Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Pics of Liam being held by various people :)

This blog started out as a chronicle of my various home improvement and decorating projects. Since September, though, it has evolved (devolved?) into a showcase for photos of Liam. Cut me some slack, people, I'm a first time mama and this site is followed with fanatic adoration by various family members. They EXPECT photos of this baby, and if I want to maintain my standing in the family I must comply with their demands! So here it goes:

It was Chris's parents' turn for Christmas this year, so we headed off to Florida. Liam got to meet several family members for the first time. Here he is with his great-grandmother:

Liam and Great-Grandmother Blanche


Here he is with his great-uncle:

Liam and Great-Uncle Gene


Liam and his aunt and uncle:

Liam, Aunt Mona, and Uncle Pat


Liam and his cousin:

Liam and Jami


Liam and his mum (that'd be me-- ok, so we've definitely met before. It was such a cute picture of him, though, that I couldn't resist):

Liam and Mum

(Yes, Mom, I see the bra strap and I'M SORRY. But most of my clothes are too big now and there wasn't a lot I could do to prevent my foundation garment from presenting itself to the world ;) )

Here's one of the little man surrounded by some of his Christmas bounty:

Liam and his phat lewt

("I do not understand this strange ritual. What's in these boxes? Why is this happening??") Oh, just wait, my son. Soon it will all be very clear :)

I hope that you had a very merry Christmas! Tell me how you celebrated.
Kimberley

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Some Christmas photos

Liam and the crazed Christmas tree

So, while Liam is no particular fan of Santa Claus (yet), he very much likes the Christmas tree. He is quite happy to spend long minutes staring at the lights and colourful ornaments. Here, he and Inspector Gateau (more on him later) graciously pose for Chris.



Liam and Inspector Gateau

In this photo, you can see not only the Christmas tree, Inspector Gateau, and Liam, but also Liam's rockin' new monkey shoes (trust me, they are MUCH cooler when seen from above).



Kimberley and Liam in front of the tree

Me and Liam in front of the tree-- I swear, my little man seems to grow by the minute some days!

A word about Inspector Gateau: this esteemed French monkey recently joined our household to act as our Head of Security. He oversees all of Liam's activities, ensuring maximum safety. I recently sat down with Inspector Gateau and conducted an interview so that all of you could learn a little bit more about Liam's bodyguard, and I hope to post it soon.

Kimberley

Monday, December 15, 2008

Liam meets Santa Claus...

LiamSanta1

and couldn't care less ;) (Notice the one eyebrow lifted in complete boredom-- just like his mummy). His daycare had Santa in so that the kids could have their picture taken, and in all of the photos our little man looks supremely uninterested.


LiamSanta2

"Will someone get me away from this strange, old dude?"


LiamSanta3

"Please, jolly old elf, don't make me hit you."


LiamSanta4

"Fine! I may have to sit here, but I don't have to like it! I'm going back to sleep."


Perhaps Liam will be more receptive to the whole Santa thing next year ;)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Blessings


Today, while I was holding my three month-old son, I fell down half a flight of stairs. Though I am normally not given to going on and on about my spiritual beliefs, I believe that God was looking out for us.
I fell head over heels, hitting my head several times as well as my hips, legs, and shoulders, and slammed into the wall on the landing. Liam doesn't have a scratch on him. I was holding him as I always do, close to my chest with both arms wrapped around him. I guess that when I fell, I instinctively wrapped myself around him, and I thank God for that instinct. I don't know what I would have done if Liam had been hurt.
I immediately went to the infirmary and our excellent nurses checked both of us out. One called our pediatrician and told them what had happened and that we were on our way over. Liam checked out absolutely fine.
So tonight I'm thanking God for "all the blessings of this life", as the liturgy states, as well as more specifically for protecting my child. For that, I am truly thankful.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Just about perfect


Chris and I have made it a goal to go on a walk every day with Liam. It's a win-win situation: fresh air for the baby, and exercise and time to talk for us. It's been especially enjoyable of late, what with it being autumn.


Thursday evening was quite chilly, so we bundled Liam up in this handy wearable blanket thingie and set off into a nearby neighborhood where we like to walk. It has lots of trees, gorgeous old houses and, important for safe walking, sidewalks. The above photos (not taken by me) are of this neighborhood. Now, imagine that it's a bit darker with a lovely sunset about to begin. Add in a chill to the air, Halloween and harvest decorations, and the scent of woodsmoke. Like I said, it was just about perfect :)



Sunday, October 19, 2008

An October Tradition

pumpkins08


So as many of you know, October is my favourite month and Halloween my favourite holiday. Usually the decorations go up and the party plans are finalized during the last weekend in September, with the whole of October being peppered with various seasonal activities. Well, with the arrival of Liam in September, Chris and I knew that we wouldn't be hosting our annual party or decorating with our usual intensity. One tradition we were so happy NOT to miss, then, was our trip to Burt's Farm to buy pumpkins, which we did this past Saturday.

ckpumpkins2

Though we came away with some lovely pumpkins, our best catch of the day was this photo of Liam:

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It was absolutely freezing up there (honestly, I don't remember it being that cold last year) and I was grateful for my habit of stashing supplies everywhere as Liam would have frozen otherwise. Well, ok, he wouldn't have, because I would have just kept him in the car with the heater on, but because I'm paranoid and keep one blanket in the diaper bag, one in the carseat, and one in the stroller, he was able enjoy the pumpkin spectacle in toasty warmth. Chris got this cute picture of him before he fell asleep in the stroller.

Chris also got this photo when I unwrapped Liam for two minutes:

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Now personally I think that the poor little dude looks like a hungover hobo (is that five o' clock shadow??), but he'd just woken up and was confused and sleepy so I guess that's ok.

