myschyf: (Default)
Oh my ghods, is that progress I see? When we got back from the playground and IHOP, Sam said "Days when I don't argue and fight are better". We nodded and said "Yes, they are". I was thinking "YEAH! This is what I've been saying for *years*!". Let us hope it has actually sunk in. :)

~~~

We're having a mini-vacation starting tonight. Our landlord is coming to replace the tiles on the kitchen ceiling (there was a leak last year...that was fixed and the drywall (I think?) was put up, but he didn't have time just then for the tiles. I kind of like the green ceiling, but I'm weird. *grin*) so we were going to stay at a hotel for a couple days, 'cause it'll be loud. We decided to stay at the one my parents use when they visit, 'cause it has a very nice pool.

We haven't been on a "non crisis of some sort" time in a hotel in *years*. I think it was when we took Sam to Sesame Place...that was 2004 if I'm not mistaken. So, we decided to stay for the entire weekend, checking out Monday morning (I do love the flexibility working from home gives Jeff) instead of sometime Saturday night. We are going to relax and have fun...it feels like there should be a silent "Dammit!" at the end of that. It's probably just me. *grin*

Also, the first anniversary of the removal of Charlie's G-tube was Tuesday...if the promise family together time (with pool) isn't enough, I think that should tip the needle. ;)
myschyf: (Default)
Oh my ghods, is that progress I see? When we got back from the playground and IHOP, Sam said "Days when I don't argue and fight are better". We nodded and said "Yes, they are". I was thinking "YEAH! This is what I've been saying for *years*!". Let us hope it has actually sunk in. :)

~~~

We're having a mini-vacation starting tonight. Our landlord is coming to replace the tiles on the kitchen ceiling (there was a leak last year...that was fixed and the drywall (I think?) was put up, but he didn't have time just then for the tiles. I kind of like the green ceiling, but I'm weird. *grin*) so we were going to stay at a hotel for a couple days, 'cause it'll be loud. We decided to stay at the one my parents use when they visit, 'cause it has a very nice pool.

We haven't been on a "non crisis of some sort" time in a hotel in *years*. I think it was when we took Sam to Sesame Place...that was 2004 if I'm not mistaken. So, we decided to stay for the entire weekend, checking out Monday morning (I do love the flexibility working from home gives Jeff) instead of sometime Saturday night. We are going to relax and have fun...it feels like there should be a silent "Dammit!" at the end of that. It's probably just me. *grin*

Also, the first anniversary of the removal of Charlie's G-tube was Tuesday...if the promise family together time (with pool) isn't enough, I think that should tip the needle. ;)
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
Charlie is now a third of a year old. It sounds kind of extreme when I put it that way. *grin*

She's using her hands more now. She's getting quite good at reaching and grasping, and has even started to try putting the pacifier back in her mouth from time to time. I'd almost forgotten how much fun it is to watch a baby evolve.

~~~

The Beatles discography is being re-re-rereleased. I'm just not sure how many times we can be expected to rebuy these things. I mean, I love the Beatles...they were part of the soundtrack when I was growing up and it's just a lot of very good music. But there's a limit to just how good something can sound (even with an amazing sound system) and there's so much out there that I don't have yet. Though, I'm kinda happy for the person who just discovered sie loves them and is buying their stuff for the first time.

~~~

Ooh, here's something I missed. D.C. City Council votes to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. A big Yay for DC. :)

Progress. Isn't it marvelous?

~~~

The girls did beautifully at the photo studio. I can't wait to see the finished products.

If you've been thinking of having official pictures taken, Target's running a deal. 50% off on all packages...I'd brought a coupon, but the woman said it wasn't really necessary, 'cause they'd been told to offer it to everyone.

~~~

I know I had more I wanted to say...but those thoughts seem to be gone now. Charlie's no longer happy playing on her mat, so I'll post this and get on with the day.

Sooooo, how are you? :)
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
Via [livejournal.com profile] bkwrrm_tx, Project Runway is finally coming back!

~~~

Last week, Jeff and I caught a PBS program that was nothing but Gershwin. If you get a chance, watch this. Rhapsody in Blue is the last piece, and it is remarkable to witness.

Also, if you're a Tom Petty fan and can catch his episode of Soundstage, I highly recommend it.

~~~

Hey look! Mrs. PiggleWiggle's house!

~~~

I don't like most April Fools' stuff, but I am fond of the goofy fake news stories. Not all of them, of course. The clever ones that took more than a moment's thought.

This is my current favorite:

Shocking Split Rocks Comics World: Alan Moore Abandoned by His Beard

It's more than just the headline...the article is great.

~~~

Damn but time passes quickly. I'm writing on Wednesday and all of a sudden, it's Friday.

Also? It was a month today that we brought the baby home. She'll be four months old next Friday.

Sometimes, quickly becomes warp speed.

~~~

Charlie gained enough weight and is thus no longer a patient of the home-visiting nurses (I can't remember the name of the place, only the name of the place that rents us her feeding pump). Yay!

~~~

I was nine when I started puberty (that's when the boobs started growing in, and probably the hips. The period gave me a break for a couple more years), so I wanted to get Sammy a good book to give her a solid foundation. Luckily, the boob fairy hasn't come to our house recently (if I'd ever had a chance to want boobs, I might not dislike mine the majority of the time), but better informed than weirded out.

We've talked about puberty and sex and periods and so on for ages, but it's always good to have a book to page through. And it may give her the language to ask some questions she wasn't sure how to form.

I remember taking out loads of puberty books from the library, both girl and boy versions, 'cause I wanted to know what was happening to them, too.

The one I found to start her off is It's Perfectly Normal which is perfectly marvelous. It's accessible without talking down, there are people of all shapes, sizes, colors, ages and ableness throughout the book and I think it's going to spark some interesting conversations. But even if it doesn't, she has the info now, and can either ask me to find her more or go looking on her own.

There were a few books I was thinking of getting, and the final reason I picked this one was the reviews on Amazon. The good reviews were wonderful.

The bad reviews? Were kinda scary. I have a feeling some people were sent there to make them, as a few of them mention the same things, such as "one of the only sections without cartoons is the one on abortion" and "the book was given away by Planned Parenthood (the largest abortion provider)". They also equated knowing about something to doing it, but that's pretty common.

My favorite thing about the book? Besides the section about sexual abuse ('cause we needed to have that conversation, but I didn't quite know where to start without scaring her to death. She knows that nobody's allowed to touch her without her consent, but this gives me a better jumping-off point) is the fact that they stress, in more than one place, that a person always has the right to say no, even if they're right in the middle of something. That alone is worth the price of the book.

And, in closing, I feel the need to yell "Nudity is not the same as pornography, you twits!".

Thank you.

~~~

I came up with a song for Charlie.

"Leap, leap, leap like a lemur
Leap, leap, up and down
Leap, leap, leap like a lemur
Leap all over the town"

With appropriate jumping where necessary. But, as with all things, I got kind of bored...so there are variations. We currently have "Marm like a marmoset", "Goo like a Charlie", "Photosynthesise like an Oak Tree"(that one's challenging) and "Gaboon like a viper". Yes, snakes still do creep me out, but Gabooooooon is a great word.

Sure, my brain may be turning to mush, but I'm havin' a good time while it happens.

~~~

Gotta go, baby's awake.
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
The problem with watching That 70's show (a current obsession) is that I get songs stuck in my head that I didn't even know I *knew*.

*considers lobotomy to get "Fernando" evicted from brainmeats*

~~~

Got present wrapping done before eldest child woke up. And I only lost the scissors once. I'm callin' it a win.

~~~

When we found out that the Coraline movie was being released, Sam and I vowed to go if it was at all possible. We read the book together in preparation. But, it didn't seem right to go when the baby was in the hospital, and we had so much to catch up on when she came out.

Last week, I found a theatre that was still playing it, in Germantown, which is about an hour from here. But when they changed the lineup on Saturday, Coraline was gone. I'd checked online, so we weren't outside the theatre crying.

Okay, there must be *somewhere* still playing it...maybe a dollar theatre in the boonies?

The closest theatre playing the film was in Fairfax, which is about an hour and a half away, which would have been totally worth it in the first place, but this was Coraline 3-D. So, that's where we went today. Jeff and Charlie hung out in Barnes & Noble while we were in the theatre.

It was great. They'd changed a lot, of course, but the core was there. It wasn't nearly as scary/creepy as the book. Ms. Samantha says it wasn't scary at all. Though, she might have a different opinion if we hadn't read the book. Dunno...I just hope they do decide to release it in 3-D as well as 2-D.

I'm so, *so* glad that I got to take my kid to the movies.

~~~

Got my copy of "Ravens in the Library" today, and it is *pretty*. Can't wait to read it. Yay new books. :)
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
The problem with watching That 70's show (a current obsession) is that I get songs stuck in my head that I didn't even know I *knew*.

*considers lobotomy to get "Fernando" evicted from brainmeats*

~~~

Got present wrapping done before eldest child woke up. And I only lost the scissors once. I'm callin' it a win.

~~~

When we found out that the Coraline movie was being released, Sam and I vowed to go if it was at all possible. We read the book together in preparation. But, it didn't seem right to go when the baby was in the hospital, and we had so much to catch up on when she came out.

Last week, I found a theatre that was still playing it, in Germantown, which is about an hour from here. But when they changed the lineup on Saturday, Coraline was gone. I'd checked online, so we weren't outside the theatre crying.

Okay, there must be *somewhere* still playing it...maybe a dollar theatre in the boonies?

The closest theatre playing the film was in Fairfax, which is about an hour and a half away, which would have been totally worth it in the first place, but this was Coraline 3-D. So, that's where we went today. Jeff and Charlie hung out in Barnes & Noble while we were in the theatre.

It was great. They'd changed a lot, of course, but the core was there. It wasn't nearly as scary/creepy as the book. Ms. Samantha says it wasn't scary at all. Though, she might have a different opinion if we hadn't read the book. Dunno...I just hope they do decide to release it in 3-D as well as 2-D.

I'm so, *so* glad that I got to take my kid to the movies.

~~~

Got my copy of "Ravens in the Library" today, and it is *pretty*. Can't wait to read it. Yay new books. :)
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
Nine years ago today, I was about three hours and twenty minutes away from meeting my first child.

I remember pushing her out...it was very much like being one of those play-doh extruders...I felt every bit of her. It sounds gross and weird but it was honestly amazing.

I remember asking "Is she okay?" and the nurse saying she was fine.

I remember the nurse asking if we wanted to know the sex, and holding back my nine-million smartassed comments, 'cause I knew she was trying to be nice, and I remember finding out that I had my girl. I'd been 99.9% sure she was a girl, right up to the moment I started the final pushes to get her out. Then I just wasn't sure.

I remember those eyes of hers, and that feeling when they gave her to me.

I remember watching Jeff become her dad.

I remember finally sleeping, hours later, with her in my arms, because that was the only thing that felt right.

She is, and always has been, amazing. She is smart, funny and has a wonderful way of looking at things. She has strength that surprises everyone. And came through the past three and a half months with grace and a genuine concern for her sister. She couldn't fit better in this family if we'd special-ordered her from a catalog.

