Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
What? I have to get shots?!?
I love this picture, it totally shows what Van must have been thinking when he found out he had to get shots at his 2 month appointment :)
Yesterday, we went to see Dr. G. Van is growing like a weed and is already up to 12lbs 10oz! He is in the 75th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 50th again for head circumference. He is practically perfect in every way :)
He also received two shots yesterday as well as an oral vaccine (we go back for one more shot next week). He did great and only shed a few tears. When we got home he slept and then got really upset when we woke him. Poor guy seemed to be really hurting and his leg was a bit swollen :( After some Tylenol, he went to bed. Normally Van sleeps for 6+ hours at night... not last night. He woke up every 1 1/2 hours. We didn't get much sleep, but it's ok. He just needed a bit of comfort, which we were happy to give. He's just like his Daddy. Kenny hates shots too!
So far today he seems back to his normal self. Not looking forward to next week and having to do this all over again. At least we know our little guy is protected and safe. Sometimes doing the best thing can hurt. Sorry Van!
Yesterday, we went to see Dr. G. Van is growing like a weed and is already up to 12lbs 10oz! He is in the 75th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 50th again for head circumference. He is practically perfect in every way :)
He also received two shots yesterday as well as an oral vaccine (we go back for one more shot next week). He did great and only shed a few tears. When we got home he slept and then got really upset when we woke him. Poor guy seemed to be really hurting and his leg was a bit swollen :( After some Tylenol, he went to bed. Normally Van sleeps for 6+ hours at night... not last night. He woke up every 1 1/2 hours. We didn't get much sleep, but it's ok. He just needed a bit of comfort, which we were happy to give. He's just like his Daddy. Kenny hates shots too!
So far today he seems back to his normal self. Not looking forward to next week and having to do this all over again. At least we know our little guy is protected and safe. Sometimes doing the best thing can hurt. Sorry Van!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
09-09-09
So while Kelly was pushing a kiddo out, Danny, Tonita, Izzy and I had our own little 09-09-09 combo Izzy's 6 month party!
We had 9 different dinner items from Emma's and followed that with 9 different ice creams for dessert!
We had 9 different dinner items from Emma's and followed that with 9 different ice creams for dessert!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
2 Months Old!
Van is 2 months old today!
He is such a happy, easy baby and is getting more and more interactive each day. He is cooing and laughing and rolls over almost every time we put him on his tummy.
Look at how much he has grown since 1 month!
He is such a happy, easy baby and is getting more and more interactive each day. He is cooing and laughing and rolls over almost every time we put him on his tummy.
Look at how much he has grown since 1 month!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Over the falls in a barrel
Just a quick re-cap for you all on our latest little trip:
We left Sunday morning from San Diego Intl. to Dallas DFW and then to Newark, New Jersey. Van rocked it out on both flights - which were about 3 hours each. He was a huge hit with nearly every desk agent, TSA guard and flight attendant. Traveling with a 5 week old baby is the best. They let you board first, treat you nice. Best airline flying experience I have had in a while.
Van's First Plane Ride!
From Newark we grabbed a rental car to Morristown, NJ where CAE SimuFlite is located. Kenny did five days of training (M-F) while Jen and Van hanged out in the Homewood Suites hotel room. (ask Jen about how much she loves the Homewood). The second night we were in New Jersey, we were able to get in touch with some friends that we met on our China trip in January. They lived about an hour and a half south of were we staying. It was fun to get to see them again - and get a free dinner! John is a great cook and whipped out a tasty steak and potato dinner with apple pie and ice cream to finish.
We did manage to find some recreation time after Kenny's simulator sessions (6:30 am - 11:30 am Eastern) and managed to take Van for his first geocache and consequently his first FTF!
Friday was Kenny's check ride (which he passed with flying colors - pun intended) and then we headed south for Philadelphia. We had Pricelined a room for $62 and when we showed up, we were shocked because we had to pay another $30 to park. Oh well. We valeted the car, unpacked the stroller and hit the streets of Philly.
