How Big

Look how big!

No Comments Make me Sad

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
Guess I'll go eat worms...

Pool Honey

Of all the things we ever did besides baseball,
going to the pool was what he tolerated best.
Even though none of us had ever seen a Playboy magazine,
which we constantly lied about,
we figured going to the pool
was the next best thing to being there.

It wasn't really the pool honeys like we said,
because if any one of them had come up to any one of us,
we'd have just peed our pants.

Claire Can Clap

So Claire can clap, I swear.. I have the video to prove it:



See.

A Tribute to My Mom

My mom always has the coolest fungus pictures on her blog. But even she was impressed when she saw the fungus I was able to grow in a cup in my house. There are three different kinds. And they are happy in the picture. As I was showing her I wondered if they would eventually get unhappy and start to fight and then I was sad that I had destroyed them. Which would win? The world will never know.

Claire Fix

For those of you needing a Clarie fix:

you just have to flip you head sideways, or on a laptop just turn it on it's side.

Teaching

I drove to Brooklyn. It was very freeing and felt good to be out of the house without my husband. I know that sounds mean but I really don't get the chance to get out without him often. It makes me appreciate him even more when I see him. I took his sister instead. She is like having a husband with you, in the ways that she helps but you don't have to worry about being a wife to her. Which is all coming out kind of strange so I'll move on.
I went to see Mary at work
**Side Note**
I have decided to call my mother-in-law Mary. It is nice sounding and since I don't call MY mother Mom it just doesn't seem right to call my mother-in-law mom. When you get married decided before you are married 7 months what you will call your mother-in-law.
****
I went to get things in order to get a job. Yes there is still more. So far I have
1. Completed a State Certified Teacher Training Degree (My BS)
2. I have moved to the state in which I am certified
3. I have completed the State's application including lots of money, and fingerprinting
4. I have completed the N Y City application including lots of money and essays
I now have to
5. Be fingerprinted again for the NY City applications (including the $115 charge to do it again)
6. Make a trip to 65 Court St. to get said fingerprints and submit my application, a different one than the one I completed above
7. Wait to hear weather I am a criminal (I am not)(can't they take my word for it)(that would make this much faster)
8. Get a 'smart card' (which sounds eco-friendly)
9. Get a teaching job.

This is much more involved than I ever imagined. Please pray this all gets done so that I can get moving, when I can find time, toward employment. I'm beginning to get overwhelmed by the process and how unprepared I feel for this job search. Also pray for relationships with my 'in-laws' this process is stressing them as well.

Thank You

Thank you though to all of you who responded to my question, that makes me happy. and tomorrow it will make me really happy, almost as happy as if these guys are away from my house.
Stupid ConEd. Stupid Alien Bug Fart Smeller.

I know why people murder complete strangers

I know this because if I had had a gun or some weapon that allowed me to attack and or mame (which my computer tells me that's not the right way to spell it) these men or the whole dang ConEd company INC! Or perhaps I should go straight to the man/woman that called the fire department and reported a 'gas smell'. Maybe it wasn't gas at all, maybe it was a giant bug farting.. maybe it was an alien invasion. Maybe your meter thing is right and there is gas somewhere around here. BUT LEAVE ME AND MY FAMILY SLEEP!


Apparently this will continue throughout the night until they have satisfactorily awakened EVERYONE in QueenS! Or until they move somewhere where someone is smart enough to have a gun handy.
I was just informed that you can't have a gun in NYC, this is why stupid people still exist here. Anywhere else in the world the above would have been weeded out by natural selection long ago.
I'm tired
very tired.
I will write them a nasty letter and if my daughter wakes up I will go outside and stand there with her screaming the WHOLE TIME and I will get their names and I will find out where they live and then I will go to their homes and wake them up with a flashing strobe and a jack-hammer.
I hate ConEd. and now we smell gas at our house, it wasn't here earlier. Stupid ConEd.
This is outside my window. like 20 feet outside my window!

A Question

I am throwing a party, a Chinese take-out murder mystery party. It should be fun. But tell me, what color do you think of when you think about a Chinese party?