Happy birthday, my big girl. I am so very lucky to be taking this journey with you.
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
Nine years ago today, I was about three hours and twenty minutes away from meeting my first child.

I remember pushing her out...it was very much like being one of those play-doh extruders...I felt every bit of her. It sounds gross and weird but it was honestly amazing.

I remember asking "Is she okay?" and the nurse saying she was fine.

I remember the nurse asking if we wanted to know the sex, and holding back my nine-million smartassed comments, 'cause I knew she was trying to be nice, and I remember finding out that I had my girl. I'd been 99.9% sure she was a girl, right up to the moment I started the final pushes to get her out. Then I just wasn't sure.

I remember those eyes of hers, and that feeling when they gave her to me.

I remember watching Jeff become her dad.

I remember finally sleeping, hours later, with her in my arms, because that was the only thing that felt right.

She is, and always has been, amazing. She is smart, funny and has a wonderful way of looking at things. She has strength that surprises everyone. And came through the past three and a half months with grace and a genuine concern for her sister. She couldn't fit better in this family if we'd special-ordered her from a catalog.

Happy birthday, my big girl. I am so very lucky to be taking this journey with you.
myschyf: (Diva of dandelions)
If Charlie gains six ounces between yesterday and next Thursday, she'll be discharged from the home health program. Woot! Then we'd only have her pediatrician and her surgeon, medically speaking. That would be nice.

Also? She's been home three weeks today.

~~~

Dear ghods. Tomorrow, I become the mother of a nine year old. What is up with *that*?!

I'm baking the cake today, and wrapping presents tonight. 'Cause it can't be a birthday if I'm not wrapping stuff till the wee hours of the morning.;) I'm currently putting music on the 4-gig mp3 player we bought her. I looked at a *lot* of them, and I still think this one's a bit small (size-wise, not capacity-wise) but it gets FM, so she can listen to XM Kids (her dad leaves his XM transmitter on during the day, so she can listen to XM Kids on her stereo) and I know she'll get a kick out of that.

This weekend will be hers. I've got a ballet dvd from Netflix, we're hoping to go miniature golfing (indoor course attached to the mall) and if the stars align just right, the theatre in Germantown may still be playing Coraline, so she and I can finally go.

She asked for some barbies about a month ago, and in my search I found Tattoo Fun Barbie (I'm not sure that's the real name, but you get the drift). I bought it and it got here with no problems. A week ago she says "I really hope I get a Tattoo Barbie for my birthday". I suspect her of peeking, but can't actually come right out and say that, so I ask where she heard about it, all nonchalant like. She saw a commercial, and she told me all about the doll and the tattoos and so on. I didn't get the feeling she was lying either. So, two yays, one for getting her a good present and two for no snooping. :)

~~~

I want to thank each and every one of you for the love, support and good thoughts sent during the saga of getting Charlie home.

Could we have done it without you? Well, yeah...not doing it wasn't an option. Would it have sucked even more than it actually did? Oh *hell* yes.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. I'm lucky and blessed in my friends and family.

~~~

I have "Well Respected Man" going through my head, over and over again.
myschyf: (Diva of dandelions)
If Charlie gains six ounces between yesterday and next Thursday, she'll be discharged from the home health program. Woot! Then we'd only have her pediatrician and her surgeon, medically speaking. That would be nice.

Also? She's been home three weeks today.

~~~

Dear ghods. Tomorrow, I become the mother of a nine year old. What is up with *that*?!

I'm baking the cake today, and wrapping presents tonight. 'Cause it can't be a birthday if I'm not wrapping stuff till the wee hours of the morning.;) I'm currently putting music on the 4-gig mp3 player we bought her. I looked at a *lot* of them, and I still think this one's a bit small (size-wise, not capacity-wise) but it gets FM, so she can listen to XM Kids (her dad leaves his XM transmitter on during the day, so she can listen to XM Kids on her stereo) and I know she'll get a kick out of that.

This weekend will be hers. I've got a ballet dvd from Netflix, we're hoping to go miniature golfing (indoor course attached to the mall) and if the stars align just right, the theatre in Germantown may still be playing Coraline, so she and I can finally go.

She asked for some barbies about a month ago, and in my search I found Tattoo Fun Barbie (I'm not sure that's the real name, but you get the drift). I bought it and it got here with no problems. A week ago she says "I really hope I get a Tattoo Barbie for my birthday". I suspect her of peeking, but can't actually come right out and say that, so I ask where she heard about it, all nonchalant like. She saw a commercial, and she told me all about the doll and the tattoos and so on. I didn't get the feeling she was lying either. So, two yays, one for getting her a good present and two for no snooping. :)

~~~

I want to thank each and every one of you for the love, support and good thoughts sent during the saga of getting Charlie home.

Could we have done it without you? Well, yeah...not doing it wasn't an option. Would it have sucked even more than it actually did? Oh *hell* yes.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. I'm lucky and blessed in my friends and family.

~~~

I have "Well Respected Man" going through my head, over and over again.
myschyf: (Default)
TCM was so much fun last night. They had the Chuck Jones documentary along with a bunch of his cartoons (including The Dot & the Line and The Bear That Wasn't) and The Magic Tollbooth, which was lots of fun to watch with my girls. Charlie wasn't too interested most of the time, but every now and then, something would catch her eye and she'd be mesmerized. So, she's got a good start on the classics. *grin*

~~~

When Sam was a baby, I decided to make a onesie for her that said "Goes to Eleven". Never did get around to that. But, I think I can manage it for Charlie. :)

I have to do stuff as I think of it now, 'cause she's my last baby. And some of my ideas just won't work on a puppy. *grin*
myschyf: (Default)
TCM was so much fun last night. They had the Chuck Jones documentary along with a bunch of his cartoons (including The Dot & the Line and The Bear That Wasn't) and The Magic Tollbooth, which was lots of fun to watch with my girls. Charlie wasn't too interested most of the time, but every now and then, something would catch her eye and she'd be mesmerized. So, she's got a good start on the classics. *grin*

~~~

When Sam was a baby, I decided to make a onesie for her that said "Goes to Eleven". Never did get around to that. But, I think I can manage it for Charlie. :)

I have to do stuff as I think of it now, 'cause she's my last baby. And some of my ideas just won't work on a puppy. *grin*
myschyf: (Default)
The Boppy? Oh yes, it rocks and is worth every cent.

~~~

I used to be somewhat addicted to Flixter's Never-Ending Movie Quiz. But I got over that.

Now, I'm somewhat addicted to the Never-Ending Book Quiz at GoodReads (I'm Myschyf there).

Oh well.

~~~

Charlie seems to have outgrown her lactose intolerance. Cool. :)

~~~

What she said.

~~~

I'm sitting here, typing, while my baby daughter sleeps in her Moses Basket (with stand) behind me. Hell yes.

Especially since I was wondering if she'd get home before she outgrew the basket.

Yesterday, she turned three months old. It was also exactly a week after her surgery.

She's doing so very well. I kind of expected her to freak out a bit in the first days she was here, because it's so different than what she's used to. But she didn't. She's pretty laid back most of the time. I do think that her being in the pediatric ward rather than the NICU helped immensely. Jeff, Sam and I were able to be there together, and so she got used to us *together*...and used to Sam in the first place, as the last time they'd been together was Christmas day (flu season began in earnest and the NICUs closed to kids under twelve. Because cold germs don't stick to people that age and older ;).

Sammy is so good with her, and does a good job of treating Charlie like a *person* rather than an interesting toy. Yesterday, I was rawther exhausted and Charlie was awake. So, Sam came in and sat on the bed, to hang out with Charlie while I dozed. She read to her and talked to her, and even got her back to sleep. I was highly impressed.

It has been a bit difficult to get into the rhythm of a new baby in the house. If we'd brought her home straight away, there wouldn't be any problems, but the gap between her birth and her homecoming have upset the...natural progression. Oh, it isn't horrible in *any* way, it's just taking a bit of time to find all the steps to this dance. We're getting there. And, I think we're still all amazed that she's finally here, with us.

She's the most vocal infant I've ever been around. Last night, we were repeating "oh" back and forth, and she actually says Goo. I'd always thought that was a myth.

Her doctors aren't worried about apnea any longer. YAY!

She's eating more by mouth now than she ever has, and is very enthusiastic about the whole thing. I dislike feeding her via the tube, but I'm getting very good at it (it really isn't difficult), and we have mountains of faith that she won't have it too terribly long. It isn't really the tube I don't like, it's the constant worry that I'll do something wrong and hurt her while she's connected. We've done very well so far, and I don't see any complications in our future. That's really not going to make this worry go all the way away though. Oh well. At least it's a *real* worry.

~~~

I would love to know why the software that transfers music from my computer to my mp3 player takes at least twice as long to do so than just opening the player *on* my 'puter and copying things that way. It isn't changing the files, just moving them, so it really makes no sense. But, it's a good reason not to use that program any longer.

~~~

The last time I had an infant, my keyboard was the standard kind. I've the split kb now and can attest that it is far easier to type while holding her. I'm not sure why, as the keys are in the same places, and there are the same number of them.
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
Sam's spelling? Kind of exploding, in a really good way. Why, you ask? Would you believe the chat feature in Dizzywood, and talking to her dad and I via Windows Messenger?

There is a rule that she can't use an abbreviation or acronym if she can't spell the words involved. And we're talking about the difference between "your" and "you're", that sort of thing. It's really, really nifty. It was what I was hoping would happen, and I'm so glad it did.

~~~

I miss Charlie terribly. I haven't seen her since the day before V-day. I know I did the right thing, but it's still utterly depressing.

I know that she's at the good hospital now and that they're working with us to get her home asap, but it still feels like she's never gonna be here. It's been so bloody long. And I work so hard not to think about that part of it, because I'm tired of crying and I'm tired of feeling so hopeless.

Who's have thought bringing my baby home would be so difficult?

On the good side, still not my fault. The stenosis was something that could only be discovered once she was born, and nothing I did/didn't do could have created or prevented it. Well, okay. I could have not gotten pregnant, but that seems drastic.

The whole "I'm to blame for all the problems of the world, especially those in my family" thing? Yeah, so not new. I can't actually remember when it started, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned up when I was thirteen or fourteen. And then, when I woke up in the ICU, it was gone. My extreme guilt about the universe had vanished.

I think it was because, when I woke up and found out Charlie was alive (and was Charlie, rather than Danny) and I was alive, even though (some of) The Worst Things had happened, then all my guilt and all my superstitions seemed ridiculous. And amazingly, they haven't come back either.

