A Life in Scribbles

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T17:28:00.001-05:00

Wow, it's been nearly a year since I last posted and a lot has happened to account for the lack of attention. First, we have a new addition to the family. Naia, our second little girl was born in September. We also had family unexpectedly live with us for three months while relocating to Austin. So...life so fully consumed my every waking minute. This halloween has been my first creative outlet in longer than I can remember. Enjoy the costume photos, and hopefully I will be able to start drawing comics again (preschool does start soon).

Teefury ripoff

2011-03-08T08:26:00.003-06:00

Teefury has a shirt up today that bears a remarkable resemblance to my Soylent Green shirt submission to Woot. Granted, I didn't read the instructions properly and therefore my submission was rejected. Plus, I doubt my version is the only one out there prior to today....but still, feels like teefury stole the idea. I actually think mine is slightly better because I used the packaging design from the movie, but clearly I don't know what sells. The first pic is mine, the second is the movie prop, and the third is teefury.

Again, sorry about the lack of posts. I do believe I will get comics up at some point in the future. I just don't know when.

Mushroom shirt

2011-02-12T07:27:00.003-06:00

Still having a hard time regularly updating this blog, I'll try to get some new comics posted soon. But I've finally got another Woot Derby submission. I'm sure it won't win, but I had fun making it. I love shirts with food themes and I thought that edible mushrooms would play into the current theme of "Oddball." Death Cap mushrooms look just as delicious as a lot of other mushrooms, but it can kill you! If you'd like to see it printed, you could vote for it here.

Not enough sleep

2011-01-23T20:52:00.002-06:00

Cecilia wakes up really early. I know most new parents complain that their kid wakes up at 6 or 7 am, and that is early for most new parents. But Cecilia wakes up at 4 or 4:30 am. Consistently. And she doesn't just fuss in her bed, she calls for me, and will then cry continually for an hour if I let her. For a brief amount of time, she woke up closer to 5 am (and I relished those days) but not anymore. And things are only worse when she has a cold. In an effort to try and convince her to sleep an extra 30 minutes or so, I'll take her into my bed to see if she might be lulled back to sleep. Sometimes it works, but it usually results in me not sleeping because she is very fidgety, and tends to enjoy sleeping on top of me in the most uncomfortable positions. The other morning, she fell asleep next to me, but as she has a cold (and a pacifier) she was quite noisy. And then, Seth was snoring right in my ear on the other side, and any movement risked Cecilia waking up earlier than normal. So, needless to say, I have spent many a day in dire need of a nap.

Derby

2011-01-14T13:04:00.003-06:00

Submission for the theme "fire." Up for voting here. Had fun making a cute set of flames, poor blue flame.

They hate me at woot

2011-01-08T19:10:00.002-06:00

REJECTED AGAIN! Apparently, I have to be incredibly accurate with my thumbnail and my large image. Despite the countless other thumbnails that differ from the composition image, mine was SO far off that I got rejected yet again. Well, here's hoping I'll get my votes back.....again. If you feel like voting again, the new link is here.

Version 2

2011-01-07T22:00:00.003-06:00

As I suspected, my t-shirt was rejected. So I made it more maze-themed. Here's the new one, let's hope it wins!

New shirt design

2011-01-07T14:02:00.002-06:00

It will probably be rejected, but I couldn't resist drawing a Labyrinth-themed design. you can vote for it here. "Rocks friends."

Horribly sick

2011-01-03T20:51:00.003-06:00

Spent the entire holiday season with a terrible cold. Cecilia was sick as well, though not to the same extent (I hope). Started out as a sore throat, then horrible congestion, and lastly an annoying cough that's been hard to shake. I swear I nearly hacked up a lung. Anyway, I'm finally over the cold, and my cough has just about finished its run. Anyway, didn't get around to posting anything, so hopefully this makes up for it. Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Pick

2010-12-21T06:58:00.001-06:00

Woot submission

2010-12-19T11:33:00.004-06:00

This weeks theme was Mid-Century art. so I rushed a Saul Bass inspired Harry Potter piece and a patterned Totoro piece. This is stiff competition though, pretty sure I won't win. But, if you'd like to vote the pieces are here (HP) and here (T).