We saw Independence Hall, where they signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Liberty Bell and the US Mint. The best part was the level 5 thunderstorm that hit the city while we were walking around. We wanted to pass the time in a dry location and we were hungry, and so, thanks to Jolene, we found a great Philly cheese steak place and weathered out the storm there. The cheese steak was quite delicious as well as the Italian hoagie sandwich.
The storm broke and we headed home to the hotel. A quick stop in a bakery secured us a creme brulee and chocolate tort that were half priced due it being the end of the day, and then we were back.
Saturday morning - we grabbed a few geocaches, another cheese steak and then hit the road for, well, somewhere closer to Niagara Falls than Philly. We made a small, time consuming detour to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and saw this lovely nature display.
After Cabela's, we made another stop, this one in Scranton, PA - where CBS's the Office is supposedly based. We tracked down Poor Richard's Pub where we grabbed a bacon cheeseburger, another Italian hoagie, fries and soda - all for only $12! Yeah, we spent more than on lunch at McDonalds earlier that day. From Scranton, we decided to press on and continue northbound.
Jolene gave us another helping hand, and we ended up Syracuse, NY for another Priceline hotel. We arrived about 10:30 pm, checked in, got our rooms keys and headed up to the 15th floor. We found room 1509, slid our card into the slot, opened the door and found ourselves in an occupied room! We promptly exited the room and headed back down to the front desk. The lady tried to give a room with one double bed - ah, no. We finally ended up with a room that was unoccupied, had a king bed and warm shower - good enough for us.
From Syracuse, we headed out Sunday morning to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The drive went smoothly and we made it without incident.
We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday on the Canadian side of Niagara. On Tuesday, we left Canada, saw the American side of the falls and then drove to Buffalo near the airport for our 8 am Southwest Airlines departure on Wednesday.
A few highlights of Niagara Falls:
welcome to Las Vegas.
another rain storm and taxi cab.
a terrible Hampton Inn.
vomit attack at Tony Roma's "all-you-can-eat" ribs.
fireworks show over the Falls.
night lights on the Falls.
attack elevator at Hampton Inn.
Lake Ontario and Niagara on the Lake.
our first Canadian geocache.
Little Red Rooster Restaurant.
nature hikes.
the wonderful 27th floor "Falls View" room at the Embassy Suites.
Maid of the Mist.
Cave of Winds.
Van at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls at night
Jen and Van at Lake Ontario
Little Red Rooster Restaurant
The view
Dad and son at Niagara Falls
Kenny and Van on Maid of the Mist
Jen on Maid of the Mist
View of the Cave of Winds walk
In Buffalo, we found by sheer dumb luck, a great little Italian restaurant called "Frank's Sunny Italy Family Restaurant." It was fantastic, plus the waitress made us a firm believer that anyone and everyone who lives in Buffalo is crazy.
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. After finally drifting off to sleep later than we really wanted (about 11:30), we were jerked awake by an alarm going off. Van actually let out a small scream. Kenny was beating the alarm clock and was one step away from yanking it of the wall when the alarm announced "bwwooop, bwwooop, this is an emergency. Please proceed to the designed meeting place. bwwooop bwwooop. This is an emergency..."
Kenny remained calm and phoned the the front desk.
"Front desk."
"Yeah, we have an alarm going off in our room. Is the alarm legitimate?"
"Sir, yes it is. Please leave your room immediately."
So, Jen and Kenny calmly get dressed, grab our back packs, a laptop, and Van, and proceed out. Unfortunately, we were on the 9th floor and had to hoof it down all those stairs. By the time we arrived at the designated meeting area, the fire trucks were already leaving. It was a false alarm. Jen was surprised at Kenny in that he took the time to check each door for heat before opening it. Dwight would have been proud.