~~~

I finally got my mp3 player recognized by my computer! I've only had it for two (maybe three) years now. I appreciate Jeff being so kind in letting me hijack his to put music on my player, but it's so nice to be able to do it myself. And now that I can reliably change stuff as I like, I can finally use it for audio books. Yay!

~~~

A week or so ago, [livejournal.com profile] popfiend (who is truly nifty) asked for love stories. I told him one, and have been thinking it belongs here. So...here.

A short love story.

Charlie was born mid-afternoon on December 10. I woke up around five in the morning the next day. Jeff was at the hospital from the time he took me (and Sammy, but she went home with my mom sometime on Thursday) to the ER to the time we were both awake (he slept in the waiting room) and he saw me. He came by later, so we could watch CSI together.

About twenty minutes after the poor guy went home to finally get some sleep, I started to have one hell of a time breathing. I'd had breathing problems all day. Part of it was the anesthesia leaving my body and part of it was the fact that I couldn't stand the oxygen masks. They eventually gave me a cannula (the little clear tube one wears in the nostrils) and I got used to that. But on Thursday night, it felt like my entire inside was swollen (that's the best description I've got). I told the nurses and they said it was the anesthesia and that it would get better eventually.

But right then, I wasn't able to take a deep breath, and the oxygen wasn't helping. So, I called Jeff, waking him up (we live fiveish minutes away from that hospital) and asked him to please come back, because I was scared and panicking.

He did. Which was so kind. I mean, I would have understood if he didn't or couldn't. But he did.

And once he got there, I was able to breathe deeper and stop feeling like I was going to die. It didn't fix everything, but him sitting at my bedside, holding my hand and talking about goofy stuff helped me breathe better.

I knew he loved me, but that was amazing.

~~~

Oh, in other news? We lost the dvd player. Seriously.

When we were putting stuff in the van for the trek to B'more, I implusivly grabbed the dvd player (and remote), 'cause I figured we could hook it up to the tv in the room. We did that in 2002 with our vcr. Unfortunately, the back of the tv had a cover on it, and we couldn't get to the connectors, and there weren't tvs in the rooms at the Children's Home (which totally sounds like an orphanage).

When we were moving out of the hotel, we almost forgot it, but I grabbed it when I was doing the last scan of the room (it was on the top shelf of the entertainment center, easy to overlook) and I remember bringing it down. I either gave it to Jeff to put in or put it in myself. I *think* I put it in the van myself, but I'd put so many other things in that it might not be a real memory.

When we were bringing stuff into the new place, we decided to leave it in the van, in the cargo section, which was cavernous and difficult to see from outside the van, even if you were looking right in the windows. And when we got home, it was gone. Nowhere to be seen The van had a very good (and loud) alarm and there were no signs of it being broken into. If they'd managed to get into the van without setting off the alarm, why close it back up? And why not take the whole thing, not the hard-to-see dvd player?

So, yeah. Don't think it was stolen, but also can't figure out where it was lost. It just kind of vanished, 'cause the van was never left open when bringing things in without one of us there, doing stuff *with* the van contents. And nobody was in the room besides us.

It is a mystery for the ages. But, we bought a new one (refurbished, from Overstock for less than the original. Small yay) and it should be here soon. And now we have two remotes for it. So that'll be fun. ;)

~~~

As you know, Bob, Sammy is very into the Harry Potter books. She's read the first two and we're waiting on the third to come from Paperbackswap (I've got them all, but the first three are in storage. The fourth might be as well, I'm not exactly sure).

I'm getting her some Harry Potter stuff (including a deluxe Wizard's kit with robe and wand), and find myself working really hard to *not* get her anything that spoils the books for her. I've read them so often than they kind of meld together for me into one long story.

I don't know if she'll go beyond book four right now or not. She'll certainly be allowed if she wants to, but it might be a bit daunting. We'll see.

I'm also looking at Bella Sara stuff for her...it's a fairly new obsession, but one we're doing together. Mainly 'cause she and her dad play Disney's Toontown and are really enthusiastic about it, but I'm not into that particular game. So, I figured this would be nice...and so far, it doesn't look like it can become all crapped up like Neopets. We'll see about *that* too. I was sure I'd seen a Bella Sara board game somewhere, but can't find it for the life of me. Oh well, we'll live without it somehow (especially if it doesn't exist).

~~~

I've missed just writing here. It felt wrong to go on about goofy stuff while Charlie was in the hospital. But, not doing it didn't get her out of the hospital, so may as well core-dump from time to time. That may even help. :)

~~~

Gotta go. Meeting with Dr. Clawson at four.
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
Sam's spelling? Kind of exploding, in a really good way. Why, you ask? Would you believe the chat feature in Dizzywood, and talking to her dad and I via Windows Messenger?

There is a rule that she can't use an abbreviation or acronym if she can't spell the words involved. And we're talking about the difference between "your" and "you're", that sort of thing. It's really, really nifty. It was what I was hoping would happen, and I'm so glad it did.

~~~

I miss Charlie terribly. I haven't seen her since the day before V-day. I know I did the right thing, but it's still utterly depressing.

I know that she's at the good hospital now and that they're working with us to get her home asap, but it still feels like she's never gonna be here. It's been so bloody long. And I work so hard not to think about that part of it, because I'm tired of crying and I'm tired of feeling so hopeless.

Who's have thought bringing my baby home would be so difficult?

On the good side, still not my fault. The stenosis was something that could only be discovered once she was born, and nothing I did/didn't do could have created or prevented it. Well, okay. I could have not gotten pregnant, but that seems drastic.

The whole "I'm to blame for all the problems of the world, especially those in my family" thing? Yeah, so not new. I can't actually remember when it started, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned up when I was thirteen or fourteen. And then, when I woke up in the ICU, it was gone. My extreme guilt about the universe had vanished.

I think it was because, when I woke up and found out Charlie was alive (and was Charlie, rather than Danny) and I was alive, even though (some of) The Worst Things had happened, then all my guilt and all my superstitions seemed ridiculous. And amazingly, they haven't come back either.

~~~

I finally got my mp3 player recognized by my computer! I've only had it for two (maybe three) years now. I appreciate Jeff being so kind in letting me hijack his to put music on my player, but it's so nice to be able to do it myself. And now that I can reliably change stuff as I like, I can finally use it for audio books. Yay!

~~~

A week or so ago, [livejournal.com profile] popfiend (who is truly nifty) asked for love stories. I told him one, and have been thinking it belongs here. So...here.

A short love story.

Charlie was born mid-afternoon on December 10. I woke up around five in the morning the next day. Jeff was at the hospital from the time he took me (and Sammy, but she went home with my mom sometime on Thursday) to the ER to the time we were both awake (he slept in the waiting room) and he saw me. He came by later, so we could watch CSI together.

About twenty minutes after the poor guy went home to finally get some sleep, I started to have one hell of a time breathing. I'd had breathing problems all day. Part of it was the anesthesia leaving my body and part of it was the fact that I couldn't stand the oxygen masks. They eventually gave me a cannula (the little clear tube one wears in the nostrils) and I got used to that. But on Thursday night, it felt like my entire inside was swollen (that's the best description I've got). I told the nurses and they said it was the anesthesia and that it would get better eventually.

But right then, I wasn't able to take a deep breath, and the oxygen wasn't helping. So, I called Jeff, waking him up (we live fiveish minutes away from that hospital) and asked him to please come back, because I was scared and panicking.

He did. Which was so kind. I mean, I would have understood if he didn't or couldn't. But he did.

And once he got there, I was able to breathe deeper and stop feeling like I was going to die. It didn't fix everything, but him sitting at my bedside, holding my hand and talking about goofy stuff helped me breathe better.

I knew he loved me, but that was amazing.

~~~

Oh, in other news? We lost the dvd player. Seriously.

When we were putting stuff in the van for the trek to B'more, I implusivly grabbed the dvd player (and remote), 'cause I figured we could hook it up to the tv in the room. We did that in 2002 with our vcr. Unfortunately, the back of the tv had a cover on it, and we couldn't get to the connectors, and there weren't tvs in the rooms at the Children's Home (which totally sounds like an orphanage).

When we were moving out of the hotel, we almost forgot it, but I grabbed it when I was doing the last scan of the room (it was on the top shelf of the entertainment center, easy to overlook) and I remember bringing it down. I either gave it to Jeff to put in or put it in myself. I *think* I put it in the van myself, but I'd put so many other things in that it might not be a real memory.

When we were bringing stuff into the new place, we decided to leave it in the van, in the cargo section, which was cavernous and difficult to see from outside the van, even if you were looking right in the windows. And when we got home, it was gone. Nowhere to be seen The van had a very good (and loud) alarm and there were no signs of it being broken into. If they'd managed to get into the van without setting off the alarm, why close it back up? And why not take the whole thing, not the hard-to-see dvd player?

So, yeah. Don't think it was stolen, but also can't figure out where it was lost. It just kind of vanished, 'cause the van was never left open when bringing things in without one of us there, doing stuff *with* the van contents. And nobody was in the room besides us.

It is a mystery for the ages. But, we bought a new one (refurbished, from Overstock for less than the original. Small yay) and it should be here soon. And now we have two remotes for it. So that'll be fun. ;)

~~~

As you know, Bob, Sammy is very into the Harry Potter books. She's read the first two and we're waiting on the third to come from Paperbackswap (I've got them all, but the first three are in storage. The fourth might be as well, I'm not exactly sure).

I'm getting her some Harry Potter stuff (including a deluxe Wizard's kit with robe and wand), and find myself working really hard to *not* get her anything that spoils the books for her. I've read them so often than they kind of meld together for me into one long story.

I don't know if she'll go beyond book four right now or not. She'll certainly be allowed if she wants to, but it might be a bit daunting. We'll see.

I'm also looking at Bella Sara stuff for her...it's a fairly new obsession, but one we're doing together. Mainly 'cause she and her dad play Disney's Toontown and are really enthusiastic about it, but I'm not into that particular game. So, I figured this would be nice...and so far, it doesn't look like it can become all crapped up like Neopets. We'll see about *that* too. I was sure I'd seen a Bella Sara board game somewhere, but can't find it for the life of me. Oh well, we'll live without it somehow (especially if it doesn't exist).

~~~

I've missed just writing here. It felt wrong to go on about goofy stuff while Charlie was in the hospital. But, not doing it didn't get her out of the hospital, so may as well core-dump from time to time. That may even help. :)

~~~

Gotta go. Meeting with Dr. Clawson at four.
myschyf: (Death Stare Flamingo)
Oh, lovely. I seem to have caught a cold. Which means that I can't go into the NICU...even if they'd let me, I'd feel utterly wrong about it. There are several "super preemies" in there (no capes, sadly) and I'd never forgive myself if I caused them harm.

Of course, this is the weekend when we were going to be there as much as possible and try the whole "feeding on demand" thing. When I woke up, I had a migraine that lasted most of the day. I'm assuming it was brought on by stress, 'cause I haven't had one in ages. Headaches here and there, but not the big bad. And now, a cold. Yay.

You ever have the feeling that your body is working against you? *grump*

Jeff spent lots of time with each of his daughters today (I love saying "daughters" and "children". It's even more fun that saying "President Obama", though that is a close second). There were V-day festivities here that he and Sam went to, and then he spent several hours with Charlie, who was in a great mood. She has been practicing her smiling. It's so much fun. She also recognizes Jeff and I. It feels truly amazing to have her focus on me (and when that child focuses, she does it with every fiber of her tiny being) and then smile. Of course, she also focuses on her mobile and then smiles...and the cheetah that Jenny gave her, and the light fixtures. None of this decreases the awesome.:)

What the doctors say is wrong with her is "she's not eating enough to satisfy them". Which is true...but it isn't life-threatening. She takes about half her feeds a lot of the time and sometimes she takes all of them (she's currently at 105ml of a high-calorie formula). If the nurses would have her bottles ready before she was due to eat and give them to her when she was just realizing she was hungry, she'd eat a lot more. And, if she were fed on demand, as she would be at home, she'd eventually take everything she needed, just not in four-hour segments. Hell, I fed Sam 'round the clock till she was...nope, no idea. Older than Charlie currently is, that's for sure. And she was breastfeeding...I'm hoping to transition Charlie to breast, but right now she's on formula, which means that the other people in the house could feed her too.