Nighttime interruption

2010-12-13T20:47:00.002-06:00

I was out cold when Loki howled - in her sleep! Never happened before. She's made whimpering noises and even small barks in her sleep, but nothing like this. Very strange.

Asparagus Juice?

2010-12-13T20:39:00.004-06:00

There really is an Asparagus Juice, and an Apple Celery Juice. We got both and they were better than I thought. In fact, I actually liked the asparagus juice more than the apple-celery juice. It mainly tasted sweet, rather than asparagus-y. The apple celery juice had too much celery flavor. Both, however, were too much to drink nearly 20oz of liquid. They had a kind of strange after taste that didn't sit well after more than 1/3 of the bottle.

Another Woot shirt

2010-12-11T06:50:00.003-06:00

Needless to say I didn't win the last Woot derby, but I'm going to keep trying. If things remain fun and stress-free I could whip a shirt up each week and maybe get some money. Here are two submissions for this week's theme. If you like them, feel free to vote here or here. And, since I neglected my comic strip this week, I will have two strips on Monday.

A plethora of pinatas

2010-12-06T15:30:00.003-06:00

New submission for Woot. Vote for it here if you are a fan of The Three Amigos! And since I spent all day on this, I'll post a comic later this week.

Woot submission

2010-12-04T13:52:00.005-06:00

EDIT: Apparently, you weren't able to use any text in your submission for the current Woot Derby, and my submission has been rejected. Oh well.

I've decided to give an attempt at getting in some Woot Derby submissions. This is my first attempt, the theme is "visualize famous movie quotes." So, I whipped up a Soylent Green shirt based on the movie prop (pictured above) with the ingredient label. Check out the shirt here, and if you like it you could vote for it to win.

November 30!!

2010-11-30T20:33:00.002-06:00

Final day for Sketchavember ^_^ Thought I'd end the month with a drawing based on an old Harper's bazaar print from the 1800s. Got inspired by the new blog drawthisdress by two of my favorite artists.

Ouch!

2010-11-29T20:25:00.002-06:00

I was chopping up some celery for stuffing when the cheap plastic cutting board I have spun around under my hands. The blade cut a good chunk off my left pointer, and it bled a lot! Went through a few bandages before it stopped. Luckily, I wasn't hosting Thanksgiving therefore only made two sides. It's healing up nicely, but is still somewhat sensitive to touch. I made sure to find the chunk of skin and remove it from the veggies before cooking.

November 28

2010-11-29T20:24:00.002-06:00

November 27

2010-11-27T19:38:00.002-06:00

November 25 and 26

2010-11-26T21:10:00.003-06:00

Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite shows and since it became available on Netflix streaming I have been re-watching both seasons. Chuck's drawing is obviously a bit more caricatured than Ned's.

November 23 and 24

2010-11-25T07:05:00.002-06:00

No more color. I couldn't even get a moment to post, let alone color.

Bad habits

2010-11-23T07:32:00.003-06:00

Been obsessed with making whoopie pies. These are chocolate sandwiches with a peanut butter filling.

Here's the comic for last week. We spent Nov. 8-15 in Illinois visiting family. Cecilia did not appreciate the time-shift for daylight savings, a late plane flight, and being in a new environment very much. She tended to be overtired and overstimulated for the entire week (although, she didn't actually cry the whole time, just most of it). But, despite how cranky she was in general, she was great on the flight back.

November 21

2010-11-21T14:34:00.001-06:00

November 20

2010-11-21T08:47:00.002-06:00

Posted late, but still finished. There'll be another one tonight.

November 19

2010-11-19T20:12:00.001-06:00

Another cat-girl.

November 18

2010-11-18T20:22:00.002-06:00

Wow, COLOR! Harvey James is doing a "Choose a cat, draw a girl" meme that seemed like an excellent source of inspiration for Sketchavember. His drawings are cute and fun so I might use them for a few days of sketchwork. And since he already set the palette, coloring the image was easy.

November 17

2010-11-17T20:57:00.000-06:00

November 16

2010-11-16T20:25:00.002-06:00

November 15

2010-11-16T20:23:00.003-06:00

Spent the day at the airport. Our flight was delayed for about two hours so I was too exhausted to post anything. Traveling is very annoying. Hope to get a comic posted later this week.