This photo is one of my favourites, and was taken just after we arrived and Liam was struggling to wake up. See the little snuggle bunny in action:

20081018_101


Don't you love it when traditions just keep getting better? :)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Pumping: A Story of Love & Hate

elite-electric-breast-pump
There it is, the dread machine that has come to dominate my days and nights: an Ameda, hospital-grade, double-electric breast pump. We have a love/hate relationship, the Ameda and I; love because it allows me to provide Liam with breast milk and hate because the pumping process is slow and often uncomfortable bordering on painful.
My decision to breastfeed goes back many years, to a time when I didn't even plan to have kids. I always thought that if I did, though, that I would breastfeed because, for a baby, breast milk is Nature's Most Perfect Food. All of the reading that I did over the past nine months (and I did a lot of it, I assure you) only shored up that conviction. The best scientific evidence shows that babies who are fed breast milk have stronger immune systems, score higher on a variety of tests, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. I knew that breast feeding didn't always go smoothly, and that a rough start was normal for a lot of new moms and babies. I was prepared for a rough start. I was prepared for challenges. I was even prepared to call up those crazy militant La Leche League people (and I say that with all great affection and respect) for help. What I wasn't prepared for was the bruising... or the blood blisters. I wasn't prepared for having a piece of my nipple COME OFF. Yes, a piece came off. Take a moment to consider the horror.
Ugh.
So, there I was in the hospital, biting down on a rolled-up washcloth, tears streaming down my face, trying to nurse my piranha baby while Chris practically begged me to stop. Oh, and having lactation consultants tell me that I just needed to "stick with it". Finally I decided that those folks were just plain nuts and that I would go the pumping route. While it isn't completely pain-free, it's not yet taken off a piece of my breast so it gets two thumbs up from me ;)
I find the whole thing frustrating, though, to tell you the truth. I had a breast reduction a few years ago and, though some of the milk ducts reconnected themselves (yes, they did that-- cool, huh?), my output is quite minimal: a good yield for me is 4 ounces from both breasts. And that's from a 45 minute pumping session. I find it very frustrating that I can soak the sheets and my shirts, but when I'm actually pumping I get a lousy 4 ounces. Oh, and I have to pump in the middle of the night after feeding and changing Liam, because holding him and hearing him cry makes the milk let down. So that just adds to the whole sleep deprivation thing.
I'm going to stick with it for the rest of maternity leave and I'm going to give it a good shot once I go back to work (I'll have to haul the pump back and forth every day) but I'm not sure how that's going to play out. Of course I'm also not sure how I'm going to manage to work on as little sleep as I'm getting now at night. Right now it doesn't matter because I can sleep during the day if I need to, but of course once I go back to work I'll actually need to work-- employers are funny that way ;)
Ah, well, these issues are ones faced by thousands of women every day. They've found ways to make it work, and I'm sure that I will, too. I just want to do the very best for Liam that I can, and figuring out what that means and how to make it happen is challenging. I'm lucky to have the support of a lot of people and I know that will certainly prove helpful to the whole process.
To those who have breast fed and to those who are currently breast feeding: I salute you.
Especially if you ever lost a piece of your nipple in the process.
Kimberley

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Our Sweet Baby Boy

Liam, 2 days old


Liam Edward Charles arrived 9 September, after 18 hours of labor (two of which were spent pushing-- I've never worked so hard for anything in my life). He weighed 8 lbs and measured 21 inches in length, and was absolutely perfect. Still is :)

Liam's due date was the 8th, and when I went for my checkup the week before I was told that if he didn't arrive by then that they wanted to induce me... on 11 September. I was adamantly opposed to it for a variety of reasons, but when I spoke with my regular doctor on the 8th she addressed all of my concerns and convinced me that it was the right thing to do. Of course, after all of that agonizing over what to do, my water broke at 3:30 am on the 9th. I'd been awake since 3:00 with contractions, but thought that they were just Braxton-Hicks, which I'd been having on and off for several months. Once my water broke, though, the contractions quickly became intense. I woke Chris around 4:00 and we got ready to go to the hospital. By the time we left, my contractions were lasting around 3 minutes and were 1 and 1/2 minutes apart. Yes. I thought that Liam might be born in the car, taking after his Grandpa Charles.

Once we arrived at the hospital, nothing went as I'd imagined. Actually, nothing had gone as I'd hoped/imagined from the minute I woke up at 3 am. What was SUPPOSED to happen was this: I'd go into labor. Chris and I would call my parents so they could begin driving from South Carolina, and then we'd hang out at home during the first part of labor. When my contractions were 5 minutes apart we'd calmly drive to the hospital where I would walk on my own power to the Labor and Delivery ward. The pain would be increasing but I'd breathe through it and, because it was building gradually, I'd have had time to get used to it. It would hurt, but I Would Be Strong and Confident in the knowledge that my body was designed to do this. And, I figured if that failed, I would politely request an epidural ;)

So, here's what actually happened: Chris had to practically force me into the car, as I dropped to my hands and knees on our front porch when a contraction hit. The pain was so intense I couldn't think beyond it, though I do remember that at that moment and at others throughout the evening (before I got the epidural), that I was calling loudly upon our Savior, as in "JESUS, JESUS, JEE-SUUUS!" When we got in the car, Chris drove like a man with demons after him (or a man afraid his wife would give birth in the car) and, when we finally got to the hospital, announced that he was making an executive decision and that we'd be going in the Emergency entrance. I was in no condition to protest-- nor did I want to, at that point-- so I made an inglorious entrance into the L&D ward in a wheelchair.

I tried to keep it together, I really did. I answered questions somewhat politely (though we'd pre-registered online, and I'm wondering what the point of that exercise was, if there were still more questions to be answered) and sat there trying to hold it together. That lasted until the next contraction hit. At that point I was out of the wheelchair and on the floor on my hands and knees, trying to breathe through the pain. At that point one of the nurses said, "Why don't we get you into a room now?", and I, wild-eyed and frothing at the mouth, snarled, "I'm. Not Moving. GRRRRAAAAAAARRRR!!!!!".