Wednesday morning came way too early after our midnight fire drill, but we managed to make it to Buffalo Airport on time and then, just as we are about to check in for our flight, Van rocket vomits all over everything within a four foot radius. We manage to get everything mostly cleaned up and re-attempt to check-in only to get the RUDEST, MEANEST, UGLIEST (okay that last one took it too far, but the first two were completely true) Southwest Airlines gate agent ever. Just in case you were wondering, her name was Brenda and her badge ID is 37014. Brenda checked us and our baggage in and we were off to TSA screening. Fortunately, Brenda was the worst of the day and we actually had the best TSA agents, SWA gate agents (one guy actually bumped a person off the flight so we could have all three seats to ourselves) flight attendants and pilots ever. The pilots even wanted to meet Van. They saw us getting off the plane and thought he was the cutest kid ever. The pilots were also curious about Jen's unusually large neck pillow.
All in all, it was a great first family vacation and we cannot wait to drag Van on many more.
We left Sunday morning from San Diego Intl. to Dallas DFW and then to Newark, New Jersey. Van rocked it out on both flights - which were about 3 hours each. He was a huge hit with nearly every desk agent, TSA guard and flight attendant. Traveling with a 5 week old baby is the best. They let you board first, treat you nice. Best airline flying experience I have had in a while.
Van's First Plane Ride!From Newark we grabbed a rental car to Morristown, NJ where CAE SimuFlite is located. Kenny did five days of training (M-F) while Jen and Van hanged out in the Homewood Suites hotel room. (ask Jen about how much she loves the Homewood). The second night we were in New Jersey, we were able to get in touch with some friends that we met on our China trip in January. They lived about an hour and a half south of were we staying. It was fun to get to see them again - and get a free dinner! John is a great cook and whipped out a tasty steak and potato dinner with apple pie and ice cream to finish.
We did manage to find some recreation time after Kenny's simulator sessions (6:30 am - 11:30 am Eastern) and managed to take Van for his first geocache and consequently his first FTF!
Friday was Kenny's check ride (which he passed with flying colors - pun intended) and then we headed south for Philadelphia. We had Pricelined a room for $62 and when we showed up, we were shocked because we had to pay another $30 to park. Oh well. We valeted the car, unpacked the stroller and hit the streets of Philly.
We saw Independence Hall, where they signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Liberty Bell and the US Mint. The best part was the level 5 thunderstorm that hit the city while we were walking around. We wanted to pass the time in a dry location and we were hungry, and so, thanks to Jolene, we found a great Philly cheese steak place and weathered out the storm there. The cheese steak was quite delicious as well as the Italian hoagie sandwich.
The storm broke and we headed home to the hotel. A quick stop in a bakery secured us a creme brulee and chocolate tort that were half priced due it being the end of the day, and then we were back.
Saturday morning - we grabbed a few geocaches, another cheese steak and then hit the road for, well, somewhere closer to Niagara Falls than Philly. We made a small, time consuming detour to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA and saw this lovely nature display.
After Cabela's, we made another stop, this one in Scranton, PA - where CBS's the Office is supposedly based. We tracked down Poor Richard's Pub where we grabbed a bacon cheeseburger, another Italian hoagie, fries and soda - all for only $12! Yeah, we spent more than on lunch at McDonalds earlier that day. From Scranton, we decided to press on and continue northbound.
Jolene gave us another helping hand, and we ended up Syracuse, NY for another Priceline hotel. We arrived about 10:30 pm, checked in, got our rooms keys and headed up to the 15th floor. We found room 1509, slid our card into the slot, opened the door and found ourselves in an occupied room! We promptly exited the room and headed back down to the front desk. The lady tried to give a room with one double bed - ah, no. We finally ended up with a room that was unoccupied, had a king bed and warm shower - good enough for us.
From Syracuse, we headed out Sunday morning to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The drive went smoothly and we made it without incident.
We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday on the Canadian side of Niagara. On Tuesday, we left Canada, saw the American side of the falls and then drove to Buffalo near the airport for our 8 am Southwest Airlines departure on Wednesday.