November 14

2010-11-14T20:34:00.002-06:00

November 13

2010-11-13T20:05:00.002-06:00

November 12

2010-11-12T20:06:00.002-06:00

Maybe I'll do a "monsters knitting" theme.

November 11

2010-11-12T20:02:00.001-06:00

Whoops, forgot to post yesterday.

November 10

2010-11-10T20:12:00.002-06:00

We are currently visiting my parents in Illinois and so I got to draw Loki's sister Svena for today's sketch.

November 9

2010-11-09T19:12:00.003-06:00

Humor

2010-11-08T05:20:00.001-06:00

Waiters just don't appreciate Seth's humor.

November 7

2010-11-07T08:24:00.002-06:00

November 6

2010-11-06T07:28:00.002-05:00

Nov 5

2010-11-05T08:04:00.002-05:00

Sketchavember

2010-11-04T13:57:00.003-05:00

I am going to take part in Sketchavember. I hope to get one inked sketch posted every day of this month. But, since I didn't find out about the event until yesterday, I have posted the first three days along with today's sketch all at once. So look forward to a sketch a day along with my usual weekly comic for the month of November.

Cecilia and I have been watching a lot of Yo Gabba Gabba lately, so I decided to go with a themed set of sketches for the first week of November. The show is great fun!

Halloween

2010-11-04T13:54:00.002-05:00

This little girl could hardly walk because of how much "princess" was piled on her. She fell flat on her face on our front porch, then her dad rushed right in and picked her up. Poor thing.

Oops

2010-11-02T06:33:00.002-05:00

I didn't get around to posting yesterday. I should hopefully get one up today, but definitely this week. Here's a fun halloween photo to fill the gap. Cecilia is a one-horned, flying, purple people eater.

Cecilia needs to use words!

2010-10-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

It's very frustrating for both of us to be unable to communicate.

How to shorten your life

2010-10-18T06:06:00.002-05:00

Seth ate what was known as the Octomac (8 patties) and a "goblet of fire" which was a large soda cup of fries. Then, later that year (I think in 2008) he ate what is known as "The Arc" which is 2 of each animal on McDonald's menu - so two chicken patties, two burgers, and two fish sandwiches all in one sitting. Both times he said he could feel his life shortening while eating. Say what you will about the Man Vs. Food guy, but what he eats is probably still healthier than anything at McDonalds.

Compromise

2010-10-11T19:31:00.002-05:00

Just can't get a break

2010-10-04T21:26:00.003-05:00

Cecilia absolutely loves Loki, but Loki would just like to get to relax. Oh well.

On another note, I've finally passed 500 posts! That's a lot of comics about nothing.

Surprisingly similar

2010-09-27T15:25:00.002-05:00

Cecilia loves Loki. And she also loves being like Loki. Loki has managed to take nearly ten minutes of spinning and clawing to finally get comfortable in her doggy bed. Cecilia actually took a couple of minutes arranging the pillows our bed before sitting on them to look through her books.

She's a chipmunk

2010-09-20T07:53:00.002-05:00

We've got hundreds of acorns all over the neighborhood and she loves to hold about five or six of them in her mouth. She doesn't really eat them, break them open, I think she just chews on them as a teething device.

More butter please

2010-09-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Ate through the wrapper.

Yes, that's his real moustache

2010-09-06T07:41:00.003-05:00

Cecilia still doesn't say any real words by our standards, but she can pronounce a variety sounds. We actually had this "conversation," with the smug face and everything.

Just to save a buck

2010-08-30T07:22:00.003-05:00

I had to wait a whole week to get my copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I have about two chapters left (it's tough getting through a book when you can only read during naptime) and think I am going to read straight through through the whole series again, it's great! On a less positive note, it seems like Amazon had become a slacker when shipping packages. I used to always receive available merchandise within about three days, but the last two years have changed that dramatically. Now it often takes a few weeks before an available item is even shipped! And at least a week before it arrives at my mailbox. I guess that's what I get for wanting to get a great deal. In the future, I think I will just buy any incredibly popular new releases at Costco or Walmart so I can have it right away.