But, y'know, I don't want to talk about it. ;)

Bought my breast pump last night, so I can get my supply up and hopefully have a stash in the freezer for the baby. I tried to pump when I had Sam and it didn't go well. But then, I had no real reason to do so. I'm more confident this time, and I have more people to ask if I run into problems.
myschyf: (Death Stare Flamingo)
Oh, lovely. I seem to have caught a cold. Which means that I can't go into the NICU...even if they'd let me, I'd feel utterly wrong about it. There are several "super preemies" in there (no capes, sadly) and I'd never forgive myself if I caused them harm.

Of course, this is the weekend when we were going to be there as much as possible and try the whole "feeding on demand" thing. When I woke up, I had a migraine that lasted most of the day. I'm assuming it was brought on by stress, 'cause I haven't had one in ages. Headaches here and there, but not the big bad. And now, a cold. Yay.

You ever have the feeling that your body is working against you? *grump*

Jeff spent lots of time with each of his daughters today (I love saying "daughters" and "children". It's even more fun that saying "President Obama", though that is a close second). There were V-day festivities here that he and Sam went to, and then he spent several hours with Charlie, who was in a great mood. She has been practicing her smiling. It's so much fun. She also recognizes Jeff and I. It feels truly amazing to have her focus on me (and when that child focuses, she does it with every fiber of her tiny being) and then smile. Of course, she also focuses on her mobile and then smiles...and the cheetah that Jenny gave her, and the light fixtures. None of this decreases the awesome.:)

What the doctors say is wrong with her is "she's not eating enough to satisfy them". Which is true...but it isn't life-threatening. She takes about half her feeds a lot of the time and sometimes she takes all of them (she's currently at 105ml of a high-calorie formula). If the nurses would have her bottles ready before she was due to eat and give them to her when she was just realizing she was hungry, she'd eat a lot more. And, if she were fed on demand, as she would be at home, she'd eventually take everything she needed, just not in four-hour segments. Hell, I fed Sam 'round the clock till she was...nope, no idea. Older than Charlie currently is, that's for sure. And she was breastfeeding...I'm hoping to transition Charlie to breast, but right now she's on formula, which means that the other people in the house could feed her too.

But, y'know, I don't want to talk about it. ;)

Bought my breast pump last night, so I can get my supply up and hopefully have a stash in the freezer for the baby. I tried to pump when I had Sam and it didn't go well. But then, I had no real reason to do so. I'm more confident this time, and I have more people to ask if I run into problems.
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
*looks at weather report* Oh hi, winter! I was wondering when you'd return. I was enjoying it being in the low sixties during the day and low fifties at night, but I do admit to being a bit weirded out, seeing as it's January and all.

Had a marvelous time with Charlie last night. She currently weighs ten pounds, one ounce. Imagine if she *didn't* have trouble eating! ;)

She was asleep when I got there. After a while, I unwrapped her and held her. She moved around a bit and finally settled with her head on my shoulder, against my neck. She was still fairly restless, so I patted/rubbed her back and sang "Baby Mine", which is the magic song for my kids. I think I could *still* get Sam to sleep with it, if I tried hard enough.

After repeating it about five hundred times, my brain was turning to goo, so I switched to another of the baby-relaxing songs in my repertoire, "Me & Bobby McGee". Charlie got restless again, but I figured it was 'cause of the change in rhythm. She started to wake all the way up, and seemed *very* grumpy. So, I switched back to the old favorite...and she went right back to sleep. You gotta admire the kid for knowing what she wants.

Eventually, she woke up and was in a fabulous mood. I changed her diaper, and she was *still* in a fabulous mood (she usually hates diaper changes, even when they're just wet). I sat her up in the crib, and she got to see her mobile from a new angle. Her eyes got *huge*. It was hilarious and really cool all at the same time.

She hasn't been eating well by mouth lately, but she took 45ml from me with no problem, and she didn't barf afterward. I call that a win.

She fell back asleep while finishing that up, and we had a lovely long cuddle. I do prefer leaving when she's asleep...I don't feel as...abandony.

The nurses do adore her though. They often come over and either talk to me or her...sure, they could be faking to make me feel better, but there'd really be no point in that. At least Charlie's probably not going to be freaked out by new people once we do get her home.

She wasn't transported today...so it'll either be tomorrow or Monday. Or, you know, a week from next Tuesday. I'm currently very "It'll happen when it happens", 'cause I was such an emotional basket case on Thursday and Friday, for what? All that energy wasted. So, I'm just trying to let it go. Then I won't be emotionally worn out when it's time to be a basket case during her surgery. One must prioritize.

In me news, yesterday was the first time in months that I have felt completely healthy. No dizziness, no having to sit down often, no nausea, none of it. We went to Target, and I made it through the whole store with absolutely no problems whatsoever. My back didn't even bitch me out. I think I may be completely recovered from pregnancy and the aftermath. Definitely yay. :)

Okay, I've had my short break. Now it's time to read more of Coraline to Sam. If Charlie's out of the hospital, I'm going to take Sammy to see the movie. When she found out we owned the book, she really wanted to hear it, and I'm more than happy to oblige.
myschyf: (Charlie and Sammy)
*looks at weather report* Oh hi, winter! I was wondering when you'd return. I was enjoying it being in the low sixties during the day and low fifties at night, but I do admit to being a bit weirded out, seeing as it's January and all.

Had a marvelous time with Charlie last night. She currently weighs ten pounds, one ounce. Imagine if she *didn't* have trouble eating! ;)

She was asleep when I got there. After a while, I unwrapped her and held her. She moved around a bit and finally settled with her head on my shoulder, against my neck. She was still fairly restless, so I patted/rubbed her back and sang "Baby Mine", which is the magic song for my kids. I think I could *still* get Sam to sleep with it, if I tried hard enough.

After repeating it about five hundred times, my brain was turning to goo, so I switched to another of the baby-relaxing songs in my repertoire, "Me & Bobby McGee". Charlie got restless again, but I figured it was 'cause of the change in rhythm. She started to wake all the way up, and seemed *very* grumpy. So, I switched back to the old favorite...and she went right back to sleep. You gotta admire the kid for knowing what she wants.

Eventually, she woke up and was in a fabulous mood. I changed her diaper, and she was *still* in a fabulous mood (she usually hates diaper changes, even when they're just wet). I sat her up in the crib, and she got to see her mobile from a new angle. Her eyes got *huge*. It was hilarious and really cool all at the same time.

She hasn't been eating well by mouth lately, but she took 45ml from me with no problem, and she didn't barf afterward. I call that a win.

She fell back asleep while finishing that up, and we had a lovely long cuddle. I do prefer leaving when she's asleep...I don't feel as...abandony.

The nurses do adore her though. They often come over and either talk to me or her...sure, they could be faking to make me feel better, but there'd really be no point in that. At least Charlie's probably not going to be freaked out by new people once we do get her home.

She wasn't transported today...so it'll either be tomorrow or Monday. Or, you know, a week from next Tuesday. I'm currently very "It'll happen when it happens", 'cause I was such an emotional basket case on Thursday and Friday, for what? All that energy wasted. So, I'm just trying to let it go. Then I won't be emotionally worn out when it's time to be a basket case during her surgery. One must prioritize.

In me news, yesterday was the first time in months that I have felt completely healthy. No dizziness, no having to sit down often, no nausea, none of it. We went to Target, and I made it through the whole store with absolutely no problems whatsoever. My back didn't even bitch me out. I think I may be completely recovered from pregnancy and the aftermath. Definitely yay. :)

Okay, I've had my short break. Now it's time to read more of Coraline to Sam. If Charlie's out of the hospital, I'm going to take Sammy to see the movie. When she found out we owned the book, she really wanted to hear it, and I'm more than happy to oblige.
myschyf: (Default)
Well, that was cool. I handed Sam a copy of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone. She yelped with glee and then closed her laptop and went upstairs to read.

Lots of Charlie news. I would have updated sooner, but my monitor decided to go on the blink. We got a new one from New Egg...can't recommend them higher. We ordered it on Sunday and it got here *today*. It's purty, too. I upgraded from my (wonderful) 19" monitor to a 22" widescreen. My geek side is giddy.

Charlie is going to be transported to Johns Hopkins hospital this week. She needs surgery to correct Pyriform Aperture Stenosis. We thought she had too much flesh in her nose, but it turns out that's *bone*. This is a congenital defect, and it could have had other things with it like brain deformation. She doesn't have that, thank ghods. She does have one large front tooth rather than two, but we can deal with that(especially since, even if she teethes as early as Sam, she's months away from that), and who knows, maybe she'll have two adult front teeth. As Dr. Clawson said, if something else had to come along, this was the one to hope for. Pyriform Aperture Stenosis is rare, which is why it took them so long to figure it out.

The doctors at Winchester were/are *amazing* advocates. I can't praise them highly enough. They knew something wasn't right, and just kept working on the problem till they found the answer, *then* they kept working till they found the right people to fix it. Yes, I know that's what doctors are supposed to do. And I'm damn glad that these doctors did it.

Johns Hopkins has both a pediatric ENT(ear, nose and throat) doctor and a pediatric anesthesiologist, and the surgery is considered by the doctors to be low-risk.

No, I'm not really this calm. I can't even call my mom to talk about it, 'cause I cry whenever I *think* about Charlie in surgery, let alone talk about it. Thank ghods for writing and computers and all that stuff.

But, this really is wonderful, no matter how terrible it seems. They found the problem and it has a solution. Though she probably won't be coming home till February, when she does, she'll be *home* and she'll be eating by mouth. Which also means that every drop she consumes won't have to be measured, so we can work on breastfeeding without the pump. I'm still going to try to get my supply up and so on, but if I can just *Feed* her, it'll be so much easier. We'll see what happens.
myschyf: (Default)
Well, that was cool. I handed Sam a copy of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone. She yelped with glee and then closed her laptop and went upstairs to read.

Lots of Charlie news. I would have updated sooner, but my monitor decided to go on the blink. We got a new one from New Egg...can't recommend them higher. We ordered it on Sunday and it got here *today*. It's purty, too. I upgraded from my (wonderful) 19" monitor to a 22" widescreen. My geek side is giddy.

Charlie is going to be transported to Johns Hopkins hospital this week. She needs surgery to correct Pyriform Aperture Stenosis. We thought she had too much flesh in her nose, but it turns out that's *bone*. This is a congenital defect, and it could have had other things with it like brain deformation. She doesn't have that, thank ghods. She does have one large front tooth rather than two, but we can deal with that(especially since, even if she teethes as early as Sam, she's months away from that), and who knows, maybe she'll have two adult front teeth. As Dr. Clawson said, if something else had to come along, this was the one to hope for. Pyriform Aperture Stenosis is rare, which is why it took them so long to figure it out.

