet feeling. I thought I'd do my quarterly list of things I've learned from her, as I do learn more and more all the time.

1. Being chased up the stairs is the BEST.GAME.EVER. Or being chased around the kitchen. Or around the living room. Just being chased is the coolest. Being "dropped" is also fun, as is being dangled upside down for a few seconds.

2. Talking to inanimate objects is a great way to pass the time. I mean, someone's gotta engage the rattles and rings and stackers and stuffies in conversation, right? Bonus points for screaming or squealing at them before you stuff them into your mouth.

3. Crawling is the coolest...until you learn how to pull yourself to a standing position. And it's best to hold onto the sofa or table and then pound it with your hand until Mommy or Daddy looks at you, then give them your sweetest dimpled grin. Taking a few steps while holding onto these things is fun, but kinda scary too.

4. Dog is baby's best friend. Mostly because he's chaseable and just the right size. And his crate is a great climbing wall. But also because he likes to leave his chew bones laying around the house. They are even cooler than baby toys - especially because Mommy and Daddy don't approve of them as teethers.

5. Eating food is fun. If you don't get your food fast enough, just pound your hand on your highchair tray. Mommy or Daddy will get the hint and shovel another bite in your mouth, or set out more snacks to eat. Shouting between bites is effective too. Oh, and try everything...all food is delicious.

6. That funny looking black thing with a round piece that sticks out and flashes light at you is called a camera. It is important to make a funny face when Mommy or Daddy has it out and flashes the light at you. It makes them laugh and laugh.

7. Snuggling is optional at this point. Sometimes you just need alone time - well, alone with your lovies and your aquarium in your crib. Naps are good, because playing hard all day is downright exhausting. But it is good to snuggle with Mommy or Daddy sometimes, since they really like it.

8. If you learn something new and show Mommy or Daddy what you can do, they get REALLY excited and will clap and yell for you. Then you clap and yell and they get even more excited. Maybe they need a new hobby? Nah, it's cool to get all that attention. The more attention, the better. In fact, it's good to crawl wherever they are and yell the whole way until you reach the desired parent just to make sure they don't forget about you. They are old, after all.

9. Teething sucks. It really does. But if you get too fussy or upset, Mommy or Daddy will give you the magic purple stuff that tastes nice and sweet. It makes the pain go away pretty fast. Sometimes, they will give you some water that tastes a little funny because it has teething tablets dissolved into it. That stuff is good too, but the purple magic is the best.

10. Finally, don't get sad when Mommy looks at you and her eyes fill up with water. She's not really sad, she just can't believe how fast you are growing. Apparently, growing up into a big girl is very hard on the parents. It's so much fun, though, and every new day is full of excitement and new adventures!