Edit: I finished the book later that night. It's great! I think Suzanne Collins did a good job of ending the series and I have already started re-reading The Hunger Games (book 1) so that I can go through all three in a row. I've heard that the movie rights have already been purchased, but I'm afraid for a movie version. Don't get me wrong, I think a movie version could be amazing, but I also think it could be pretty disastrous (like Ella, Enchanted - a book I really enjoyed). The amount of editing in order to get a pg-13 rating would ruin the point of the book.

Animal kingdom

2010-08-23T05:55:00.002-05:00

Since I've begun taking walks at the crack of dawn with Cecilia, I have discovered so much unknown animal life in our neighborhood. Mainly just interesting bugs and lizards, but types I never see during the day. I guess even the natives don't like the heat in Texas.

Wildlife

2010-08-16T17:44:00.002-05:00

Seriously big bird! It seems to frequent this particular part of the neighborhood and flies really close to us when we walk by. It swooped overhead and landed on a branch about 4 feet away. My parents visited recently and said that it's not a red-tailed hawk, but whatever it is it's big and awe-inspiring.

Garbage day is a very dangerous day

2010-08-09T06:01:00.003-05:00

The smell is actually worse after the trash cans have been emptied and the lids left open.

New priorities

2010-08-02T06:28:00.002-05:00

Pleasing Cecilia is more important than my own disgust. I can't believe she's over a year old (14.5 months)!

Everything is a toy

2010-07-26T20:55:00.001-05:00

Constant battle

2010-07-19T06:27:00.002-05:00

I'm back for good this time!

2010-07-12T19:35:00.003-05:00

Okay, so....since I have been so horrible at updating since Cecilia was born I am finally setting a plan in action. I hope to post one comic a week, on Monday - starting today.

On another note (for anyone who is actually still reading this blog) I am a HUGE Avatar the last airbender fan. I was incredibly excited when I heard that a live-action version was being made (though, it is completely unnecessary). I was even excited that Shyamalan was directed - despite critics I have always been a supporter of him.........that is.........until "The Happening" happened. But, I was hopeful, after all he had great material to work with. And, despite somewhat gloomy-looking trailers I was still optimistic.....

But the movie was not good. The main problem being that they removed all humor from the series and they changed the pronunciation of all the characters' names (why, I will never understand). There was also stiff acting, slow battle sequences, harsh editing (I think it would be difficult for a first-timer to understand the plot), and completely unnecessary narration (why tell us when you can show us). Upon the first viewing I hated it and hated how it ruined an excellent animated series that will probably suffer due to the movies ratings - the quality of the film has nothing to do with the animated quality of the animated series. But, after watching the entire series again and then re-watching the film (yes, I've only seen this on a downloaded camcapture version) I actually didn't find it quite so horrendous. The film still lacked any real character development (except maybe for Zuko) and Aang lost all personality (as did Katara and Sokka), but the writing wasn't as bad as I thought it was upon first viewing. In fact, I can understand some of the plot decisions and approve of some changes to the locations of certain events.

In the end, I don't think the movie deserves as much harsh criticism as it gets from those who weren't fans of the series. It was actually enjoyable when viewed as a film separate from the series. There is so much potential to make an incredible second film, but I fear it will never happen and I'm sad to not get to enjoy more of a wonderful franchise.

OK, rant over and done with - Watch the animated series!!!

Long time no post....

2010-05-23T21:29:00.004-05:00

I actually drew these in March and never got around to posting till tonight. Cecilia is now a whole year old! She's walking and getting into all sorts of mischief, still taking away all my free time. I finally managed to get a chance to sit and draw something (posted here), and managed to remember these two comics. Loki feels put out, but she's starting to realize that children=treats because Cecilia loves to give Loki food. I hope that I will be able to return to this blog with a more regular schedule, but I haven't done a very good job so far. To those who actually check my site still, thanks for your support ^_^

I can't believe it!

2010-03-12T19:46:00.002-06:00

TV's most popular couple just named their baby Cecelia. Not only will my daughter now have to deal with a potential rise in the same name, but she will have to correct everyone's spelling since The Office has now designated her name as having two "e"s. Plus, we are going to have to deal with the fact that we have now named our child after a television show, even though she was born nine months prior. Oh well.

On another note, haven't updated this blog in an incredibly long time. Hopefully I can get my time management skills in order and begin posting more often.

Oops!

2010-03-12T19:44:00.002-06:00

Too many bubbles can be a hazard when Cecilia slips under the water. She likes to try to eat the bubbles.