I stayed that way for about 10 minutes, with nurses trying to coax me off the floor and into the wheelchair, and me alternately ignoring and bellowing at them. Finally I persuaded myself to move, got into the room and got on my hands and knees in the bed. I heard one of the nurses say, "I've never seen anything like this" (Note: I find this difficult to believe). At one horrible point, a nurse tried to do a pelvic exam and I screamed bloody murder. Pelvic exams are never easy for me and on top of the other pain it was just all too much. In between contractions, I kept apologizing for my behavior, and these Jekyl and Hyde moments continued until I got the epidural.

Ahhh, the epidural. The on-call physician came by, pronounced me dilated to 5 cm, and said that I could have the epidural. Eventually the anaesthesiologist appeared and began explaining, step by step, what she was going to do. Normally this is EXACTLY the sort of professionalism that I want from my doctors, but in that instance all I could think was, "Shut up, shut UP! JUST GET IT IN THERE!!" I'm very happy about the fact that I didn't say any of that out loud.

Blessedly, the epidural quickly took hold and I was able to return to sanity and to my normal wisecracking, friendly persona (I think that's a fair description), leaving behind the pain-induced raving monster I'd become. I was incredibly tired and kept drifting off, talking to Chris in between sleeping.

My parents got to the hospital and I was so glad to see them. It meant a lot to me that they were there (and I was really glad that they hadn't seen me acting like a wild animal-- how embarrassing), and that we got to spend that time together.

Labor dragged on (not that I cared, since I wasn't in pain), and the on-call doctor was replaced... by the one member of the practice that I'd never seen whilst rotating through. Of course. As it turned out, I was really grateful that he was the one to deliver Liam because he had no problem with the slow pace of things (plus, we have a similar sense of humor, which is always nice). I had really been worried that I'd be pressured into a C-section due to a slow labor, but he was totally fine with letting things happen on their own schedule. Eventually, though, I did agree to Pitocin, as I'd been stuck at 8cm for a long time. This helped to speed things up... then I got stuck at 9cm, at which point the nurses moved the bed into the "throne" position in the hopes that gravity would help. Which it did.

Time out: I can't say enough glowing things about the nurses. They were absolutely amazing, very professional and possessed true caring spirits. They kept me clean and comfortable with no hint of distaste, and were genuinely interested in mine and Liam's health and well-being. I am incredibly grateful to them.

Finally it was time to push and my parents went to wait elsewhere, leaving the doctor, one nurse, Chris, and myself to get on with it. Poor Chris. He never wanted to be in the delivery room in the first place, but I'd assured him that there would be a drape and that he wouldn't see a thing. Errr.... Well, all I can say is that, in my own defense, I sincerely believed that to be true. But it wasn't. True, that is. Let's just say that the nurse had one leg, Chris had the other and that both had front row seats for the whole show. Yes, Chris saw all of the bleeding, the crowning, and then Liam actually being born. Oh, and he was absolutely amazing. During the contractions, he kept up a stream of encouragement while I pushed for all that I was worth, and in between he fed me ice chips and put the oxygen mask on me. Truly, I couldn't have asked for a better labor partner.

As I said, I've never worked harder for anything in my life. Afterwards the doctor told me that he hadn't thought that I'd be able to do it physically, given that Liam was a bigger baby and that my innards are kind of small. But, he said, he'd seen that I was determined to do it and he wanted to give me every chance. He did, and I am so grateful that I didn't have a C- section. Of course, what I'm most grateful for is that Liam is here and healthy.

There are truly no words to describe what I felt the moment that they put him, cord still connecting us, on my chest. All I know is that before that moment I'd never felt or imagined anything like it, and from that moment I knew I'd never NOT feel that way, this overwhelming love that feels too big for my body.

Even when I'm changing some truly disgusting diapers and getting peed on :)

Sunday, September 7, 2008

I'm going to be pregnant forever.

Ok. So I'm not REALLY going to be pregnant forever (I hope). It just feels that way. I know, I know, Liam's actual due date is tomorrow, the 8th, but still... I've been a pretty good sport about this whole thing (gestational diabetes, crazy heart arrhythmia, horrible leg and joint pain, gross elephant ankles and feet), but am ready to be a single being once more. I feel slightly guilty about feeling this way, but it's the truth. Plus, dangit, Chris and I really want to meet this kid!

I'll get around to some more whining in a minute (that's why you read this blog after all: the high quality whining and snark), but first of all, here's a list of what I've been/continue to be grateful for during this pregnancy:

1) The fact that Liam is, according to every measure they've given him, incredibly healthy-- he was described as "spectacular" by the doctor I saw on Tuesday *preen*

2) The support of family and friends. Our family has been there to listen, encourage, buy strollers and cribs, and give advice, for which I'm truly grateful. Our friends have been extremely supportive (two of them even cleaned our house while we were out of town for a funeral a couple of weeks ago-- do friends get better than that??), not to mention incredibly generous in seeing that Liam is "geared up".

But back to the whining... ;)

1) The relaxin has loosened all of my joints up (a good thing for labor), but that means that they're not giving a whole lot of support at a time when it would be INCREDIBLY HELPFUL for them to do so. The pelvic joint isn't doing much to support the uterus, and my hips aren't helping much, either.

2) At night, I'm waking up just about every hour to go to the bathroom. This is not conducive to a good night's sleep (or a good day's work the next day), nor is it helping with my overall crankiness.

3) Though Liam has dropped, and consequently slowed down a bit, his rolling, kicking, etc, still make me uncomfortable.

4) My sciatic nerve seems to be kicked a few times every hour which makes my legs spaz out and almost drop me to the floor.

5) I've been having Braxton-Hix for months now, but when I was checked I was 50% effaced with absolutely no dilation. What the heck? I was hoping that all of those practice pangs were doing something to move this along.