A few highlights of Niagara Falls:
welcome to Las Vegas.
another rain storm and taxi cab.
a terrible Hampton Inn.
vomit attack at Tony Roma's "all-you-can-eat" ribs.
fireworks show over the Falls.
night lights on the Falls.
attack elevator at Hampton Inn.
Lake Ontario and Niagara on the Lake.
our first Canadian geocache.
Little Red Rooster Restaurant.
nature hikes.
the wonderful 27th floor "Falls View" room at the Embassy Suites.
Maid of the Mist.
Cave of Winds.
Van at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls at night
Jen and Van at Lake Ontario
Little Red Rooster Restaurant
The view
Dad and son at Niagara Falls
Kenny and Van on Maid of the Mist
Jen on Maid of the Mist
View of the Cave of Winds walk
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. After finally drifting off to sleep later than we really wanted (about 11:30), we were jerked awake by an alarm going off. Van actually let out a small scream. Kenny was beating the alarm clock and was one step away from yanking it of the wall when the alarm announced "bwwooop, bwwooop, this is an emergency. Please proceed to the designed meeting place. bwwooop bwwooop. This is an emergency..."
Kenny remained calm and phoned the the front desk.
"Front desk."
"Yeah, we have an alarm going off in our room. Is the alarm legitimate?"
"Sir, yes it is. Please leave your room immediately."
So, Jen and Kenny calmly get dressed, grab our back packs, a laptop, and Van, and proceed out. Unfortunately, we were on the 9th floor and had to hoof it down all those stairs. By the time we arrived at the designated meeting area, the fire trucks were already leaving. It was a false alarm. Jen was surprised at Kenny in that he took the time to check each door for heat before opening it. Dwight would have been proud.
Wednesday morning came way too early after our midnight fire drill, but we managed to make it to Buffalo Airport on time and then, just as we are about to check in for our flight, Van rocket vomits all over everything within a four foot radius. We manage to get everything mostly cleaned up and re-attempt to check-in only to get the RUDEST, MEANEST, UGLIEST (okay that last one took it too far, but the first two were completely true) Southwest Airlines gate agent ever. Just in case you were wondering, her name was Brenda and her badge ID is 37014. Brenda checked us and our baggage in and we were off to TSA screening. Fortunately, Brenda was the worst of the day and we actually had the best TSA agents, SWA gate agents (one guy actually bumped a person off the flight so we could have all three seats to ourselves) flight attendants and pilots ever. The pilots even wanted to meet Van. They saw us getting off the plane and thought he was the cutest kid ever. The pilots were also curious about Jen's unusually large neck pillow.
All in all, it was a great first family vacation and we cannot wait to drag Van on many more.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Van's first vacation
We left early yesterday morning and flew to New Jersey for Kenny's flight training. Van did so good on the planes and slept the entire time. We thought all that sleeping might keep him awake last night, but he did great.
Van and I are hanging out at the hotel for the next few days while Kenny is at the airport. It is pretty much just like being at home since we are staying at the Homewood Suites... it is so nice to have a kitchen and living room and not have to sit on bed all day long.
Van was so happy this morning, I thought I'd take a video. He is such a good traveler :)
Van and I are hanging out at the hotel for the next few days while Kenny is at the airport. It is pretty much just like being at home since we are staying at the Homewood Suites... it is so nice to have a kitchen and living room and not have to sit on bed all day long.
Van was so happy this morning, I thought I'd take a video. He is such a good traveler :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Van Rolls Over
Van rolled over tonight for the first time from his tummy to his back! We watched him the first time then ran and grabbed the video camera and caught him rolling over again for the second time. Yeah Van!
Saturday, August 08, 2009
One Month Old!
Van is one month old today. He hit a growth spurt this week and is getting so big. On Monday he weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz and after the crazy week he had, I am sure he gained a ton this week. I can't wait to weigh him in on Monday and see how much he has grown.