The doctors at Winchester were/are *amazing* advocates. I can't praise them highly enough. They knew something wasn't right, and just kept working on the problem till they found the answer, *then* they kept working till they found the right people to fix it. Yes, I know that's what doctors are supposed to do. And I'm damn glad that these doctors did it.

Johns Hopkins has both a pediatric ENT(ear, nose and throat) doctor and a pediatric anesthesiologist, and the surgery is considered by the doctors to be low-risk.

No, I'm not really this calm. I can't even call my mom to talk about it, 'cause I cry whenever I *think* about Charlie in surgery, let alone talk about it. Thank ghods for writing and computers and all that stuff.

But, this really is wonderful, no matter how terrible it seems. They found the problem and it has a solution. Though she probably won't be coming home till February, when she does, she'll be *home* and she'll be eating by mouth. Which also means that every drop she consumes won't have to be measured, so we can work on breastfeeding without the pump. I'm still going to try to get my supply up and so on, but if I can just *Feed* her, it'll be so much easier. We'll see what happens.
myschyf: (Charlie's smile)
Dear American Life League,

Oh yeah. You're doing a great job of not making yourselves look absolutely insane. Yep, yep, yep.

Well, I guess your image is, ultimately, your choice.

Oops...sorry. Didn't mean to use the C-word.


Yes, I *am* laughing, right at you. Sincerely.

Gessi, who would kick someone for a Krispy Kreme right now

~~~

In Charlie news, I had a really good talk with her doctor last night. She agreed that it was utterly frustrating that the only thing keeping babygirl in the hospital was her nose. She called back the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor who'd seen her a couple weeks ago and they went over her CT scan again. The deviated septum isn't really causing any problems, as far as they can see. But, she has (what was described to me in simple medical terms that I can't remember) extra tissue in her nasal passages. This means that if she's the slightest bit congested, her nose is pretty much closed. They are currently waiting on a consult with a doctor at another hospital to see if there's any surgical option. Which, you know, aaah. *But* that hospital (no, I can't remember the name of *it*, either) has at least one infant anesthesia specialist, which is why, if she needed surgery, she'd be transported there. And, the doc mentioned the large possibility of laser surgery, which is far less scary, in my mind.

We also talked about the fact that, beyond that, she's so healthy and utterly *aware* of what's going on around her...I expressed concern that, as much as the nurses tried to play with her when they could, she spent a lot of time essentially alone. And found out that the hospital has a play therapist. And the doctor is/did get in touch with her today...the therapist is going to come every day or so and just *play* with Charlie. How utterly cool is that?

She was *wide* awake when I went in around nine. They'd been trying different bottles with her, including one for babies with cleft palates. That one had less of a nipple and more of an...almost squirter-type top, so that even if she didn't suck, she got the food. Oh, Ms. Charlie did *Not* like this at all, not one little bit. She wanted to suck on something, and would not take this easy way. So, we're back on the search for something she can suck without cutting off the airway from her mouth. Which is pretty much impossible, but who knows? There might be something out there. The Occupational Therapist has a couple things on order, and I'm currently looking around to see what I can find. It may be a fool's errand, but at least it's something, y'know?

They bottle she's currently using has a regular nipple, it's the bottle itself that's different. It's softer than the usual one, and when she gets distracted or has the nipple in her mouth but forgets to suck, one squeezes the bottle, which squirts a couple drops into her mouth. She goes "Oh right. I was eating!" and starts to nurse again. It works pretty well (and doesn't seem to offend her like the other one), though when she decides that she's done, she's *done*, dude. She's even started pushing the bottle away with her hands when she doesn't want it. On the eating side, that's a little frustrating. On the development side, it's wonderful.

She wanted to sleep after she ate, but couldn't quite get there, even after a couple burpings (she always looks slightly offended when being burped), so I put her up on my shoulder and started rubbing her back. She drifted off *right* away and slept for at least half an hour. It's the same position I used with Sammy when she was an infant, and it was pretty amazing to have Charlie like that and not have to worry about moving her around too much or jiggling her, which were problems when she was on the formulas with lactose and before they started giving her the reflux meds. Just a regular baby, sleeping on my shoulder.

That couldn't last, of course. She started moving and I helped her turn her head to the other side. A couple minutes later, she was awake and *not having it*. So, I laid her in the crib and turned on the mobile. Instant mesmerization. I annoyed her by poking the animals and making the swing a little. She gave me this look like "Hey...the animals and I, we have an understanding. Leave 'em alone!"...it was adorable. And made me want to poke them more. But I was good and didn't.

One of the nurses (not the one who was taking care of Charlie right then) came over to talk about how much she *loved* the mobile and how cute she was. I guess they don't usually have a mostly-healthy (I don't think the nose makes her *un*healthy, but I don't know how to put it) baby in there, and they're having a good time with her. While I'd rather be the one with her all the time, I'm so glad they enjoy their time with her...probably means she gets far more interaction than I'm imagining.

I went and got Jeff, 'cause the child wasn't falling asleep and I do try not to be greedy. I usually fail, but I *try*. When he came back, he said she was still awake. But they'd had a good time, and got a lot of cuddling in.

Sammy and I lucked out and caught both Good Eats and How Its Made in the waiting room. Made the time go faster...and it's nice to hang out with Sammy, too. She's always excited to go to the hospital, even now when she can't go into the NICU 'cause of flu season. I'm so proud of her.
myschyf: (Charlie's smile)
Dear American Life League,

Oh yeah. You're doing a great job of not making yourselves look absolutely insane. Yep, yep, yep.

Well, I guess your image is, ultimately, your choice.

Oops...sorry. Didn't mean to use the C-word.


Yes, I *am* laughing, right at you. Sincerely.

Gessi, who would kick someone for a Krispy Kreme right now

~~~

In Charlie news, I had a really good talk with her doctor last night. She agreed that it was utterly frustrating that the only thing keeping babygirl in the hospital was her nose. She called back the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor who'd seen her a couple weeks ago and they went over her CT scan again. The deviated septum isn't really causing any problems, as far as they can see. But, she has (what was described to me in simple medical terms that I can't remember) extra tissue in her nasal passages. This means that if she's the slightest bit congested, her nose is pretty much closed. They are currently waiting on a consult with a doctor at another hospital to see if there's any surgical option. Which, you know, aaah. *But* that hospital (no, I can't remember the name of *it*, either) has at least one infant anesthesia specialist, which is why, if she needed surgery, she'd be transported there. And, the doc mentioned the large possibility of laser surgery, which is far less scary, in my mind.

We also talked about the fact that, beyond that, she's so healthy and utterly *aware* of what's going on around her...I expressed concern that, as much as the nurses tried to play with her when they could, she spent a lot of time essentially alone. And found out that the hospital has a play therapist. And the doctor is/did get in touch with her today...the therapist is going to come every day or so and just *play* with Charlie. How utterly cool is that?

She was *wide* awake when I went in around nine. They'd been trying different bottles with her, including one for babies with cleft palates. That one had less of a nipple and more of an...almost squirter-type top, so that even if she didn't suck, she got the food. Oh, Ms. Charlie did *Not* like this at all, not one little bit. She wanted to suck on something, and would not take this easy way. So, we're back on the search for something she can suck without cutting off the airway from her mouth. Which is pretty much impossible, but who knows? There might be something out there. The Occupational Therapist has a couple things on order, and I'm currently looking around to see what I can find. It may be a fool's errand, but at least it's something, y'know?

They bottle she's currently using has a regular nipple, it's the bottle itself that's different. It's softer than the usual one, and when she gets distracted or has the nipple in her mouth but forgets to suck, one squeezes the bottle, which squirts a couple drops into her mouth. She goes "Oh right. I was eating!" and starts to nurse again. It works pretty well (and doesn't seem to offend her like the other one), though when she decides that she's done, she's *done*, dude. She's even started pushing the bottle away with her hands when she doesn't want it. On the eating side, that's a little frustrating. On the development side, it's wonderful.

She wanted to sleep after she ate, but couldn't quite get there, even after a couple burpings (she always looks slightly offended when being burped), so I put her up on my shoulder and started rubbing her back. She drifted off *right* away and slept for at least half an hour. It's the same position I used with Sammy when she was an infant, and it was pretty amazing to have Charlie like that and not have to worry about moving her around too much or jiggling her, which were problems when she was on the formulas with lactose and before they started giving her the reflux meds. Just a regular baby, sleeping on my shoulder.

That couldn't last, of course. She started moving and I helped her turn her head to the other side. A couple minutes later, she was awake and *not having it*. So, I laid her in the crib and turned on the mobile. Instant mesmerization. I annoyed her by poking the animals and making the swing a little. She gave me this look like "Hey...the animals and I, we have an understanding. Leave 'em alone!"...it was adorable. And made me want to poke them more. But I was good and didn't.

One of the nurses (not the one who was taking care of Charlie right then) came over to talk about how much she *loved* the mobile and how cute she was. I guess they don't usually have a mostly-healthy (I don't think the nose makes her *un*healthy, but I don't know how to put it) baby in there, and they're having a good time with her. While I'd rather be the one with her all the time, I'm so glad they enjoy their time with her...probably means she gets far more interaction than I'm imagining.

I went and got Jeff, 'cause the child wasn't falling asleep and I do try not to be greedy. I usually fail, but I *try*. When he came back, he said she was still awake. But they'd had a good time, and got a lot of cuddling in.

Sammy and I lucked out and caught both Good Eats and How Its Made in the waiting room. Made the time go faster...and it's nice to hang out with Sammy, too. She's always excited to go to the hospital, even now when she can't go into the NICU 'cause of flu season. I'm so proud of her.
myschyf: (Default)
Thank you so much for the jammie links! I got some wonderful leads. Y'all rock.:) And yes, there will definitely be pictures, once the jammies are acquired and on the child.

Got to see my Charlie last night! Circumstances had been stopping me since *Saturday*, which brought suckitude to an almost unbelievable level.

But she was bright and bonny when we got there. Kids still aren't allowed in the NICU (then they should let Charlie out! ;) due to flu worries, so I went first (Jeff had seen her on Monday. On Saturday, he gets to go first) and he stayed with Sammy in the waiting room down the hall. She did *very* well, with just a little crankiness near the end. I'm sure the backpack full of books and fun helped. *grin*

Charlie had definitely grown. She just looked so *big*. And she was stronger, too. She's been able to push herself away from my shoulder since she was about a week and a half old. Today, she decided to try acrobatics. 'Cause everyone needs a hobby. Luckily, I remember how these things go, and she didn't get away from me once.

Her doctors had taken her off the schedule and are letting her feed on demand, figuring that if she's actually hungry, she may eat more. Boy did *that* work well. When I got there, she'd just finished eating. She took 70ml by mouth at one feeding. This is *BY FAR* the largest amount she's ever eaten. Her nurse was trying to bring up a burp, so I got to do that (and eventually did) I stayed for a couple hours and she didn't spit up, either. This makes us incredibly hopeful.

They'd taken her tube out, and I didn't see the machine that pumps the food into the tube at her station either. I know, they can both come back at any time, but it's the very first time she's tubeless. *Joy*.