6) My doctor wants to induce if he isn't here by tomorrow... and she wants to do it on 9/11. My issues with induction aside (the fact that I would most likely have to have an epidural, and that MANY inductions end up in a C-section), I refuse to make the deliberate choice to have my baby's birthday on that horrible day. Can you imagine his having to attend memorial services at school every year on his birthday?? If I went into labor naturally and that happened to be the day, then I would consider it the will of the universe and just go with it. But to deliberately CHOOSE it?? No way. And my doctor's assistant thinks I'm being unreasonable... I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow, where we'll discuss all of this.

It's so funny because I never thought that I would get to this point. I'd heard other women saying things like, "I just want this baby out!" and I couldn't imagine feeling that way... Well, now I can-- vividly ;) I'm convinced that it's God's way of helping you come to terms with labor! "Labor? Sure, sounds great! Let's go!"

Whatever YOU'VE been up to lately, I hope it's been fun. Really. I'm not bitter (but you can lie, and make me feel better if you want!)

:)
Kimberley

Monday, August 18, 2008

Well. THAT didn't go well at all.

So today was the first day of the first week of school. I laid out my clothes last night, set the alarm for 5:15 am, and did a few other things to make the morning run smoothly.

A-hem.

I woke up at 7:00 am, somehow having slept through my alarm, and was backing out of the driveway at 7:10 am. I didn't want anyone getting too close to me today as I hadn't had time for a shower (picture a liberal use of deodorant and my Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir-- using the latter of which on an unwashed body felt like the basest sacrilege). I had stuffed my makeup bag and my insulin pen in my purse and made use of the makeup at Atlanta's infinitely long traffic lights. Amazingly, it still only took me about 40 minutes to drive to work, and I made it to my homeroom with about 4 minutes to spare. My girls got a good laugh out of it, and afterwards I went off campus to grab some breakfast so that I could take my insulin. Now, if this isn't a compelling case for why my employer and so many others should just offer paid maternity leave, then I don't know what is! I mean, when you're so tired that you sleep through your ALARM?? Plus, I guarantee you that I was barely coherent for the first hour or so that I was at work so not a whole lot was accomplished. Luckily my day turned around and I was fairly productive (at least, that's how I remember it), but still.

Oh, and can we take a moment to discuss how I have the feet and ankles of a baby elephant? I cannot get the swelling to go down, no matter how much water I drink and subsequently get rid of. I slept with my feet elevated last night and they looked a bit better when I dashed (ok, ambled awkwardly) out to my car, but by the time I got to work they looked as bad as ever. Plus, they don't bend the same way they used to which makes walking even more awkward.

My colleagues are really sweet, and everybody's been telling me how great I look (thanks to the gestational diabetes I've been dropping weight like crazy, which is not altogether a good thing), but I'm just at That Point. You know, That Point where you can't really sleep, or get comfortable, and you just feel hideous. I called my parents on Friday to announce that I Was Done. After smothering their laughter, they explained that it doesn't work that way. I said I didn't care, that I Was Done, and hadn't they been listening?

Please hold the rotten tomatoes. Of course I want Liam to go full-term (especially because he's due on my dad's birthday and it would be SO COOL were he to be born that day), and of course I wouldn't ask for an induction or schedule a C-section for some non emergency reason. I'm just talking trash because I am at That Point ;)

In other news, I got another item checked off my list of Things to Do Before I Go into Labor. I stopped at the friendly neighborhood fire station in Virginia-Highlands and this super-nice fireman installed Liam's carseat (complete with Cowmooflage cover) for me. It was a relief to know that it was done by someone who knows what he's doing AND I watched the whole time and feel confident that I could do it by myself. I'm somewhat of a visual learner, and I learn better by seeing something done than by reading instructions.

Other items remaining on that list include: getting my bag packed for the hospital; planning what will go in the cooler that we're taking (I refuse to eat the stuff they serve in the hospital-- I tried a couple of years ago when I had my breast reduction, and then last week when I had to spend the night because of the kidney stone I was passing-- yes, friends, that was LOADS of fun); finishing the valances in Liam's room (I need to get the apple green ribbon attached); having the slipcovers on the couch in his room dry cleaned; getting together the lists of contact information (2 of them: one a list of folks who want to be notified when I go into labor, and one of folks who want to know when Liam's born), and several other things that I can't remember at the moment. I've just about given up on accomplishing the housecleaning tasks I outlined in my post before last, as I think they're not going to happen. At this point I'll be thrilled if there isn't dog hair all over the floor and two inches of dust on everything :)

Well, it's off to bed for me. Here's hoping that I don't sleep through the alarm again!
Kimberley

Friday, August 1, 2008

Ho-hum and Wooohoooo!

Ugh, no update since 14 July, that is just sad. Lots has been going on that I've wanted to share, but you'll read why I haven't in a minute.

My next post was SUPPOSED to be titled "The Shower to End All Showers", about the completely over-the-top baby shower that my aunt and uncle threw for me... but I still have no pictures (hint, hint to the people who DO have them-- you know who you are so send those along, please, when you get a minute. Thanks.) For now, just know that it was amazing and overwhelming and Chris and I won't need to buy any clothes for Liam until he's about 9 months old ;)

While I was visiting my parents in South Carolina for the STEAS, my mom had the distinct pleasure of taking me to the emergency room for what we found out was a urinary tract infection (oh, and let's not forget my dad, supporting me on their deck at 4:30 in the morning, whilst I vomited into a bucket on the way to the car). Suffice it to say, it was just good times all around. As I said to my mom when we finally got back from the ER later that morning, "Wow. Aren't you glad that I came to visit?". Of course she replied in typical Mom fashion, "I'm glad that you were here so that I could take care of you". My parents. Have I mentioned lately how I don't deserve them?