We decided to take his one month pictures today, it was an interesting experience. Babies don't always cooperate :)
First he was attacked by a giraffe...
Then we decided he might like the bear a bit more...
Van got tired half way through the photo shoot...
Finally a smile...
Happy One Month Van!!! We love you!!!
We decided to take his one month pictures today, it was an interesting experience. Babies don't always cooperate :)
First he was attacked by a giraffe...
Then we decided he might like the bear a bit more...
Van got tired half way through the photo shoot...
Finally a smile...
Happy One Month Van!!! We love you!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The extraordinary Tom Knapp
While I was suffering from Baby Van withdrawals in Colorado Springs for four days, I did manage to fill one of my days with something I had been wanting to see for a long time.
I got to see exhibition shooter, Tom Knapp. He has two shows of his own on the OLN as well regularly appearing on "Impossible Shots" show. It was a blast! He is a super nice guy and went through the crowd before the show introducing himself and shaking hands. He also stayed after the show for a good hour signing autographs on clay pigeons and taking pictures. A real class act.
I had unfortunately missed him the day before when he did a show about 20 minutes from my hotel. Instead, I had to drive almost three hours to Nunn, Colorado to see him. I took a major freeway to a small highway, to a one lane country road, to three dirt roads and viola, I was there (there being the middle of nowhere).
Anyways, if you ever have the chance to catch one of his shows, a three hour drive is totally worth it.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Van's First Week
Today Van is one week old!
He has had a full week all full of firsts... first bath, first doctor's visit, first time on tv... you know, all the normal stuff :)
He is a great baby and sleeps all the time. He even slept all through the night last night. Hopefully that will continue!
He is eating great and is plumping up. We went to the doctor yesterday and Van is almost back up to his birth weight.
I am recovering and am feeling almost back to normal, except for the fact that it still hurts to bend over. The only hard thing is remembering to take it easy and relax so I don't hurt myself. Thankfully my mom and Kenny are both here to pamper me and help out around the house.
Here is a quick slideshow of some of Van's firsts during his first week of life.
He has had a full week all full of firsts... first bath, first doctor's visit, first time on tv... you know, all the normal stuff :)
He is a great baby and sleeps all the time. He even slept all through the night last night. Hopefully that will continue!
He is eating great and is plumping up. We went to the doctor yesterday and Van is almost back up to his birth weight.
I am recovering and am feeling almost back to normal, except for the fact that it still hurts to bend over. The only hard thing is remembering to take it easy and relax so I don't hurt myself. Thankfully my mom and Kenny are both here to pamper me and help out around the house.
Here is a quick slideshow of some of Van's firsts during his first week of life.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Van's Photo Shoot Preview
A friend of ours from college, Jennifer Jabbour, is a natural light photographer and offered to come over yesterday to take newborn shoots of Van.The photo shoot went really well even though Van was awake for most of the shoot. It took a while to get him to fall asleep so we could get a few of the shots, but overall he did amazing.
Check out the sneak peak of the photo shoot. We will post the link to all the pictures once they are finished.
http://jenniferjabbour.com/blog/?p=82
P.S. If you are looking for a photographer, I would totally recommend Jen. She has a great eye and is super patient and fun to work with!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
How appropriate...
Our horoscope for today:
If possible, make time to take a nice nap this weekend. You need a bit more sleep.
:)
If possible, make time to take a nice nap this weekend. You need a bit more sleep.
:)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Van is here!
Van arrived at 4:56pm on 07-08-09! He is 7lbs 8 oz. and 19 inches long. We are at the hospital now and should be released on Saturday morning. Lots of stories to tell, but for now, here are some pictures :)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Car seats and rocket science
Should have been posted on June 21, 2009
Come on people, this is not rocket science.
PART ONE
We are t-minus two weeks to the baby launch and we are finalizing all the small stuff (and some big stuff too). On the baby launch agenda was a car seat. The government in all its wisdom feels the need to protect the youth of the nation by mandating that all children be hopelessly strapped into your vehicle when it is in motion. They will not let you even leave the hospital if you cannot satisfactorily demonstrate your ability to correctly fasten the seat to your car and then insert the child into said seat.