Beautiful

Alabama

So we went to Alabama, I know it surprised us too. Jimmy had a job interview (results pending) and we packed ourselves up and took every mode of transportation imaginable:
1. Train (at rush hour, with Claire and all our stuff for 4 days in Alabama + a carseat)
2. Foot (Through the rain in Manhattan)
3. Taxi
4. Plane
5. Tram train thingy
6. Bus
7. Car (the smallest one ever, we could have prolly put Claire in her carseat from the trunk)
We did not take an RV.

Overall impressions are that Alabama is hot, when you live 'up north' you forget what 80 degrees feels like, I did not pack well for us. I guess I can sum it all up with a little diddy:

Oh, it rained all night
the day we left
the weather it was dry.
The sun so hot, we froze to death
Please Claire Marie don't you cry
Oh, Claire Marie
Now don't you cry for me
Cause we went to Alabama
With a baby on my knee.

Mother's Day

Mothers Day...
I'm just not sure I feel mother-ly enough.
But the flowers are nice.

How to Fix It

When you are having 'One of Those Days':

One of Those Days

You know those days, the ones where nothing on your list gets done. The ones where you cry at seemingly stupid and insignificant things, or nothing at all. The ones where your house is a mess and you just wallow in misery because of it instead of doing your dishes or folding the laundry so your husband can find his clothes in his drawers instead of having to hunt around the house in the many different baskets of assorted clean and unfolded clothes. You know those days? I'm having one.

And PS I made the cookies yesterday morning, I did burn the hole in the rug, less than 2 weeks after we bought it, and the picture of our family I've been meaning to hang? Claire is only 3 months old in it; she's now 7 months old.

All Put Back Together

or at least for the picture. There are few lingering boxes in Claire's room that need some attending to, but other than that the Great Makeover is complete!
PS. I hemmed those curtains myself.

Provoking

Can one sing along with elevator music?

My Fuare into Elfdome

Today Claire's walker came, it came in MANY more pieces than I expected it to. And the instructions well; less than helpful. (see below)
And in the end a box is much more fun.

Parental Training

Sleep Depervation Training
Course Description: Tape three fingers of each hand together and go about your daily routine. This will simulate the coordination and frustration you will feel on a daily basis. And will simulate the way your home will look about 4 months into child rearing.
Mind Reading
Course Description: Spend multiple hours alone each day with a person with many needs who can not talk to you. This will simulate the relationship you will have with you child. (Husbands are good people to try this with)
Toy Construction
Course Description: Construct elaborate, colorful contraptions which come in small pieces. For the final you will be required to construct said contraption using only rudimentary instructions in French and crude pictorial directions. The use of one hand will be restricted to simulate the child who will need constant attention as they try to get to the plastic bagS which hold the many small pieces.
Prerequisite: Toy Packaging Removal: how to get at the toy enclosed in homeland securities finest detainment packages.
Minimum of Engineering BS required
Diaper Changing
Course Description: Students will train using lifelike dolls who pee at will and most often when your back is turned or they are on someone else's carpet. Solid excrement is introduced in future higher level courses.
Feeding
Course Description: To prepare the parents for the trials of feeding, a green bean and pea mixture will be loaded into a baseball pitching machine and fired at random while parents try to pay bills, eat their own meal or maintain any semblance of normalcy.
The clothes worn for this trial will be used by the Laundry With an Infant class.

It Is Finished

YEAH! our room is done, after countless hours of cleaning off wallpaper and wallpaper paste (whoever invented wallpaper should be beaten with a wet noodle) Here are some highlights from our seemingly endless journey:

Cute Baby or Mean Mommy

You decide:

Through My Window

The Pope

Not only did GB and Pappy come to visit, the Pope was in NYC (do you have to capitalize his name? doesn't it seem like you should?). And I saw him. OK I saw his motorcade from about 2 miles away, but how many of you have been that close to the pope? The main reason that I am posting this is to make you all aware that the pope has a special car, called the popemobile. Who knew?! Ok everyone I have talked to knew, although Micah was quick to clear up that he has never actually ridden in the popemobile. But all that aside, doesn't it look like they put the pope in a cage in the back of a pickup truck? I wonder if the pope would ever say "Load up the pick-up, I'm going into town!"


news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/5020464.stm

GB and Pappy Come to Town

GB and Pappy came to visit us this past weekend. They loaded up the pick up and came into town! They brought Uncle Alex, Mommy's furniture and Claire's dresser. The dresser is beautiful and matches her room so wonderfully.
We just hung out and they got some good quality time with Claire, she is so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents.
We know they love us because they left some things behind, an old Havener trick to ensure that you see the other person again.