She's so *smart*...I know, all parents say that, and hell, they might all be right. I can see this deep inteligence in her eyes. She's wondering about *everything*, looking around all the time and trying to figure stuff out. She's also still very interesting in the acoustic tiles. I'll get her one of her very own when she comes home.;)

She was moody, even after a diaper change and burpage. It was mainly her being very tired but so curious about everything that she didn't want to sleep. She'd do her little kitten cry (sort of a half-cry that means "I think this might suck, but I'm not sure yet") and turn her head like she was hungry. Which, after 70ml in her belly was pretty impossible. So I'd pop the pacifier in, and she'd suck on it like she'd been waiting for *hours*. Then, after a while, she'd spit it out. And sometimes, she got good distance on that thing. It was like she was going for a record. I was impressed...it was something she couldn't do the last time I was there. I'm proud to say that my years of video games have honed my fine motor skills to such a degree that the paci never got away from me. But, I'm sure we'll play this game again (many times, if she still likes the pacifier) and eventually, she'll win.

I sang her very nearly to sleep twice. The first time, a nurse came by at just the wrong second and said something. *le sigh* The second, she was almost there and then went "Oh, no, that's not what I want to do!". But we came damn close. Good to know that both Baby Mine and Me & Bobby McGee still work.

Eventually, I settled her back in the bed and turned on her mobile. She held my left hand and I put my right on her belly, which she seems to like. She was very relaxed. It was wonderful.

I decided to let Jeff have his turn while there was a bit of awake in her, so I kissed her and told her that Daddy would be there in a few moments and that I'd see her on Saturday. Then I left.

They're predicting snow and stuff on Saturday. I don't actually care. I'll be there if I have to walk.

The NICU is kept pretty dim...oh, there's no problem seeing anything, but sometimes making out details can be difficult. While I was cuddling with Charlie, the light at her station fell across her face and I found out that, right now, her eyes are dark blue with a wide green ring. I wish there'd been some way I could have taken a picture. Especially since, as we all know, babies eyes change.

Oh yeah! Remember her broken arm? She doesn't. She's using both arms pretty equally, and with the same dexterity. When she's sleepy, she tends to only use the never-broken one, but I think she'll grow out of that eventually. So much for the specter of nerve transplants.

She's going to be a month old tomorrow. Time is weird, because there's 1)no way it's been that long and 2)no way she hasn't always been a part of my life.
myschyf: (Default)
Thank you so much for the jammie links! I got some wonderful leads. Y'all rock.:) And yes, there will definitely be pictures, once the jammies are acquired and on the child.

Got to see my Charlie last night! Circumstances had been stopping me since *Saturday*, which brought suckitude to an almost unbelievable level.

But she was bright and bonny when we got there. Kids still aren't allowed in the NICU (then they should let Charlie out! ;) due to flu worries, so I went first (Jeff had seen her on Monday. On Saturday, he gets to go first) and he stayed with Sammy in the waiting room down the hall. She did *very* well, with just a little crankiness near the end. I'm sure the backpack full of books and fun helped. *grin*

Charlie had definitely grown. She just looked so *big*. And she was stronger, too. She's been able to push herself away from my shoulder since she was about a week and a half old. Today, she decided to try acrobatics. 'Cause everyone needs a hobby. Luckily, I remember how these things go, and she didn't get away from me once.

Her doctors had taken her off the schedule and are letting her feed on demand, figuring that if she's actually hungry, she may eat more. Boy did *that* work well. When I got there, she'd just finished eating. She took 70ml by mouth at one feeding. This is *BY FAR* the largest amount she's ever eaten. Her nurse was trying to bring up a burp, so I got to do that (and eventually did) I stayed for a couple hours and she didn't spit up, either. This makes us incredibly hopeful.

They'd taken her tube out, and I didn't see the machine that pumps the food into the tube at her station either. I know, they can both come back at any time, but it's the very first time she's tubeless. *Joy*.

She's so *smart*...I know, all parents say that, and hell, they might all be right. I can see this deep inteligence in her eyes. She's wondering about *everything*, looking around all the time and trying to figure stuff out. She's also still very interesting in the acoustic tiles. I'll get her one of her very own when she comes home.;)

She was moody, even after a diaper change and burpage. It was mainly her being very tired but so curious about everything that she didn't want to sleep. She'd do her little kitten cry (sort of a half-cry that means "I think this might suck, but I'm not sure yet") and turn her head like she was hungry. Which, after 70ml in her belly was pretty impossible. So I'd pop the pacifier in, and she'd suck on it like she'd been waiting for *hours*. Then, after a while, she'd spit it out. And sometimes, she got good distance on that thing. It was like she was going for a record. I was impressed...it was something she couldn't do the last time I was there. I'm proud to say that my years of video games have honed my fine motor skills to such a degree that the paci never got away from me. But, I'm sure we'll play this game again (many times, if she still likes the pacifier) and eventually, she'll win.

I sang her very nearly to sleep twice. The first time, a nurse came by at just the wrong second and said something. *le sigh* The second, she was almost there and then went "Oh, no, that's not what I want to do!". But we came damn close. Good to know that both Baby Mine and Me & Bobby McGee still work.

Eventually, I settled her back in the bed and turned on her mobile. She held my left hand and I put my right on her belly, which she seems to like. She was very relaxed. It was wonderful.

I decided to let Jeff have his turn while there was a bit of awake in her, so I kissed her and told her that Daddy would be there in a few moments and that I'd see her on Saturday. Then I left.

They're predicting snow and stuff on Saturday. I don't actually care. I'll be there if I have to walk.

The NICU is kept pretty dim...oh, there's no problem seeing anything, but sometimes making out details can be difficult. While I was cuddling with Charlie, the light at her station fell across her face and I found out that, right now, her eyes are dark blue with a wide green ring. I wish there'd been some way I could have taken a picture. Especially since, as we all know, babies eyes change.

Oh yeah! Remember her broken arm? She doesn't. She's using both arms pretty equally, and with the same dexterity. When she's sleepy, she tends to only use the never-broken one, but I think she'll grow out of that eventually. So much for the specter of nerve transplants.

She's going to be a month old tomorrow. Time is weird, because there's 1)no way it's been that long and 2)no way she hasn't always been a part of my life.
myschyf: (A-okay)
Charlie is doing so well. Her cast came off on Friday (12/26) and her arm looks just like her other arm. No wrinkliness or anything. She's been moving it a little and moves her hand around just fine. But, don't tell her that. She's convinced that it's still broken. It probably is a bit sore, and we're to be extra careful with her arm for the next two weeks. But this is psychological. If you move her formerly broken arm and she notices, she starts to cry. Move it back and everything's fine. So, for now, we're sort of pretending that it's still broken. Why cause her fear when it isn't necessary? Eventually, she'll start using it just like her always-unbroken arm.

They're still going to do a scan to see if the passages in her nose are too narrow, but in the meantime, they're dosing her with a saline solution to help her clear out her nasal passages and it's *working*. Not intstantly and she is still snorty from time to time, but we see progress.

She was spitting up most of what she was eating till they switched her to lactose-free formula. Which happened the same day we were going to suggest soy formula. So that worked out. Interestingly enough, both Jeff and I were on soy forumula as babies...Sam probably would have needed it too, if she hadn't been breast fed.

Speaking of breast feeding, my general doctor took me off two medicines and put me on another that should allow me to breastfeed with no problem. I'm bringing the list of what I'm taking to Charlie's doctor (I'm assuming that'll happen Mondayish) and am hoping to be cleared for takeoff very soon.

The child is growing and gaining weight, and was even when she was spitting most nutrition up. She *did* obstensibly lose weight on Friday, but her cast was heavy and we all agreed *that*was what she really lost. Doesn't really matter, 'cause she gained two ounces yesterday. How, you ask? By eating, I say. They gave her some Afrin either late Saturday night or early Sunday and it is working wonders. She's been sucking down her food, by mouth rather than tube. We noticed a sharp increase in what she'd take by bottle when they were using the saline, but this is even more impressive. And makes her mama hopful that we will have a Charlie in the house very soon.

Her current stats are 22 & 3/4 inches long and 8 lbs. 8 oz.

And now, a large picture of my daughters.

with a cut, of course )
myschyf: (A-okay)
Charlie is doing so well. Her cast came off on Friday (12/26) and her arm looks just like her other arm. No wrinkliness or anything. She's been moving it a little and moves her hand around just fine. But, don't tell her that. She's convinced that it's still broken. It probably is a bit sore, and we're to be extra careful with her arm for the next two weeks. But this is psychological. If you move her formerly broken arm and she notices, she starts to cry. Move it back and everything's fine. So, for now, we're sort of pretending that it's still broken. Why cause her fear when it isn't necessary? Eventually, she'll start using it just like her always-unbroken arm.

They're still going to do a scan to see if the passages in her nose are too narrow, but in the meantime, they're dosing her with a saline solution to help her clear out her nasal passages and it's *working*. Not intstantly and she is still snorty from time to time, but we see progress.

She was spitting up most of what she was eating till they switched her to lactose-free formula. Which happened the same day we were going to suggest soy formula. So that worked out. Interestingly enough, both Jeff and I were on soy forumula as babies...Sam probably would have needed it too, if she hadn't been breast fed.

Speaking of breast feeding, my general doctor took me off two medicines and put me on another that should allow me to breastfeed with no problem. I'm bringing the list of what I'm taking to Charlie's doctor (I'm assuming that'll happen Mondayish) and am hoping to be cleared for takeoff very soon.

The child is growing and gaining weight, and was even when she was spitting most nutrition up. She *did* obstensibly lose weight on Friday, but her cast was heavy and we all agreed *that*was what she really lost. Doesn't really matter, 'cause she gained two ounces yesterday. How, you ask? By eating, I say. They gave her some Afrin either late Saturday night or early Sunday and it is working wonders. She's been sucking down her food, by mouth rather than tube. We noticed a sharp increase in what she'd take by bottle when they were using the saline, but this is even more impressive. And makes her mama hopful that we will have a Charlie in the house very soon.

Her current stats are 22 & 3/4 inches long and 8 lbs. 8 oz.

And now, a large picture of my daughters.

with a cut, of course )
myschyf: (Charlie)
Hi all. This is [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek posting for [livejournal.com profile] dandelion_diva.

In case you didn't know, Gessi went to the hospital yesterday morning due to bleeding. Several hours later, Charlotte "Charlie" Emelia Anne Rovario-Cole was born via c-section.

Gessi is in the ICU as she was having some problems breathing and her blood pressure was elevated. She is doing quite well, and grumpy that the remote for her tv is missing :)

Charlotte's left arm was apparently on top of her head in the birth canal, so, it broke either in the womb or during delivery. The bone doctor has been to see her and is pleased with the splinting and such.

Gessi's mum arrived this morning and has been doing a fantastic job of corralling [livejournal.com profile] sammy_grrl who is constantly reminding us how glad she is that she doesn't have to share her birthday month :)

Cards and such can be sent to the address found here. If you can't see it for whatever reason, yell at me in the comments of whatever latest post I've made :)

Almost forgot. The pertinent details:

Charlotte Emelia Anne Rovario-Cole
7lbs 14oz 19in long
Full head of dark hair

I will continue to post updates in my journal, so, feel free to friend me, etc.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers, etc.