Of course, Jen and I over research, price check, compare and analyze everything. We finally had it down to one car seat but the tough decision was now between the cloth pattern of “Tango in the Tongo” or “Jungle Adventure.” To be fair, we had reached our breaking point in the child related decision making process. Let’s review them shall we:
1. Decide to have a child
2. Take an early peak at the child’s, uh, stuff
3. Having seen the child’s, uh, stuff, pick a name that will forever determine his destiny
4. Breech baby – choose his arrival into this world
That last one did us in.
Now we are forced to decide between the “Tango in the Tongo” or “Jungle Adventure”, which our team of psychoanalysts, statisticians and soothsayers have informed us that a misstep here will permanently and irrevocably screw up our child if the wrong one is chosen.
After many consultations and worry-filled nights we settle on “Tango in the Tongo” and hope for the best.
Three days later, Jen finds another brand of car seat that had been in the running on sale for $25 (original price $80). ARG!
We decide to roll with it and take the bargain car seat and run. Now we need a second adapter base for our other car (please don’t ask about car seat adapter bases – it is a scam for the baby accessory companies). We can get one from the manufacturer for forty bucks, but why pay forty when I can get one off craigslist (and how I love craigslist) for fifteen bucks.
Jen finds one on craigslist lickety-split and we go to check it out. Now, they are actually selling the seat and the adapter base but we really only need the base, but for fifteen bucks we’ll take the adapter and pitch the seat into the nearest Goodwill we can find.
After confirming with the seller twice that she has the base, we hit the road to go pick up our bargain find.
Anyone familiar with the term white trash? No relevance to the story, just a question.
We pull up to a mobile home (does not imply white trash), and find Bubba in the carport working on his four wheel drive truck on a Friday afternoon (does not imply white trash), without a shirt on (does not imply white trash), with a lady in the back of the truck in a lawn chair with her laptop (does not imply white trash) borrowing someone’s wi-fi. A second lady comes of the trailer looking like Juliette Lewis in Too Young to Die (does not imply white trash) with the car seat.
I ask, “Do you have the base?”
“Uh, I lost it.”
“Okay.”
I turn around, walk back to the car and leave. Jen follows.
PART TWO
Not to be broken, we head home and hit craigslist again. We get another hot lead the next day and we are in the car. We pull up to a small home in a quiet neighborhood and give the door a knock. A young Russian girl answers the door and presents the car seat to us for inspection. It is in “god condition” (her words not mine), but, as we have seen already, her English is poor. The car seat is a completely different brand than what she advertised.
I guess it is hard to match the letters on the car seat with the letters on a keyboard when you list a car seat on craigslist.
I turn around, walk back to the car and prepare to leave.
“You don’t like?” she asks confusedly.
All I can do is shake my head.
PART THREE
Having two strikes against it, we take the new car seat over Tonita’s to borrow her baby and do a hands-on test between the bargain seat and the “Tango in the Tongo” seat. After pulling poor Gwizzie in and out of both car seats about a dozen times, Gwizzie decides enough is enough and pukes on my shirt (see puke story).
With its two strikes and a poor showing in the hands-on test, we decide to return the bargain seat and go with “Tango in the Tongo.” But we are still stuck with looking for base. Fortunately, the TT seat is far more common and Jen promises me that there are hundreds of these bases available on craigslist for next to nothing.
Craigslist again provides and we hit the road once again. This is another combo sale, she has a seat and a base for only $10.
As we pull up, my mind is decided. The house is “those neighbors.” Cute house on the left, cute house on the right, drug house in the middle.
We drove all that way, so I knock. A middle-aged Hispanic lady answers the door; she and her six year old son and five year old daughter lead us to the back yard shed.