In other news, I found out about a month ago that I have gestational diabetes and have been dealing with that. Just yesterday I began taking insulin twice a day because it became obvious that I could either keep my blood glucose in the accepted parameters, or I could have lots of ketones. Ketones apparently mean that you're not getting enough calories (and the rate that I've been losing weight backs that up) and can lead to ketosis, which can be bad for the baby. The other issue that was REALLY plaguing me was my heart arrhythmia. This is a condition that I've had all my life, and that I never really notice 1) because I gave up caffeine almost 10 years ago, and 2) because I've had some success with stress management... ok, a little success ;) The point is that carrying Liam has naturally made my heart work harder, and it obviously resented that and is bucking for a pay raise!

The latest physical challenge has been the nasty upper respiratory infection that seized me last weekend. I have a nasty cough, and an even worse ear infection that is painful and has rendered me unable to hear out of one ear. It's also thrown my balance off, and I've just been waiting for someone to call DSS to report the drunken pregnant woman who is lurching down the Whole Foods aisle. The doctor prescribed a ZPac, and that leads me to our discussion topic: ZPacs. They are utterly worthless, do absolutely nothing, and yet doctors keep prescribing them. Discuss amongst yourselves.
Another doctor in that same practice prescribed Omnicef, God bless him, and I'm hoping that will actually DO something to solve the problem.

So, that's the "Ho-hum" part of the post. Now for the "Wooohooo!" part.

(Is anybody still reading this? I don't blame you if you gave up and went to read something cheerful and uplifting like Bleak House instead. Really.)

I'm really excited because tomorrow morning I'm headed to Borders to pick up my reserved copy of Breaking Dawn!

breakingdawn

This is the fourth and final installment of Stephenie Meyer's immensely popular Twilight series, which focuses on the love story and trials and tribulations of Bella Swan, human, and Edward Cullen, vegetarian vampire (he and his vampire family only drink animal blood, believing that killing humans is wrong). I, along with the teenaged girls at the school where I work, have been obsessed with this series for years! There are thousands of midnight release parties being held tonight all over America, and I would LOVE to go to one (I had lots of fun at the midnight release party for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last year, thank you very much. See below:

deathlyhallowsparty

Errr, question: do I have to stop doing this stuff now that I'm going to be someone's mom? Would it just be wrong to continue? Someone please consult the handbook and let me know. Another question: May we just ignore how round my face is in that picture? Thanks, I knew that I could count on you to do the right thing.)

Where was I? Oh, right. I just don't feel up to going to a midnight release party so I'm going to nip off to the bookstore tomorrow morning, get my copy, and come home to read all the 700 odd pages of deliciousness.

Now, that was an update worth waiting for, right? Right??

Have a great weekend,
Kimberley

Monday, July 14, 2008

The things I have done, and the things I have left undone

So it's official: my last day of work until 11 August was on Friday so I'm on vacation, wooohoooo!

Last summer after my vacation started I was all about the home improvement projects, the crowning jewel of which was my bathroom ceiling's makeover. It was covered in that popcorn stuff, and was molded on the part above the shower, eeewwww :( All attempts at cleaning the mold had failed miserably, so my only choice was to re-do the whole thing. You can read more about the saga here http://tallulahhouse.blogspot.com/2007/07/ohhhh-pain.html and here http://tallulahhouse.blogspot.com/2007/07/bathroom-ceiling-project-finished.html , if you're so inclined.

So my plans for this summer (I began plotting them last fall) included adding crown molding-- painted a glossy black to complement the colour scheme-- to the bathroom; patching, sanding, and painting the kitchen ceiling; and painting our bedroom (sorry, sweetie, but I'm tired of the lavender).

Well... after Liam made his presence known (http://tallulahhouse.blogspot.com/2008/03/surprise.html), my plans obviously had to change, as being on ladders, etc, is not so much a good idea when one is seven months along.

So I've scaled back. Here's is my revised to-do list:

*Finish the nursery. I know, I know, it ought to have been finished quite a while back, but between converting it from my sitting room to packing up some of my things to make room for Liam's, the whole process has taken longer than expected.

*Re-organize the pantry. Honestly, it's out of control! Everytime I walk in there the clutter freaks me out and I run out again. However, it's just going to keep bothering me (and getting worse) until I fix it, so fix it I shall!

*Continue to de-clutter. This is an ongoing project. Funnily enough, I just finished Judith Levine's book Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping (overall, I enjoyed it, although it did feel at times that the author was trying too hard to prove her left wing cred). Many times I found myself saying, "Yeah, that's absolutely true. Right on! I'm not shopping anymore!"
Of course, in the middle of the book, my friend Frances and I headed up to the Premium Outlets in Dawsonville and, well... Let's just put it this way: I got a lot of Christmas shopping done ;)

*Clean the hardwood floors. This is the iffiest of my projects, as I don't find it as easy to get up and down as I used to. Chris and I sweep and vacuum on a regular basis, of course, but as we all know the only way to properly clean a floor is on your hands and knees with a cloth and cleaner.

That's it. It's certainly not as ambitious as last year, but if I get them all done I'll be quite proud of myself.

What projects are YOU working on?
Kimberley

Monday, July 7, 2008

Who minds handwashing...

when the results are this pretty?


handwashing2


And of course you have to see a closeup ;)

handwashing4


Isn't it funny how, when you only buy stuff you love, it all works together? It wasn't until I was through washing these things and put them out on the towel to dry that I noticed how the jadeite cake stand and pink candle tied in nicely :)

This episode of handwashing was brought about by the fact that Chris and I had friends over on Saturday night for a belated July 4th cookout. It was a lot of fun. And when I write "a lot" I mean both in terms of the fun-ness of our friends and the fact that they were at Tallulah House for six and a half hours!

Yes, the guys were doing their Neanderthal thing around the grill (us women are still not sure what that entailed besides standing around and pointing at the various meats, but whatever), and it was almost 9:00 pm before we ate! When we finally sat down it was to a potluck meal of spiced potato wedges, roasted corn, baked beans, roasted Brussel sprouts, watermelon, and of course the meat. For dessert, I offered the option of strawberry shortcake (with blueberries to make it fit the 4th) or chocolate ice cream. After dinner we played Taboo, with teams of men vs. women. Of course we women triumphed ;)

Chris and I plan to extend the barbeques into the fall-- they're too fun not to, and having potlucks means that everyone gets all the fun without a lot of work.