First teeth!

2010-03-12T19:43:00.001-06:00

Took a while, but the bottom one appeared at nine months.

Seriously, this happens every time...

2010-01-18T10:50:00.004-06:00

Seem familiar? We've been playing for two months now and I must've killed only three creatures and injured two. And with the rate at which I roll ones, I will more likely injure myself - it's purely by the good nature of the DM that I have only dropped my weapon. Everyone in the group acknowledges that I do seem to have a knack for rolling incredibly low values over and over.....I defy probability. Although, our entire group seems to have a poor rolling record, but mine is the worst.

A new campaign!

2010-01-18T10:48:00.002-06:00

So, we've finally started another D&D session. And, despite playing a Goliath Barbarian I can't seem to kill, or even injure, anything.

Useless

2010-01-18T10:45:00.002-06:00

I still don't really believe that Cecilia had a true milk and soy protein allergy (since she continued having extreme difficulties for two months despite me not even TOUCHING dairy or soy). But we still had to go visit the doctor for him to tell us that I still need to stay on the diet and that things seem to have worked themselves out. Argh! The important thing is that Cecilia is feeling better, and I don't see any blood anymore.

Things have finally gotten better!

2010-01-18T10:40:00.003-06:00

Yes, it seems that her problems have stopped as of the end of November. But, I am still following the no dairy no soy diet, just not as strict. I'm pretty sure that soy is perfectly fine for me to eat, but not so sure about dairy. So...I don't gorge on milk and cheese, but I do have the occasional buttery cookie. It's amazing how much happier she is nowadays, and I'm getting much more sleep. But...now she crawls all over the house and is curious about everything, and doesn't nap much, so I still don't have much free time - hence why I haven't been posting.

She's mobile!

2009-11-18T07:01:00.002-06:00

Cecilia's been able to get around by "worming" across the floor, though she's managed to fully master the technique recently and has quite some speed when she is determined. Now, she basically does a full crawl around the floor and has started pulling herself up onto things.

More hidden soy

2009-11-18T06:51:00.003-06:00

The book I was reading is "Imaginative realism" by James Gurney and he did a painting of all the things "wonderful" soybeans are used for - and low and behold there was a box of Gerber Baby Rice in the picture. Sure enough, a quick check to the ingredients list confirmed the presence of soy. I had been so focused on my diet I didn't think about what I was putting into her - though you would think the box would clearly list soy as a potential allergen. So now I've eliminated probiotics from our diet (they have milk protein), DHA supplements (they have soy), and her baby rice cereal. Things haven't been getting much better despite our completely dairy and soy free diet. Her 6 month check up is coming soon, so maybe the doctor will have some new insight (though I doubt it).

Happy Halloween

2009-11-18T06:48:00.002-06:00

She didn't get to show off her costume much since she went to sleep right when all the trick or treaters came around. We got the cute skeleton suit from Wal-mart, and I made the hat out of fleece.

Mind powers

2009-11-18T06:47:00.000-06:00

Cravings

2009-10-26T11:54:00.004-05:00

I never had any cravings when I was pregnant, but now that I can't have certain items, I am craving them like crazy. These chocolate-mayonnaise cupcakes with a meringue-like frosting hit the spot. I've also set about making all sorts of cookies to fulfill my sweet tooth, but it's hard to get cookies right when you substitute oil for butter.

Blenderiffic!

2009-10-26T11:52:00.001-05:00

Now that we know what's going on with Cecilia's stomach, and can start to introduce her to solid foods. I spent a couple of hours making all sorts of baby food and freezing it for future use. She now has apple, pear, butternut squash, sweet potato, and zucchini purees.

Somewhat disappointing

2009-10-26T11:49:00.001-05:00

Most women tend to rapidly lose weight after being on a dairy and soy free diet. But not me. I've managed to cook plenty of food for myself, I just can't eat out anymore.

The diagnosis

2009-10-26T11:45:00.001-05:00

So, Cecilia has a hypersensitivity to dairy and soy proteins. Apparently, 50% of dairy protein allergy kids are also allergic to soy proteins, so I'm off soy as a precaution. She has been improving, and we haven't seen any more blood in her stool for several weeks. But, as of last week, I experimented with a soy-laden dinner, and sure enough she had blood in her stools the next day. So, guess I am officially off dairy and soy until she's weaned or one year-old.