The kids suddenly feel the need for a pick-up game of baseball. Some how Jen ends up being the catcher as the girl wings a fast ball past the boy’s slow swing of the bat, both the ball and bat missing Jen by inches.
The lady extricates the correct brand of seat and a base out of the shed (success so far) only to show us a filthy, old, disgusting, well you get the point, seat and base.
I turn around, walk back to the car and prepare to leave.
“You don’t want it?” she asks confusedly.
“I’ll pass.”
PART FOUR
Can anyone say full price at Target? I think we have a winner.
Come on people, this is not rocket science.
PART ONE
We are t-minus two weeks to the baby launch and we are finalizing all the small stuff (and some big stuff too). On the baby launch agenda was a car seat. The government in all its wisdom feels the need to protect the youth of the nation by mandating that all children be hopelessly strapped into your vehicle when it is in motion. They will not let you even leave the hospital if you cannot satisfactorily demonstrate your ability to correctly fasten the seat to your car and then insert the child into said seat.
Of course, Jen and I over research, price check, compare and analyze everything. We finally had it down to one car seat but the tough decision was now between the cloth pattern of “Tango in the Tongo” or “Jungle Adventure.” To be fair, we had reached our breaking point in the child related decision making process. Let’s review them shall we:
1. Decide to have a child
2. Take an early peak at the child’s, uh, stuff
3. Having seen the child’s, uh, stuff, pick a name that will forever determine his destiny
4. Breech baby – choose his arrival into this world
That last one did us in.
Now we are forced to decide between the “Tango in the Tongo” or “Jungle Adventure”, which our team of psychoanalysts, statisticians and soothsayers have informed us that a misstep here will permanently and irrevocably screw up our child if the wrong one is chosen.
After many consultations and worry-filled nights we settle on “Tango in the Tongo” and hope for the best.
Three days later, Jen finds another brand of car seat that had been in the running on sale for $25 (original price $80). ARG!
We decide to roll with it and take the bargain car seat and run. Now we need a second adapter base for our other car (please don’t ask about car seat adapter bases – it is a scam for the baby accessory companies). We can get one from the manufacturer for forty bucks, but why pay forty when I can get one off craigslist (and how I love craigslist) for fifteen bucks.
Jen finds one on craigslist lickety-split and we go to check it out. Now, they are actually selling the seat and the adapter base but we really only need the base, but for fifteen bucks we’ll take the adapter and pitch the seat into the nearest Goodwill we can find.
After confirming with the seller twice that she has the base, we hit the road to go pick up our bargain find.
Anyone familiar with the term white trash? No relevance to the story, just a question.
We pull up to a mobile home (does not imply white trash), and find Bubba in the carport working on his four wheel drive truck on a Friday afternoon (does not imply white trash), without a shirt on (does not imply white trash), with a lady in the back of the truck in a lawn chair with her laptop (does not imply white trash) borrowing someone’s wi-fi. A second lady comes of the trailer looking like Juliette Lewis in Too Young to Die (does not imply white trash) with the car seat.
I ask, “Do you have the base?”
“Uh, I lost it.”
“Okay.”
I turn around, walk back to the car and leave. Jen follows.
PART TWO
Not to be broken, we head home and hit craigslist again. We get another hot lead the next day and we are in the car. We pull up to a small home in a quiet neighborhood and give the door a knock. A young Russian girl answers the door and presents the car seat to us for inspection. It is in “god condition” (her words not mine), but, as we have seen already, her English is poor. The car seat is a completely different brand than what she advertised.
I guess it is hard to match the letters on the car seat with the letters on a keyboard when you list a car seat on craigslist.
I turn around, walk back to the car and prepare to leave.
“You don’t like?” she asks confusedly.
All I can do is shake my head.
PART THREE
Having two strikes against it, we take the new car seat over Tonita’s to borrow her baby and do a hands-on test between the bargain seat and the “Tango in the Tongo” seat. After pulling poor Gwizzie in and out of both car seats about a dozen times, Gwizzie decides enough is enough and pukes on my shirt (see puke story).