I hope that you had a great weekend, whatever your plans were.
Kimberley

Sunday, July 6, 2008

This made my day!

just plain fun to read

Many thanks to Sandy, over at Curly's Corner for giving me this lovely award :) Not only am I pleased to hear that my blog is fun to read (I do wonder sometimes, especially when I rant), but could the award banner be any cuter? I think not!

In the spirit of sharing, I'd like to pass this award on to the ladies of Tea With Mrs. Fox and The Philosophy of Lists. I enjoy both of their blogs so much, and think you will, too. Go check them out!

Kimberley

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Proof positive that I have lost my mind

Here is a picture of Happy, my espresso maker:

francisfrancis

Ok, so this isn't a picture of my ACTUAL espresso maker. I'm too lazy to go and drag out the camera, ok? Geez. It's the same model and company, but mine is a lovely, pale vintage shade of blue, which they don't appear to make anymore-- oh, and the price on this model has shot up about $200.00 since Chris bought me mine for my birthday/Christmas present!

Anyway, none of that is the point. The point is that just about every day in the summer, Happy and I concoct a favourite summertime beverage before I go to work: the iced latte, mmmmmm. The recipe is this:

*Two teaspoons of agave nectar
*One Starbucks decaffeinated espresso pod
*Enough ice cold, 1% organic milk to fill up my National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame travel mug (if you ever have a chance to visit this museum, then go, go, go! It is extremely well done, and a lot of fun).
*Ice

Add the agave nectar to the travel mug first. Then, make a cup of espresso and pour it into the travel mug. Add milk, and then ice cubes. Voila! Delicious summertime treaty goodness!

So. I make this practically everyday in the summer... every summer day for the PAST TWO YEARS.

Well, not so on Monday. Nay, gentle reader, not last Monday. Instead, here's what happened:

I made two cups of espresso and added them to my travel mug. Then I filled the milk frothing cup with water and heated it until it was boiling, and added it to the mug. THEN I started adding ice cubes to it, and wondered why they were melting. I also wondered why it tasted so bad...

I blame this and all other similar, spacey, inexplicable mistakes (such as putting in the completely wrong pin number THREE TIMES-- seriously it was something that my brain just completely made up on the spot) on Liam :)

Is there anyone out there who can reassure me that I'll get my mind back... eventually? Anyone?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Woman posts Ireland pics! Readers faint in disbelief!

Finally, at long last, I'm posting some pics of our pilgrimage to Ireland. I plan to do several posts on this topic because there are quite a few pictures and I don't want you to be overwhelmed and go into Beauty Overload. Seriously, Ireland is a place of unrelenting beauty, and you find yourself almost wishing to see a strip mall or an industrial waste plant simply because after a while it almost hurts to look at it.

So, in no particular order, here's the first batch:

Augnanure Castle, located along the main road from Galway to Clifden (Connemara region). This is a 16th century tower fort, and there are over two hundred remains of these houses in Co. Galway. This was one built by the O’Flahertys, scourge of Galway Town, known for kicking the severed heads of their enemies around like a soccer ball. Don't they just sound precious? I'd just love to invite them to one of my dinner parties.

aughnanure



Me, being attacked by one of the devil watchdogs of Aughnanure! These great watchdogs are known for wandering over and collapsing in unsuspecting visitors' laps, which this one did shortly after this photo was taken.

watchdog



Ruins of a 13th century church, located in the Burren (one of our two favorite regions in Ireland). To this day, local people are still buried in the ruins of churches. It's a bit jarring to see modern tombstones scattered about such old ruins.

burren



Kilmacdaugh, an early Christian monastery complex, the first building of which was built in the 7th century. The complex was in use up until the 16th century. The big round tower is an example of the towers incorporated into these monastery complexes, and they were used by the monks to escape Viking and Irish marauders. The entrances were built 20+ feet up and could only be accessed by rope or ladder, which the monks pulled up behind them. We only knew about this place because Chris had heard of it in one of his Irish history classes. It was one of our favorite experiences.

kilmacdaugh



The Twelve Pins Mountain range of Connemara (our other favorite region). The only word for this place is "breathtaking". The large bushes with the yellow flowers are gorse, and they carry the most incredible smell of coconut-- don't ask me to explain it, because I can't. I wish I could get gorse to grow in Georgia, but I have a feeling that it's impossible.

connemara



A typical example of a western Ireland “highway”. Oh, I prayed, dear readers, how I prayed (wait till you see the picture of the tour bus):

freeway



The Giant's Causeway, close to the northernmost point of Ireland. The geometric shapes were formed by cooling lava. We spent a whole morning here, hiking up to the cliff above and back down to the Causeway itself. It was a gorgeous day, and a really amazing experience.

gintcause



Somewhere in the mountains north of Donegal:

donegal



The grave of W.B. Yeats and his wife George, located in the cemetary of Drumcliffe Church, Co. Sligo.

yeats


Well, I hope that you've enjoyed the first installment. Look for more pictures in the near future!

Kimberley

Sunday, June 22, 2008

I don't sleep much anymore...

so instead of lying down and wearing myself out by trying desperately to sleep, I do what any other normal person would do and take pictures instead ;)

You may have noticed that, while others in Blogland are sharing pictures of their glorious gardens, I am not. That's because I don't have much of a garden, glorious or otherwise, thanks to the stupid drought (but at least we still have drinking water... for the moment). My rose bushes did bloom, beautifully, but I didn't get pictures of them. And then there are my gardenia bushes: they're spindly little things, I suppose because I never prune or feed them. But in spite of my neglect, they're giving me some lovely flowers.

gardenia3


I *love* gardenias-- almost as much as I love peonies and roses. And it's not just the gardenia flowers that I love; their glossy dark green leaves are worthy of center stage in a vase all by themselves.