Dirty work

2009-09-22T17:52:00.002-05:00

Basically right after her visit to the doctor, things have been going okay on the stool front. I've still been collecting samples - gross - but things seem to be better. This may mean that my no dairy no soy diet could be paying off. Which is good. But also bad, because I'll have to continue abstaining from dairy and soy for more than a month now. I pretty much can't eat out anymore - at least not fast food.

Next step

2009-09-22T17:50:00.001-05:00

So, Cecilia went to her 4 month check up (and got more shots, ouch). She's had blood in her stools for about three weeks now, two of which were during my no dairy no soy diet. So...we get to start testing. I got four vials to fill with baby poop. Yay!

Soy is in everything!

2009-09-22T17:43:00.002-05:00

It really is! I've found it in chicken broth, canned tuna, bread crumbs, even in a rice milk ice cream (soy lecithin was in the chocolate chips). Basically, I've been cooking all my meals and baking my own bread. It's given me an opportunity to go through my middle-eastern cookbooks since they base a lot of their cuisine on olive oil. But kofta without yogurt sauce is a little disappointing. Soy, however, is not in hot dogs.

Dairy and Soy alternatives

2009-09-22T17:39:00.002-05:00

Almond Breeze has soy lecithin. Who would've guessed. Soy lecithin doesn't usually affect people with soy allergies, but I need to be as thorough as possible. The bit I did have was pretty tasty, but too sweet for a milk substitute. Rice milk tastes like liquid rice, but it's good enough for me. Works well in cereal and as an alternative to water. I have found other almond milk drinks without soy lecithin, but I was able to buy rice milk at Costco, so it is the drink of choice for the time being.

Four months and no sleep makes Laura insane

2009-09-10T10:57:00.004-05:00

It's amazing how long one can survive without a full night's sleep. Cecilia's had issues that tend to disturb her sleep, and therefore my sleep. I really only get about 3 hours sleep in one sitting. We've had our hands quite full, more than was expected. And Cecilia has brought about a whole new issue that we never anticipated, and now, I am on a no dairy no soy diet. Goodbye to everything I love to eat. No dairy wasn't too big a deal because I had basically already given up dairy in an attempt to help Cecilia with her digestion, but at least I had Chinese food. Well, not anymore - no soy! Basically, I can't eat any processed foods and have to be careful about eating out. Cecilia's had gastrointestinal issues that may be due to me eating dairy and soy, so we are going to try out this restrictive diet for about a month and see if things get better. Even a small slice of cheese could cause problems, I have to watch everything I eat. Luckily I already like to cook, so that's not an obstacle, but the recipe list is limited. Wish me luck!

Developing motor skills

2009-09-10T10:55:00.002-05:00

Whew! Finally got around to posting a few comics. This one is from a while ago. Cecilia's been learning motor control, but she tends to get frustrated when she can't acheive what she wants. Seth says she must take after him. At the time of this comic she was just learning how to reach and grab for stuff, but now whe can roll over! I'm so slow to post...

Cupcake Smackdown

2009-08-12T16:09:00.003-05:00

We went to a Cupcake Smackdown in Austin the other week and I made Cecilia a knitted hat to go with the theme. It got her into a lot of people's photo albums and blogs (like here and here). I even managed to sell one, and will make more to sell through etsy.

Haircut

2009-08-12T16:07:00.001-05:00

I've been needing one for so long (haha, "long"). My parents were visiting so it was the perfect opportunity, but my mom nearly fainted when she saw how much I cut off. Just in time, too, since Cecilia has been grabbing at things constantly.

Everything is precious

2009-08-12T16:06:00.001-05:00

I actually found this more hilarious than precious. And no, I did not take a photo of the event.

Vitamins

2009-07-27T11:11:00.003-05:00

At her 2 month pediatrician visit we were told we needed to start giving her vitamins (mainly for the vitamin D). So I went to the store and got a liquid multi-vitamin for babies. She has to get a full 1 mL of vitamin liquid every day! That's a lot of fluid, like half her stomach. She didn't like it one bit and managed to spit out nearly all the liquid while making a very upset face. Now, we have to try to get the liquid way in the bacl of her throat and she takes a few seconds to choke it down, all the while giving us a painful expression. I don't blame her, that stuff is nasty.

