Heard around the house... :)

Me to DH: Babe, when I plug my Mac charger into the power strip downstairs, it throws a spark.

DH to Me: What do you mean?

Me: You know, a blue spark comes out by the metal part of the plug.  Should it do that?

DH: Well yes darling, that's what Mr. Electricity does...

Me: Leave me alone.  I sleep three hours a night.  

Side note: I hope the resemblance doesn't end with the argyle and that Piglet inherits his dad's matter-of-fact, smart-ass sense of humor.  :)

What the?!

I love the expression on Piglet's face in this picture.  He was confused the entire time I was dressing him because he saw the orange/white tennies he had ON and he also saw the identical orange/white tennies on the FLOOR!  He kept picking up the other shoes looking at them, then looking down at his feet and then looking up at me with this "what the?!" look on his face .It was HYSTERICAL!  Yes they are the same shoes, but one pair Piglet has outgrown, so it was time to move him to the size threes.  What did I tell you?  If I like it, I like to buy in quantity.  Don't worry, I don't have three pairs, once Piglet outgrows these, they'll be retired! 

First day of fall

Today was the first day of fall and I could not resist putting Piglet in not one, but two different outfits.  In my defense, he did get banana on the first shirt, so obviously it was just filthy and had to be changed!  ;)  These are clothes I bought for him when he was still in the womb.  Imagine my delight at being able to see him dressed in them now.  It is gratifying in a way only a mother who loves to shop can understand.  I love the fall!!!

Do these people have NO shame?!

My blog is *usually* very lighthearted, but I am so enraged about this tainted milk crisis in China that I just have to rant.  My friends from McMillerPDX commented that there must be a "new level of hell" for people who would knowingly lace baby formula with a harmful substance just to make a buck.  I could not agree more.  In fact, I hope there IS a new level of hell for those greedy, money-grubbing people who last year caused the deaths of thousands of dogs and cats by the same means.  Pet deaths are bad enough but BABIES.  Where is the conscience in this?  What has the world come to?  Apparently they laced the formula with the chemical melamine in order to make it appear to have higher protein content.  To all my friends out there, PLEASE be leery of things labeled "Product of China."  I picked up recently picked a box of these at the store because I'd never seen them before and I'm always on the hunt for some Piglet-friendly new foods.  The minute I saw "Product of China" I put them back on the shelf.  Now I obviously don't know if they contain anything toxic and odds are they do not but I am NOT taking any chances.  I'm sure the poor parents of the 158 children with acute kidney failure, or the four deceased children's parents did not know the powdered milk they were preparing for their children would harm them either.  So be cautious my friends and be vigilant about reading labels.  

Read the full, horrifying story here.  

Always something new

Piglet's newest thing is shaking his head to say "no." He does it rapidly and sometimes while yelling at me. This makes feeding him a lot like trying to feed an oscillating fan. It's become such a problem that I went and bought myself a thick, plasticky apron to wear at meal times. Seriously!

Another request :)

My new friend "Marketing Mama" asked me to share pictures of Piglet's nursery. It was a labor of love (the first of two, haha) and I had SO much fun creating this space. If I could get away with it, I would dream up a new nursery for Piglet every year! Guess that means I better have more Piglets so I can keep decorating nurseries.  One funny anecdote about my nursery decorating experience...I searched and searched for the perfect round rug for Piglet's room and couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  I finally settled on a rug from PBK.  One week before my due date, I was flipping through their latest catalog and there it was:  the perfect rug.  Now those of you who know me well and were part of my pg journey know that the nursery was complete two or three months in advance.  I tried to make peace with the rug I already had but I just could NOT get it out of my mind!!!  So there I was, about a hundred months pregnant (or feeling like it), shuffling around in my UGGS, rolling up the rug I had, dragging it down to my car and into PBK to exchange it for my "perfect rug."  I was just three days away from my due date at the time.  Classic ME move if I do say so myself!  It was completely worth it though as I still enjoy the fact that it matches so perfectly every single time I walk into Piglet's nursery.  The night I left for the hospital I even stopped to admire it one last time before leaving!!!  

Anyway, enjoy the pics, Missy!  