Here's another shot of the gardenias:

gardenia1

Yes, I was also using this as a camera tutorial, trying out different light settings, the zoom, angles, etc. I was also moving the flowers and some other things around, as well, so don't adjust your screen ;)

I am miserably jealous of those who have mantels especially since we got rid of our old entertainment center, which had a broad top that I used as a seasonal display space. So, in lieu of both mantel and entertainment center, I use the top of the toilet tank (Necessity is the mama of invention!). Here're the gardenias (again), along with a small Homer Laughlin casserole dish (sans lid) that I've filled with soaps:

soap and gardenias

Homer Laughlin's Fluffy Virginia Rose is one of my favorite patterns. I might even say my most favorite, but I don't want all of the other patterns in my house to get their feelings hurt. I was thrilled when I found this casserole dish, and decided that it was just too pretty to sit in the armoire waiting to be used for its original purpose. It also happens that I'm addicted to all-natural, wonderful-smelling soaps, so voila! A perfect pairing.

Ireland picture update: Chris has finished fiddling with a number of pictures, so I'll try and get them posted (along with commentary) this week. All of you who have been waiting for them: thanks for your patience :)

Kimberley

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Ok, so I'm stalling here...

Chris is working on re-sizing the Ireland pictures (and doing other mysterious things to them, apparently), so I STILL don't have any photos to share-- I'm sorry!

In the meantime, I thought that I would update you on the baby bedding issue-- it's not Ireland, but it is something ;)

So, some of you may remember my cry for help in regard to this issue: Let's talk baby bedding...
What I didn't mention in that post was that the whole issue was further complicated by the fact that all of the bedding had to be organic. Yeeee-eeeesssss. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find organic bedding that isn't "natural" color? I'm here to tell you that it's pretty challenging. Ok, well, so I made it even harder with my determination to not buy a matching set, mostly due to cost and because it seemed that, for boys, the only color was blue and the bedding had trucks all over it. But enough of my self-inflicted nuttiness!

The walls in what was once my sitting room and is now the nursery are a lovely pale green: Rejuvenation from Benjamin Moore. I decided that chocolate was just the color to set that off (didn't want to paint again and go through finding paint with no VOC's), and began looking... and looking... and looking. After over a month of this, here's what I've ordered:

The blanket (which won't actually see any real use for a while, since babies aren't supposed to have blankets), which I found on Etsy. It's all organic, with cotton and bamboo-- not only do I love that and the funky pattern, but I'm glad I could support an independent craftsperson.

babyblanket


The sheet (I'm also ordering a set in "natural"), which I found on Amazon:

chocolatesheet


The bumper cover, from Kee-Ka (I know, the picture reads "crib sheet", but there's a bumper cover with the same pattern):

monkeysheet


The crib skirt, which I found at Carousel Designs. It's the only piece that isn't organic, but I figure Liam isn't going to be breathing into it, as he will the other things:

browncribskirt

I'm also on the hunt for chocolate valances to go over the cream curtains (which will be tied in the middle with chocolate ribbon) that are already there. I found some that are perfect on Target.com (not available in the store, of course), but they want to charge me almost $16.00 for shipping and I just won't pay that.

Oh, and when Chris and I were at Babies R Us the other day, he found a cute monkey for the wall. Is that our theme, then, monkeys? :)

So, what do you think?
Kimberley

Monday, June 9, 2008

We interrupt the Ireland reports...

to bring you some random photos :)

Aren't these gorgeous?

rose1

Whole Foods had a most excellent deal on 2 dozen roses so I scooped them up.

Here's an aerial view:

rose2

I am so pleased to be back in my little Tallulah House, surrounded by my pets, vintage dishes, linens, and candles. I just had to have some flowers to make it all complete. Am I a shallow creature? Well, probably, but I prefer to think of myself as being "hobbit-like" :)

Speaking of pets, one of our cats has a problem with pot:

aoife

(I am very sure that I'll be getting a phone call from my mom, telling me that that joke was in poor taste. She really did try to raise me right, folks.) Don't you love that reproachful/disdainful look on her face? It's like she's saying to Chris, "Dude, will you PLEASE leave me alone? Do I go around photographing you when you're sitting around relaxing? DO I??"

Ahh, well. Next post I'm back with photos and favorite moments from Ireland.

Hope that you have a great day,
Kimberley

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Ireland: An overview of what we saw and did there

Is that a pompous enough title? :)

We were given two weeks in Ireland, for which we were both thankful. Having never been there, our list of "must-sees" was ambitious and lengthy and our days were full. I'm not complaining (much) but it did make for some long days-- not to mention the fact that, because: a) I cannot read a map, and b) my husband is the reincarnation of St. Brendan the Navigator, I did all of the driving and was therefore on edge for the first several days. Ok, so I was a nervous wreck and spent a lot of quality time with the Lord, invoking not only His protection but that of the Holy Family, and that of every other saint whose name I could remember.

So, here's an overview of our two weeks:

Day 1: Arrived blinking and stumbling at the Shannon airport. Picked up rental car. Drove like it was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to our very nice B&B. Rested for an hour. Went to the Bunratty Folk Park. Ate dinner at Durty Nelly's-- failed to see what the guidebook raved about, but the bartender was nice. Returned to b&b and slept like the dead.

Day 2: Drove in the direction of Gort, stopping for a glorious while at Coole Park (amazing grounds, and excellent exhibits); stopped at Thor Ballylee (it was closed until the end of the month, but I paid homage to Yeats in my own quiet way); visited Aughnanure Castle (tower fort, built in the 15th century-- met some nice dogs); drove to Clifden; went to Dan O' Hara's Farm (disappointment-- no ponies!); spent the night at Abbyglen Castle.