From All Fours to Sitting

This is the first time that Claire has done this!
I'm really considering just getting Claire a blog to mark all of these milestones.
But then I won't be able to compete.
Yeah for sitting up on her own!

I think she was really just looking for a way to get through the couch. (she even tried a password)

How Do You Do This?

.

Sorry I cried on you today. I'm better now, have a great day!

I'm a Freaking awesome Wife

Sometimes I questions weather I am actually a good wife. I mean I'm not as good as my mom, and better than others but really there should be a scale.
Today is not a day when I question. Today I am having Jimmy's mom and her boyfriend over for dinner. They invited themselves sort of, then called to say 'what are we doing?' an hour before our appointed dinner; but I didn't say anything. (ok, but I didn't say a lot) I also made Lasagna, which is awesome.



I put a 27 on it just in case the cake didn't turn out, then we could put candles in the lasagna and sing.

But the cake turned out freaking awesomely! Take a look.


I'm a GREAT WIFE! (and humble to boot)

Saucy

I'm making sauce. It may have something to do with the fact that my husband is accustomed to such treatment (no sauce in a jar for him), It may be because my husband is Italian. It may also have something to do with the fact that my husband's mother is coming to my house. Whatever the cause, my house smells great and I'm making sauce for my husband's birthday. (as a side: I drove to the store this morning to get the things to make the sauce. It was liberating.)
I'm making Lasagna. With the aromatic sauce cooking in my kitchen. I hope it's good since I've never done it before and I have my husband's mother coming for dinner. (I have stew in the freezer)
Last time I made sauce I told my dad about it and showed him over Skype and he told me not to serve it to anyone, without even tasting it. The nerve.

I served it anyway.

He was right.

Hopefully this sauce will be better, or at least serve-able.

Per Request

In this film, which was requested, Claire assaults a duck and burps and eats dirt. Enjoy

Claire in the Wild

Claire, She Crawls

Claire is on the move... she makes motorboat noises to help her move faster.

To Ponder

1. We are taking Claire to have her picture taken and there will be bunnies there. How do they keep the bunnies from peeing on the children as they take the picture?
2. The ice cream truck is out today (it's about 40 degrees). Who decides when the ice cream truck comes out?
3. What is truth?
Truth: a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like; actuality or actual existence; the true or actual state of a matter.

A Garden

Then the Lord God planted a garden...
That one phrase stuck out at me today during my devotions. That 'The Lord God' would humble himself so much to get dirty to create a spectacular place for man to live and thrive, it puts me in awe. But one the other hand maybe God just really wanted to feel what the dirt felt like, just imagine 'The Lord God' squishing mud between his toes :) I guess that one phrase encapsulated who my God is, He is 'The Lord God', creator of the universe, the ultimate Lover of me, and a God who enjoys his creations to their fullest. Enjoy His creations today.

More Laughing

Claire went to visit GB for Easter and she loved Dixi. For some reason when Dixi barked she thought is was hilarious.



Aunt Ami thinks it's funny too.

CO Alarm

About 2 weeks ago we bought fire detectors and a CO alarm. We never hung them, the batteries are in them but they sit, all three of them in our living room. And tonight during dinner our living room table went off. the CO alarm. So we called my father in law who is hazmat and would know about these things, and he said we should call 911, which seemed a bit extreme but since we had the alarm and it went off and we had Claire in the house, we thought we should call, cause it would be a shame for us to all die and then they all say that we had the alarm. So the fire department came and opened all our windows and told us that we have a 30 parts per million of CO. (which is low) Here they are, our first 911 call since our marriage. We took pictures:
So they left and we reset the alarm and it went off again... so we'll call 911 again... I'll keep you posted but for now we are sleeping with windows opened and that will keep the levels at 0. All is safe, we just need to find out where this CO is coming from.

Taxes are Fun

My taxes intimidate the accountant. This gives me a better appreciation for the headache that my mom went through to get my taxes done each year by herself. So thanks mom.