Designers/Vendors I used:

Bedding: Serena and Lily, custom order
Area rug and curtains: Pottery Barn Kids
Glider and ottoman: Dutalier
Crib and dresser: Capretti Home
Bookshelf, standing lamp and side table: Pottery Barn Kids
Small child's stuffed chair: Babystyle.com
Chandelier medallion: Marie Ricci

Custom stencil: Stencil Planet

Oversized stuffed animals: FAO Schwarz

Like a sponge I tell you...

I can't believe it, but Piglet has mastered the high five.  I spent five minutes "practicing" it repeatedly with him and now - voila, Piglet can give you a high five.  He raises his chubby little hand with all five fingers splayed and meets your raised hand.  It is HILARIOUS.  I am both elated and concerned by how fast he learns.  It's like a whole new section of his brain opened up in the past few weeks!  Seriously!  Video is forthcoming.  :) 

Party tricks!

Here is Piglet displaying his latest party tricks as mentioned in my earlier post from today "Don't Blink." The first video is of Piglet waving "Hi!" The second is of his signature move - "lotion." You might be asking how and why Piglet learned to put lotion on his hands. Well one night after I was done putting lotion on him, or "greasing him up" as DH refers to it, I rubbed the rest into my hands as always. Piglet started giggling and copying me so I kept doing it and saying "Yes, put on lotion, Piglet!" This was about a month and a half ago. He started doing it on command and really consistently about two weeks ago. I think it's hilarious. DH keeps asking me if I can teach him something more useful like "sweep the floor" or "empty the dishwasher." :) As for waving, Piglet just started waving "Hi" and "Bye" last Thursday and now does that on command too. Holy cow, he is changing fast. Next up, the classic and always stylish high five. :)

Don't blink.

Piglet is literally growing up before our eyes and very rapidly (insert wistful sigh).  In the past three days he began cutting four new teeth (have mercy), waving hello and goodbye and crawling. This video was taken literally the moment Piglet started crawling. I am so glad I caught it! I see a lot of gates in our future.

I have so many product reviews to write, (Boon, Ergo Baby, Nuby and many more) but am too busy soothing, teaching and chasing Piglet right now!  Stay tuned.  

P.S. The background music on the video isn't "theme music" it's whoever Ellen had on her show that day. Some country band called Sugarland I think?

Happy Eight Month Birthday Piglet!

Dear Piglet,

You are eight months old today.  Your tinkly laugh fills our halls and our hearts and we cannot imagine how we ever lived without you.  Get ready for cake because your first birthday is just around the corner and Mommy is already party planning.

Love,

Your Parents

I love a cute baby, but...

I don't need to hear how cute they are from their PARENTS all the time!!!  Don't their kids get enough compliments from friends, family and the general public to quell the desire to hear how cute their kid is?  Maybe I'm in a bad mood tonight (okay, I am), but I just have to rant about people who constantly compliment their own babies!  Sometimes you just can't help it, but ALL the time?  Come on now.  I mean, we all have eyes for our kids, but do I really need to hear how cute and totally brilliant your kid is all the time?  Do any of YOU want to hear about how cute and brilliant MY kid is ALL THE TIME?  I think not.  And even if you did, I wouldn't be able to oblige.  However, I am happy to dole out the compliments to your cute baby and if you think he's cute, you can compliment mine.  Seems like a tidy, fair and annoyance-free way to be the parent of a cute kid.  

Isn't there some sort of "etiKID" out there about this?  What would Emily Post say?  

Eight Month Update

Piglet is a few days shy of being exactly eight months but I thought I'd write this post while I have a few minutes to myself.  Piglet is getting so big and his funny personality is more apparent than ever.  He has his two lower "bunny" teeth but I can't ever seem to catch them on camera.  I'll keep trying.  His hair is getting thicker but remains smooth and shiny as ever.  The debate at our house regarding where he got his "good hair" continues.  :)  He hasn't started crawling yet, but does push himself up on his hands and can get to anything he's set his sights on.  

There are too many changes and milestones to list, but enjoy the few that I cherry-picked for the update below!  