Day 3: Driving day. From Clifden we drove to Lisdoonvarna and on to Doolin. Saw the Cliffs of Moher (absolutely incredible); ate a horrible dinner at a pub where the Eurovision song contest was on the tv and were completely bewildered by Ireland's entry for the contest: Dustin the Turkey (they're druids, no wait! They're Las Vegas showgirls-- nope, Native American dancers... errr, no. Can-can girls?? Oh, and is that REALLY an animatronic turkey??). Stayed in a horrible b&b. These experiences (excepting the Cliffs) caused us to adopt a new phrase, "Can anything good come from Doolin?".

Day 4: Visited Ailwee Cave ("Ireland's premier show cave!"-- it was fascinating, though I did keep expecting to see bears dancing around in tutus each time I saw that phrase); stumbled onto the ruins of a 12th century church and explored it in the mist (totally amazing); visited the ruins of a ringfort; went to Poul na Brane (portal tomb-- awesome); visited the Burren Perfumery and had lunch in the tearoom (I decided that I'm going to live there-- in the Perfumery, specifically); spent the night in Kinvarra.

Day 5: Started off the day with a visit to Dungaire Castle; drove to Kilmacduagh, the ruins of a 7th century monastery that Chris had heard about in one of his Irish history classes (awesome); drove into Galway... and drove out again fairly quickly (another of our futile attempts to find a christening gown); drove to Athlone, where we encountered horrible traffic and found that the b&b's were booked up for a wedding. Drove all the way to Roscommon before we found a b&b (super nice family-- one of our best experiences).

Day 6: Drove from Roscommon to Clanmacnoise (monastic city first established in 545 AD by Saint Ciaran-- loved it); went to Strokestown Park, and visited the Famine Museum; drove to Sligo.

Day 7: Visited Drumcliff Church, and the grave of W.B. Yeats; looked at the statue of Countess Markievicz; went on a tour of Parkes Castle; experienced the ruins of Creevelea Friary (this was one of my most favourite things); visited Tobernalt Holy Well (said prayers, lit candles, and tied a scrap of fabric to the rag tree); went to Carrowmore megalithic cemetary (totally cool).

Day 8: Drove to Donegal; visited Dongegal Castle; visited the ruins of Donegal Friary (lots of beer bottles and trash-- made me sad); drove through the Glendowan Mountains and on to Coleraine (stayed in an awesome b&b, met the nicest guy who worked there, and had a Horrible Laundry Experience of Epic Proportions and Duration).

Day 9: Saw the Giant's Causeway (one of the coolest things I've ever seen-- sort of the same feeling I had when I stood on the Great Wall of China); drove to Emyvale (stayed in a lovely b&b, whose owner was equally lovely).

Day 10: Visited the Ulster American Folk Park (this is VERY well done... though they could benefit from the presence of more farm animals-- but the pigs were nice); stopped in Carrickmacross in another failed attempt to find a christening gown (we met Padraic here-- more on him in another post); drove to Navan (stayed in a nice b&b, but the owner only turned the heat on for one hour a day... and even then it didn't get very warm).

Day 11: Went to Trim Castle (largest Norman castle in Ireland); visited the Hill of Tara (a bit overwhelming, not because of what's actually there today, but because of the weight of myth and history); visited Newgrange (one of the most mystical experiences I've ever had).

Day 12: Drove to Dublin (not as simple as it sounds: a horrible accident clogged up everything and it took us three hours to go 30 miles); dropped off the rental car and got a cab to our hotel; dropped off our bags, and went to finish our shopping-- found the christening gown! Ate dinner, returned to hotel. I began passing a kidney stone...

Day 13: Me: agonizing pain and non-stop vomiting; Chris: worry for me and then, when forced, the 1916 Uprising Tour, an exhibit at the National Library, and a visit to the Irish National Museum. We finally ask the hotel to call a doctor, who comes and makes sure that the baby is ok, gives me a shot and some pain pills.

Day 14: Me: more pain (all the vomiting had caused me to pull a muscle in my stomach) and a tad more vomiting; also, extreme weakness due to the fact that I'd not eaten. Chris: a bus tour of Dublin, one stop for which was a destination he'd longed to see for years: Kilmainham Jail.

Day 15: Go to the airport in the cab of an extremely nice man who also gets kidney stones. We commiserate with each other about how awful they are. I feel better about my ordeal ;) Almost collapse in line at the airport and we are rushed through the ticketing line. Head to Immigration, and have no time for the duty free shop. Fly to JFK. Fly to Atlanta. Collapse gratefully into the embrace of Tallulah House.

Here's another picture that Chris took. It's a cross at Drumcliffe Church in Sligo:

sligocross-a[2]

In my next post, I'll go into detail about some of my favourite places/experiences and include pictures.

For now, reliving it all has tired me out, so I'm going to sleep :)
Kimberley

Monday, June 2, 2008

We're home!

Hey, y'all:

We are safely ensconced back in our beloved Tallulah House, with our beloved furry children, and are happy to be here :)

Ireland was absolutely fantastic. I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of the world, and Ireland definitely rates in the top three of the most beautiful places that I've visited. The people are friendly, charming, and full of life. I can't fully explain how strange it was to stand in a country where I've never been, and yet have it feel so much like home. Maybe there truly is such a thing as ancestral memory, who knows?

We learned so much (even Chris, whose brain was already saturated with knowledge about Irish mythology and history), and are incredibly grateful to my school for giving us this opportunity.

Today is all about resting, playing with the dogs, doing laundry, and getting ourselves ready to go to work tomorrow. Over the next few posts I'll be sharing the highlights of our trip, as well as lots of pictures. In the meantime, here's one of my favourites. It's of a Neolithic age portal tomb called Pol na Bron and seeing it is truly a mystical experience. Chris has played around with the colour and this actually does a lot to convey the mood of the tomb and of the place. I hope that you enjoy it.

Pol na Bron

Kimberley