Her Own Woman

Claire is def. her own woman. I had a truck when I was little. My favorite toy, or at least one of them. My mom saved it for my children and I brought it home this past weekend.
Claire hates it. She just sits there and screams at it. Like it's about to attack her or she is frightened by it or just outraged. It's kinda fun to watch. But she is def. a little of Jimmy and a little of me but mostly she is her own woman.

Mother Note 1

Carrots are not a corduroy friendly food.

You lose

Sorry to have to tell you this but the nickle has been spoken for. My father will be receiving it in the mail shortly. Once I put it in the mail.
And for those of you who were stumped Jay and the American's sang the song COME a little bit closer.
I've never heard of Jay or the Americans but I like their music.

Free Nickle!

Claire and I love youtube... we like to youtube things and dance like crazy women to them. and then hit the replay button... repeatedly! it's great to stay at home. But today we have a song stuck in our head and we can't find it... cause we don't know the title.. it's a great dance number and we've been dancing to my rendition of it, which is REALLY weak. Claire is sick of it so we are offering a nickel to the first person who can tell me the title of this song. (seriously, I will waste the 49 cents or whatever it costs to mail a letter to send you a nickle) We are desperate! So

Name This Tune:
Move a little bit closer.. your my kind of girl.... so blah blah blah blah... move a little bit closer... blah blah blah blah blah... and the night is so young...

None of those words may be correct but you get the gist. so please help us.

Birthday

Another year, another birthday. I'm 23 now. That makes me closer to 'mid-twenties'. I'm almost in my mid-twenties and I am married and have a child who is half a year old. Wow... time does fly when you are having fun. Yesterday was def. fun. I made Jimmy do all the things we never do cause he's never 'in the mood'. We played dominoes and ate scones (ok, those things he likes) But then I talked him into taking me to see Horton Hears a Who. It was ok, def. not the type of movie you see in theaters but rent it if you are so inclined, but don't expect to be blown away. There were a couple really funny parts and some really random and weird parts like when Horton becomes and an anime character, that was weird and uncalled for. But overall I enjoyed myself very much. And I got flowers, big bright yellow lilies, so pretty. And we ate rollitini which is just so much fun to say that you should eat it at every celebration. It was a wonderful birthday!

I've got a big head and little muscles...

Someone didn't think this one through.









Peek-a-boo

Why is the fish moaning?

Claire's fish have begun to talk... mostly they share Claire's moods with me. Today they were moaning. And one was flying and the green one likes to hide.

Boxes

I know there has been very little about me lately, but I am well. And there isn't anything really exciting going on right now except raising Claire. SO, you will be subjected to more 'Claire Updates' today.
Her newest phase makes me smile ever so often. She has abandoned the toys of her childhood to pursue advertising and market research. She prefers to play with boxes... Blue boxes are her favorite but if you offer another she will take it. She loves the Rice Krispy box the best of all and stares at it on the table when she can't have it. She even cries if I take it away. It's kind of cute. And WAY cheaper than Dora this and Princess that. :) Everyone Wins!

Another First

Claire's first (real) snow came today! We are very excited and hope to go out again for a couple minuets later on. Here are some pictures...

Food in Solid Form

Claire ventured beyond her current horizon to tackle solid food today. Yesterday we cleared it with her Dr. and we couldn't wait to try some mighty tasty rice cereal. (pappi talks it up so much)






Bibs were a fun new accessory, we like them


Our first Bite!






A Success!

Cross it Off Baby

you will be glad to know that I have achieved some of my New Year's resolutions already! It kinda beats the feeling that I don't do anything all day.
So far I have :
Taken the wallpaper off the wall in our bedroom (the walls are now a vibrant blue from the 70's)
Gone to TWO restaurants with my husband that don't have paper napkins (by ourselves once(thank you mandi)!)

I have also discovered that I can not take a bath at my house, because my tub doesn't hold water, so I have to figure out what to do about that.

In general, it makes me feel good, I wish I could cross things out online, so I could get that satisfaction. Maybe I'll write them down and cross them off. Mailing them to myself and smashing them with a hammer is also appealing.

How are your New Year's resolutions coming?