With its two strikes and a poor showing in the hands-on test, we decide to return the bargain seat and go with “Tango in the Tongo.” But we are still stuck with looking for base. Fortunately, the TT seat is far more common and Jen promises me that there are hundreds of these bases available on craigslist for next to nothing.
Craigslist again provides and we hit the road once again. This is another combo sale, she has a seat and a base for only $10.
As we pull up, my mind is decided. The house is “those neighbors.” Cute house on the left, cute house on the right, drug house in the middle.
We drove all that way, so I knock. A middle-aged Hispanic lady answers the door; she and her six year old son and five year old daughter lead us to the back yard shed.
The kids suddenly feel the need for a pick-up game of baseball. Some how Jen ends up being the catcher as the girl wings a fast ball past the boy’s slow swing of the bat, both the ball and bat missing Jen by inches.
The lady extricates the correct brand of seat and a base out of the shed (success so far) only to show us a filthy, old, disgusting, well you get the point, seat and base.
I turn around, walk back to the car and prepare to leave.
“You don’t want it?” she asks confusedly.
“I’ll pass.”
PART FOUR
Can anyone say full price at Target? I think we have a winner.
Arg!
Should have been posted on June 19, 2009
I got puked on by a baby for the first time today. Sucky thing is that it was not even my kid. Oh come on now.
We borrowed a baby to try out on car seats and somewhere in there she decided to hurl. I was just a second too slow. She smiled, she grimaced and then whamo! Puke out the pie hole. I managed to turn the vomiting child just in time to make sure that I took a hit as well as Jen and the couch.
Is this the start of long road? (deep breath) I think so.
I got puked on by a baby for the first time today. Sucky thing is that it was not even my kid. Oh come on now.
We borrowed a baby to try out on car seats and somewhere in there she decided to hurl. I was just a second too slow. She smiled, she grimaced and then whamo! Puke out the pie hole. I managed to turn the vomiting child just in time to make sure that I took a hit as well as Jen and the couch.
Is this the start of long road? (deep breath) I think so.
Mugworts....?
Should have been posted on June 12, 2009
Mugworts it is!
Jen did some research and found that there is an herb called mugwort which is used to help breech babies turn. As it turns out, mugwort leaves are dried and rolled in to sticks that you burn like incense in a process called moxibustion. Jen tracked some down at a place called Nam-Bac Hang Chinese Herbs in the college area. It was great!
Jen actually said, “It must be safe, they are selling it from a store.” Yeah, they only spoke Chinese, they only took cash and the box mentions nothing about the FDA, but sure, it must be safe because we were allowed to purchase it ☺
So we set up our mugwort moxibustion station last night in the gazebo and went at it. I cannot say that I definitively know what pot smells like, but this mugwort herb does has a suspicious smell to it. We propped up Jen, her feet and two burning rolls of mugwort. It seemed to do something because once we started smoking out Jen’s pinky toes Van started turning and rolling. Now we will keep our fingers crossed and hope something turns him.
Mugworts it is!
Jen did some research and found that there is an herb called mugwort which is used to help breech babies turn. As it turns out, mugwort leaves are dried and rolled in to sticks that you burn like incense in a process called moxibustion. Jen tracked some down at a place called Nam-Bac Hang Chinese Herbs in the college area. It was great!
Jen actually said, “It must be safe, they are selling it from a store.” Yeah, they only spoke Chinese, they only took cash and the box mentions nothing about the FDA, but sure, it must be safe because we were allowed to purchase it ☺
So we set up our mugwort moxibustion station last night in the gazebo and went at it. I cannot say that I definitively know what pot smells like, but this mugwort herb does has a suspicious smell to it. We propped up Jen, her feet and two burning rolls of mugwort. It seemed to do something because once we started smoking out Jen’s pinky toes Van started turning and rolling. Now we will keep our fingers crossed and hope something turns him.
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