Two months old!

2009-07-27T11:10:00.002-05:00

Small goals part 2

2009-07-27T11:08:00.003-05:00

Yes! I went grocery shopping all by myself with Cecilia. That is worth a pat on the back! She ended up falling asleep in the carrier by the end of the trip. Having a baby attached to your front is a little awkward when putting groceries away, but she really likes getting to be part of the action.

Small goals part 1

2009-07-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

I've made blueberry pie often enough, yet nowadays I can't seem to get the filling right. The crust came out perfect, but the filling was all liquid surrounding very firm blueberries. Last time I made blueberry pie, the berries didn't burst and I had hard bits of sugar and tapioca floating between the blueberries. So this time I tried a recipe with cornstarch, and the liquid didn't solidify enough. The flavor was good, so maybe next time.

Runaway

2009-07-27T10:31:00.002-05:00

He ran from the backyard to the front to avoid the swarm of wasps. No worries though, we have gotten rid of the hive. I'm just glad I didn't get stung.

Why I'm always tired

2009-07-17T17:45:00.003-05:00

This happens at during least one waking per night. It can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours for me to attempt to get her to sleep in her crib so that I can sleep in the bed. I've even tried to wait out the fussiness, but her grumblings will just accelerate until I manage to hold her for the required amount of time before placing her in the crib.

Why nothing gets done...

2009-07-17T17:43:00.003-05:00

She takes very irregular naps. Sometimes they last for 2 hours, others only 20 minutes. Needless to say I don't get much done other than attempt to make up for lost sleep.

Week 4: Pediatrician visit

2009-06-30T15:19:00.002-05:00

When she was just born, Cecilia had to have her blood taken several times from her foot and she rarely showed any real discomfort. Then, at the two week doctor's visit she got another blood sample and went ballistic. It took me about half an hour and some comfort nursing to get her to calm down enough to place her in the car seat. So, when we had her one month check up I was prepared for her to cry inconsolably again, but she seemed to be just fine. I don't know if it's the fact that Seth held her, but it was no big deal. I have heard that the first vaccination visit (two months) is another painful crying session, so I'll be prepared for that.

Week 4: Daily routine

2009-06-30T15:17:00.002-05:00

The sleep part is getting better, I'm improving on my nap-taking. Plus, she's beginning to sleep for longer stretches of time at night. Although, she still tends to be pretty fussy about falling asleep in her crib around 4am and I tend to pass out on our cozy chair with her in my arms for brief stretches of time.

Week 3

2009-06-30T15:16:00.002-05:00

Week 2: Forced effort

2009-06-26T14:26:00.002-05:00

Never knew a baby's face could turn so red and scrunch up so much just to pass a bowel movement. She can strain for a surprising amount of time before accomplishing anything, making all sorts of faces and grunting noises in the process. It clearly seems difficult to poop while laying down (in fact, she likes to be propped upright in her swing chair - we've officially named it the poop chair).

Week 2: Spelling issues

2009-06-26T14:24:00.001-05:00

At the hospital we asked all sorts of people how they would spell Cecilia. And the answers were split nearly 50/50. We've unfortunately doomed Cecilia to have to deal with this for the rest of her life. Even I've spelled her name both ways until we finally settled on an official (on the birth certificate and SS card) spelling.

Week 2: Pediatrician visit

2009-06-26T14:22:00.002-05:00

Not everyone can appreciate the unique flavor that is Seth's humor. The pediatrician did eventually laugh, but it took her a moment before the absurdity of the statement sank in.

One month old!

2009-06-23T16:19:00.002-05:00

Week 1: Switch to cloth diapers

2009-06-23T15:57:00.002-05:00

Yes, we are using old school cloth diapers. They tend to soak through with urine pretty quick, so we are doing all sorts of laundry. But it still seems way cheaper than disposable diapers, especially when she can go through about 4 diapers in ten minutes. Cecilia is not fond of having a dirty diaper on her body.

Week 1: What a newborn can sleep through

2009-06-23T15:56:00.002-05:00

The vacuum surprised me most of all. Although, she doesn't sleep quite as deeply anymore.