Jeff
myschyf: (Charlie)
Hi all. This is [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek posting for [livejournal.com profile] dandelion_diva.

In case you didn't know, Gessi went to the hospital yesterday morning due to bleeding. Several hours later, Charlotte "Charlie" Emelia Anne Rovario-Cole was born via c-section.

Gessi is in the ICU as she was having some problems breathing and her blood pressure was elevated. She is doing quite well, and grumpy that the remote for her tv is missing :)

Charlotte's left arm was apparently on top of her head in the birth canal, so, it broke either in the womb or during delivery. The bone doctor has been to see her and is pleased with the splinting and such.

Gessi's mum arrived this morning and has been doing a fantastic job of corralling [livejournal.com profile] sammy_grrl who is constantly reminding us how glad she is that she doesn't have to share her birthday month :)

Cards and such can be sent to the address found here. If you can't see it for whatever reason, yell at me in the comments of whatever latest post I've made :)

Almost forgot. The pertinent details:

Charlotte Emelia Anne Rovario-Cole
7lbs 14oz 19in long
Full head of dark hair

I will continue to post updates in my journal, so, feel free to friend me, etc.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers, etc.

Jeff
myschyf: (Default)
Dear body,

No. Pick *one*. Hunger or nausea, not both.

In closing, *thppppppt*.

~~~

We got Sam kitted out for winter. I know, it's a bit late, but the past five or six months have been "HEAT, less heat, haha fooled you LOTS more heat, cooling down, heating up, wind for three weeks (along with a little heat here and there), rain, some heat, what do you mean it's snowing?".

But now, she's the proud owner of Littlest Pet Shop mittens (she picked mittens...I bet she'll acquire gloves from Goodwill as well), a goofy but very warm knit cap in pink with fleece lining and tassles, a faux fur lined pink sweat jacket and a pink coat/hood that would probably keep her toasty in the arctic.

Would you ever guess that she picked out everything on her own? *grin*

~~~

So tired today. I finally did get a good chunk of sleep, which was pleasant. Maybe I can do the same thing tonight! I know it seems daring, but I've heard from reliable sources that there *are* people who do that sort of thing.
myschyf: (Default)
Dear body,

No. Pick *one*. Hunger or nausea, not both.

In closing, *thppppppt*.

~~~

We got Sam kitted out for winter. I know, it's a bit late, but the past five or six months have been "HEAT, less heat, haha fooled you LOTS more heat, cooling down, heating up, wind for three weeks (along with a little heat here and there), rain, some heat, what do you mean it's snowing?".

But now, she's the proud owner of Littlest Pet Shop mittens (she picked mittens...I bet she'll acquire gloves from Goodwill as well), a goofy but very warm knit cap in pink with fleece lining and tassles, a faux fur lined pink sweat jacket and a pink coat/hood that would probably keep her toasty in the arctic.

Would you ever guess that she picked out everything on her own? *grin*

~~~

So tired today. I finally did get a good chunk of sleep, which was pleasant. Maybe I can do the same thing tonight! I know it seems daring, but I've heard from reliable sources that there *are* people who do that sort of thing.
myschyf: (My aching head)
Jean Claude Van Damme is creepy. And smarmy, and icky.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] filkertom,
Message to the religious right - this isn't just about marriage, it's about history

I keep hearing all of this nonsense about us lgbts attacking people, about us using intimidation and violence to oppress people, about us somehow being ugly aggressors.

Newt Gingrich (who wrote the book on deceptive messaging during his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives) actually accused us of being "secular fascists."

Gingrich's attack on us seem to be the prevailing theme with those on the other side of the Proposition 8 argument.

And I think there needs to be some historical perspective on this matter.


Absolutely worth the read.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] dafydd, The instant rimshot.

~~~

And now, I happily close the onscreen keyboard and go back to typing on the real thing. Mondo thanks to [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek for bringing home a replacement.

~~~

A few weeks ago, Sam and I were discussing computers, and I was telling her about my first computer lab, and then about my first computer. I explained that there was no mouse, no e-mail, no *colors* on the monitor (okay, black and yellow are colors, but y'all know what I mean). I basically had Word Perfect and a handfull of ASCI games. Oh, and Blockout. And, I was *very* happy with it all.

The child blinked at me and said "You didn't even have FIREFOX?!". I explained that not only did I not have firefox (nor did firefox actually exist yet), I didn't have a 'net connection nor did most people *and* my computer was a major hand-me-down which wouldn't run Windows 3.5.

I'm *still* not sure she believes me. ;)
myschyf: (My aching head)
Jean Claude Van Damme is creepy. And smarmy, and icky.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] filkertom,
Message to the religious right - this isn't just about marriage, it's about history

I keep hearing all of this nonsense about us lgbts attacking people, about us using intimidation and violence to oppress people, about us somehow being ugly aggressors.

Newt Gingrich (who wrote the book on deceptive messaging during his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives) actually accused us of being "secular fascists."

Gingrich's attack on us seem to be the prevailing theme with those on the other side of the Proposition 8 argument.

And I think there needs to be some historical perspective on this matter.


Absolutely worth the read.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] dafydd, The instant rimshot.

~~~

And now, I happily close the onscreen keyboard and go back to typing on the real thing. Mondo thanks to [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek for bringing home a replacement.

~~~

A few weeks ago, Sam and I were discussing computers, and I was telling her about my first computer lab, and then about my first computer. I explained that there was no mouse, no e-mail, no *colors* on the monitor (okay, black and yellow are colors, but y'all know what I mean). I basically had Word Perfect and a handfull of ASCI games. Oh, and Blockout. And, I was *very* happy with it all.

The child blinked at me and said "You didn't even have FIREFOX?!". I explained that not only did I not have firefox (nor did firefox actually exist yet), I didn't have a 'net connection nor did most people *and* my computer was a major hand-me-down which wouldn't run Windows 3.5.

I'm *still* not sure she believes me. ;)
myschyf: (Boobies!)
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. Y'all rock like a rocking chair in a windstorm.

~~~

I can't believe I forgot that [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek also got me the second volume of The Ultimate Sandman. But he did. Tolja he was just that cool. :)

~~~

Sam adores Cyberchase. Which is cool. Yay math.But the theme song? That drives me absolutely mad. Because of this: o/~Don't tell me that he's trying to hack the Motherboard, we'll get him every time~\o

'Kay... If I don't *tell* you, how are you going to beat him? Hmmmm?

~~~

When I was quite young, my Boompa taught me to go down the stairs on my butt. This was called Boombie. Because it was, that's why.

Here's the cat version. Cats can't go down on their butts, of course. The tail gets in the way.;)

~~~

Dear Prince,

Are you kidding me? You really want to alienate all your queer fans?

Now, to be honest, I've thought you were a nutter for a while now. But, a nutter with some good music...and some undeniably goofy music that was often fun as hell. But you've been heading into whackball territory for the past few years, and my advice is "Pull up! Pull Upppppppp! You're going into a dive that you may never recover from".

Not that I expect you to listen, but hey, nobody can say I didn't try.

Disappointedly,

Gessi

P.S. "Take out of context"? Couldn't you come up with something a little more original.

~~~

Also, if you haven't seen the segment about Prince in the first Evening w/Kevin Smith dvd, oh you should. Even if you don't like Kevin Smith, it's honestly worth it.

~~~

Sam's cold seems to be *gone*. There's a sneeze here and there, but those are gone for the most part. The cough and runny nose seem to be utterly a thing of the past. I'm happy and relieved for the poor kid.

~~~

We have worked with Lego to painstakingly collect and catalog almost every minifig ever produced into a photographic timeline.

~~~

Chuck Klosterman & Chinese Democracy Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom?

Honestly? I don't expect it to be good. There's always a *chance* of course, but so many cooks have stirred this broth that even if there are a bunch of good songs, I don't hold much hope for a cohesive album. But whatever happens, it should be interesting.

~~~

Hey cool! A series of Muppet comic books is beginning in March of next year.

If nothing else, Sam will be delighted. She's just starting to get into comics and graphic novels, and loves the Muppets nearly as much as I do. (Well, I've had more time to let the obsession grow, you see.;)

~~~

Oooh, here's something to eat up time, if you have some you need to be rid of. The Life Photo Archive, hosted by Google. Their photos *start* in the 1860's.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] yendi, video of a cat riding a Roomba. That's got to be the calmest cat I've ever seen. Seems to know how to get it to go in the right direction, too.

~~~

Sam's a wonderful helper. My cold, which started out so light, seems to be in assasination mode. Sam has refilled the electric kettle and found the box of mint tea that went missing. Then she got me regular water as well and a bag for used tissues. She's upstairs putting away her clothes and then she's going to make bean & cheese burritos for lunch, with help and supervision from me.

She's always a great kid (even when I want to put her in a box on the sidewalk with a puppy and a sign "Free puppy, must take brat too", she's still a great kid. The proof of that is, I haven't made the sign yet.;) but this is very impressive and I've told her so.

*later* Oh, these are good. Tasty and wonderfully filling. She heated 'em up and then I put them together, explaining the folding method again. I think she might actually take on the folding next time. :)

~~~

Dear Zappos,

I like your store and the shoes I've gotten from there. But, the e-mail I just got for you made me roll my eyes. "Free shipping for the holidays". I've been buying stuff from you for several years now (the first time was when we were still living in Maryland) and the shipping has *always* been free. It'd be kind of like Burger King advertising that now, they have french fries!

Glad for the free shipping any way I can get it,

Gessi
myschyf: (Boobies!)
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. Y'all rock like a rocking chair in a windstorm.

~~~

I can't believe I forgot that [livejournal.com profile] darthgeek also got me the second volume of The Ultimate Sandman. But he did. Tolja he was just that cool. :)

~~~

Sam adores Cyberchase. Which is cool. Yay math.But the theme song? That drives me absolutely mad. Because of this: o/~Don't tell me that he's trying to hack the Motherboard, we'll get him every time~\o

'Kay... If I don't *tell* you, how are you going to beat him? Hmmmm?

~~~

When I was quite young, my Boompa taught me to go down the stairs on my butt. This was called Boombie. Because it was, that's why.

Here's the cat version. Cats can't go down on their butts, of course. The tail gets in the way.;)

~~~

Dear Prince,

Are you kidding me? You really want to alienate all your queer fans?

Now, to be honest, I've thought you were a nutter for a while now. But, a nutter with some good music...and some undeniably goofy music that was often fun as hell. But you've been heading into whackball territory for the past few years, and my advice is "Pull up! Pull Upppppppp! You're going into a dive that you may never recover from".

Not that I expect you to listen, but hey, nobody can say I didn't try.

Disappointedly,

Gessi

P.S. "Take out of context"? Couldn't you come up with something a little more original.

~~~

Also, if you haven't seen the segment about Prince in the first Evening w/Kevin Smith dvd, oh you should. Even if you don't like Kevin Smith, it's honestly worth it.

~~~

Sam's cold seems to be *gone*. There's a sneeze here and there, but those are gone for the most part. The cough and runny nose seem to be utterly a thing of the past. I'm happy and relieved for the poor kid.

~~~

We have worked with Lego to painstakingly collect and catalog almost every minifig ever produced into a photographic timeline.