Piglet LOVES

• petting his dog
• any and all beverages, but especially yours
• blowing raspberries into your cheek
• clicking his tongue
• sitting up with toys all around him
• wearing two-piece PJs
• lounging in his bathtub with a toy
• when you blow in his ear
• laughing his tinkly laugh
• beets
• rubbing his hands together like he's putting on lotion
• his stuffed monkey named Howard
• strawberry ice cream (bad mommy)
• when you say "ah-choo!"
• being around (and batting at) other babies
• checking himself out in the mirror
• chewing on his feet
• Dr. Snyder, his pediatrician

Piglet is OVER

• getting out of the bathtub
• anyone who is not mommy after 7 p.m. (yes, still)
• taking one long morning nap
• car rides longer than 40 minutes 
• apples
• getting his finger and toenails cut
• diaper changes when he first wakes up
• going to bed later than 7:30 p.m.
• "parachute time" at Gymboree class
• any stuffed animal other than his monkey named Howard
• mommy changing his clothes three times a day because of the weather shifting (cold in the a.m., hot in the p.m., cold again in the evening)
• seeing something he wants and getting denied access by you
• strolling indoors (e.g. the mall...mommy finds this very alarming)

Going out without Piglet

So our first time leaving Piglet (both of us that is) in about five months can be summed up by the photos below.

Here we are having a nice, leisurely dinner to celebrate my bestfriend's (seated next to me) birthday. Dh is across the table from me because we decided to mix it up. :)

Here is Piglet/Shrieker when I got to my parents' place to pick him up three hours later. I don't think we will be able to go out without him again (at bedtime anyway) for at least another few months. My mom, God bless her said she was fine, but she just felt so bad for the shrieking Piglet. I, on the other hand felt so bad for her! Piglet totally terrorized she and my dad.  By the way, that curl on the side of his head is always present, but gets curlier the madder he gets.  He was seriously hacked off at us last night!

Mmmmmm puuuudddinnnng

Last week I helped celebrate my friend Jen's birthday at a great new spot called 50 Plates.  This place specializes in small plates which my best friend Jessica and I agree, tend to overwhelm us a little when it comes to ordering appetizers, entrees, etc.  This however was not the case when it came to ordering dessert!  The "table" ordered s'mores and a quartet of pudding - butterscotch, banilla, chocolate and tapioca.  Jess and I split lemon meringue bread pudding and sampled a bit of everything else too.   The pudding presentation was so clever, I knew you would all want to see it too.  In case you're wondering, they all tasted as good as they looked!  The banilla (banana vanilla) was my personal fave.  We go back again this Saturday to celebrate Jess' birthday!  I can tell you now, it will take three visits from our server before I can decide what to eat for dinner.  Now dessert...that I already have ordered in my head.  

P.S. We are leaving Piglet with my parents on Saturday.  The last time we both left him was when he was about 3.5 months old and he cried for three hours straight.  It was the beginning of his bottle strike.  Also known as the beginning of the end!  I'm a little nervous just because I know my mom will be stressed if he cries for that long again.  Hopefully he's older and wiser now!  Cross your fingers for a good report from me on Sunday!  If any moms out there have some tips for me about how to leave a seriously clingy baby, send 'em over.  

Fall clothes preview :)

Yesterday it rained off and on and was pretty chilly considering it was still August.  DH (who is convinced he is coming down with some illness) even made me turn on the HEAT in the morning!  I was bummed about the weather because it means that summer really is ending, but the silver lining was that I got to put Piglet in some (lightweight) fall clothes.  You all know how I've been dying to do that.  ;)  

Still, I won't pack away the shortalls and madras plaid just yet as we tend to have indian summers around here and I'm sure Piglet will still be wearing warm weather clothes here and there for at least a few more weeks.  The upside of that is that I get to see his cute little chubba-wubba legs for a bit longer.  Come fall and winter, that will only be a bath or changing time occurrence.  Sad!  Anyway, enjoy the fall fashion preview.  More blogwalking to come as weather permits.  :)

P.S. - People always say boys aren't as fun to dress as girls but I dunno, I have a damn good time dressing Piglet.  I agree there is a TON of cute girls stuff everywhere and you have to be more discriminating with boys' clothes, but I love a challenge.  Eye of the tiger baby.