~~~

Chuck Klosterman & Chinese Democracy Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom?

Honestly? I don't expect it to be good. There's always a *chance* of course, but so many cooks have stirred this broth that even if there are a bunch of good songs, I don't hold much hope for a cohesive album. But whatever happens, it should be interesting.

~~~

Hey cool! A series of Muppet comic books is beginning in March of next year.

If nothing else, Sam will be delighted. She's just starting to get into comics and graphic novels, and loves the Muppets nearly as much as I do. (Well, I've had more time to let the obsession grow, you see.;)

~~~

Oooh, here's something to eat up time, if you have some you need to be rid of. The Life Photo Archive, hosted by Google. Their photos *start* in the 1860's.

~~~

Via [livejournal.com profile] yendi, video of a cat riding a Roomba. That's got to be the calmest cat I've ever seen. Seems to know how to get it to go in the right direction, too.

~~~

Sam's a wonderful helper. My cold, which started out so light, seems to be in assasination mode. Sam has refilled the electric kettle and found the box of mint tea that went missing. Then she got me regular water as well and a bag for used tissues. She's upstairs putting away her clothes and then she's going to make bean & cheese burritos for lunch, with help and supervision from me.

She's always a great kid (even when I want to put her in a box on the sidewalk with a puppy and a sign "Free puppy, must take brat too", she's still a great kid. The proof of that is, I haven't made the sign yet.;) but this is very impressive and I've told her so.

*later* Oh, these are good. Tasty and wonderfully filling. She heated 'em up and then I put them together, explaining the folding method again. I think she might actually take on the folding next time. :)

~~~

Dear Zappos,

I like your store and the shoes I've gotten from there. But, the e-mail I just got for you made me roll my eyes. "Free shipping for the holidays". I've been buying stuff from you for several years now (the first time was when we were still living in Maryland) and the shipping has *always* been free. It'd be kind of like Burger King advertising that now, they have french fries!

Glad for the free shipping any way I can get it,

Gessi
myschyf: (Default)
Really frickin' cool mug.

~~~

So, Jeff's on a business trip, and as we all know, I don't *like* it when he's away. It's a short trip this time, Sun-Wed, but it's slightly eviler than the other trips. 'Cause my birthday's on *Tuesday*. And while I'm an adult and fully realize that life isn't fair and that in the grand scheme of things, birthdays don't matter all that much, it still sucks. And, I'm pretty sure it's against some rule, somewhere.

Or, shorter version: *pout* *flop* *sigh*

~~~

Teacher reads kids The Graveyard Book, kids love it, teacher and kids make a fantastic mural.

If you haven't read it and don't want to see any spoilers whatsoever, save the link for later. But really, they're the tiniest of spoilers to my mind.

~~~

Coolest ticket machine thus far in human civilization.

~~~

Moby says some stuff I've been thinking about.

~~~

Great essay by Melissa Etheridge. Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

More at the link, of course.

~~~

As you know, Bob, the neighborhood in which we live has a *lot* of trees. Oh no, more than that. After living in a new housing community for three years, where the trees still needed to be tied to support sticks, there's an almost unbelievable amount of trees. Which means a truly unbelievable amount of leaves. These are great and Sam has a fabulous time playing in them. The interesting thing is, I never realized how much the leaves hid. When I look out the back windows, I now see *houses* that I didn't know were there. It's a trip and a half.

~~~

Sewing sounds. Not *with* sounds, but modifying a sewing machine to use the sounds as a pattern.

~~~

Ohmighods, you're not going to believe this but yesterday? I not only *saw* the sun, there was actual warm sunlight on my arm! I was happily shocked.

~~~

Lots of truly amazing cakes. They say that every bit of the cake and decorative bits are edible.

~~~

Sam has a toothbrush that plays two minutes of Kiss' Rock & Roll All Night, so that she knows how long to brush. She's taken to singing along with it, which is not only amusing but for some reason, very sweet. Though, she may be getting tired of me asking "Did you brush all your teeth on all sides?" But she agrees that she has, and toothbrushing is no longer a huge hassle for us. So, definitely yay, with a little awwww on the side.
myschyf: (Default)
Really frickin' cool mug.

~~~

So, Jeff's on a business trip, and as we all know, I don't *like* it when he's away. It's a short trip this time, Sun-Wed, but it's slightly eviler than the other trips. 'Cause my birthday's on *Tuesday*. And while I'm an adult and fully realize that life isn't fair and that in the grand scheme of things, birthdays don't matter all that much, it still sucks. And, I'm pretty sure it's against some rule, somewhere.

Or, shorter version: *pout* *flop* *sigh*

~~~

Teacher reads kids The Graveyard Book, kids love it, teacher and kids make a fantastic mural.

If you haven't read it and don't want to see any spoilers whatsoever, save the link for later. But really, they're the tiniest of spoilers to my mind.

~~~

Coolest ticket machine thus far in human civilization.

~~~

Moby says some stuff I've been thinking about.

~~~

Great essay by Melissa Etheridge. Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

More at the link, of course.

~~~

As you know, Bob, the neighborhood in which we live has a *lot* of trees. Oh no, more than that. After living in a new housing community for three years, where the trees still needed to be tied to support sticks, there's an almost unbelievable amount of trees. Which means a truly unbelievable amount of leaves. These are great and Sam has a fabulous time playing in them. The interesting thing is, I never realized how much the leaves hid. When I look out the back windows, I now see *houses* that I didn't know were there. It's a trip and a half.

~~~

Sewing sounds. Not *with* sounds, but modifying a sewing machine to use the sounds as a pattern.

~~~

Ohmighods, you're not going to believe this but yesterday? I not only *saw* the sun, there was actual warm sunlight on my arm! I was happily shocked.

~~~

Lots of truly amazing cakes. They say that every bit of the cake and decorative bits are edible.

~~~

Sam has a toothbrush that plays two minutes of Kiss' Rock & Roll All Night, so that she knows how long to brush. She's taken to singing along with it, which is not only amusing but for some reason, very sweet. Though, she may be getting tired of me asking "Did you brush all your teeth on all sides?" But she agrees that she has, and toothbrushing is no longer a huge hassle for us. So, definitely yay, with a little awwww on the side.
myschyf: (Default)
Changes make me think of roller skating. I'm pretty sure I've never roller skated to Changes.

The majority of my roller skating happened outside, with the exception of the time we lived in the hovel. The driveway was dirt/gravel as was the road (not that my mother would have let me skate on that road *anyway*), so my mom, being cool like that, rolled up the carpet and let me skate in the dining room. But I don't think Changes was playing *then*, either.

~~~

A really good piece by Joe Decker wrt California's Prop. 8

~~~

Huh. Now that I think about it, soon after I got pregnant with Sam (before I knew), there was a horrible heatwave in hell Connecticut. And, the same thing happened this year...didn't know I was pregnant then either.

Interesting. Maybe not *very* interesting, but interesting all the same.

~~~

*Really* tired of waking up with a headache. Especially since it sticks around past waking. Bah. *BAH*, I say.

~~~

Insert "Golly gee, my life is so exciting" here.
myschyf: (Default)
Changes make me think of roller skating. I'm pretty sure I've never roller skated to Changes.

The majority of my roller skating happened outside, with the exception of the time we lived in the hovel. The driveway was dirt/gravel as was the road (not that my mother would have let me skate on that road *anyway*), so my mom, being cool like that, rolled up the carpet and let me skate in the dining room. But I don't think Changes was playing *then*, either.

~~~

A really good piece by Joe Decker wrt California's Prop. 8

~~~

Huh. Now that I think about it, soon after I got pregnant with Sam (before I knew), there was a horrible heatwave in hell Connecticut. And, the same thing happened this year...didn't know I was pregnant then either.

Interesting. Maybe not *very* interesting, but interesting all the same.

~~~

*Really* tired of waking up with a headache. Especially since it sticks around past waking. Bah. *BAH*, I say.

~~~

Insert "Golly gee, my life is so exciting" here.
myschyf: (Default)
Well, that was weird. Last night, I took a (planned, for once) nap in my computer chair (which was very nice) and woke up with a slightly bleeding scratch on my left arm. As we don't have a cat, I have no idea what happened.

~~~

It's really interesting, realizing that I'm at the beginning of parenthood again. I hoped I'd have a second child, but I'd basically given up. Hell, I gave up *while* I was pregnant...my periods have rarely been consistent and battling nausea isn't a symptom, it's just life. Two weeks after I told Jeff that I figured we'd never conceive again, I took the test and found out we had.

And now, as we go through boxes, working on getting us fully unpacked before the end of the year (or, you know, the end of some year), we each find things for Turtle. Some that be useful pretty soon after arrival and some that will go in the attic to wait.

Sam is going to be a wonderful big sister. Not that I think everything will be hugs and puppies all the time, but we talk about how her life with change and how it will stay the same, and she's very interested in Turtle's development and what she's doing at any given moment. Which can get tiring...I mean, yes, I can feel Turtle move, but I don't have her itenerary.;) Sam has announced that Turtle is a boy. How does she know this? She asked the magic 8 ball at California Tortilla. I told her she has a fifty-fifty chance to be right, just like everyone else.

It's wonderful that Jeff is happy about Turtle with no reservations. Sam was a major surprise and there was a lot of stress till I was...oh, probably five or six months along. Fishie was less of a surprise, but the stress was higher, as we found out right around the beginning of Hell Year (some may call it 2002). I also wasn't quite aware of how much he wanted another baby too. It's all just so great. I definitely picked and was picked by the right person to spend my life with.

~~~

Sam has freckles across her nose and cheeks that are nearly identical to mine. I don't know why I find this so damn cool, but I do.

~~~

We have got to get a humidifier for our bedroom...maybe for Sam's too. Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night for two things. Peeing and drinking water to combat the hellacious throat-ache. Yeah, if both my nostrils worked at the same time, it might not be so hellacious, but I really don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

So. Humidifiers. Should I just get the one shaped like a penguin and be done with it, or are there rules to this sort of thing?

~~~

Kind of scattered lately.
myschyf: (Default)
Well, that was weird. Last night, I took a (planned, for once) nap in my computer chair (which was very nice) and woke up with a slightly bleeding scratch on my left arm. As we don't have a cat, I have no idea what happened.

~~~

It's really interesting, realizing that I'm at the beginning of parenthood again. I hoped I'd have a second child, but I'd basically given up. Hell, I gave up *while* I was pregnant...my periods have rarely been consistent and battling nausea isn't a symptom, it's just life. Two weeks after I told Jeff that I figured we'd never conceive again, I took the test and found out we had.

And now, as we go through boxes, working on getting us fully unpacked before the end of the year (or, you know, the end of some year), we each find things for Turtle. Some that be useful pretty soon after arrival and some that will go in the attic to wait.

Sam is going to be a wonderful big sister. Not that I think everything will be hugs and puppies all the time, but we talk about how her life with change and how it will stay the same, and she's very interested in Turtle's development and what she's doing at any given moment. Which can get tiring...I mean, yes, I can feel Turtle move, but I don't have her itenerary.;) Sam has announced that Turtle is a boy. How does she know this? She asked the magic 8 ball at California Tortilla. I told her she has a fifty-fifty chance to be right, just like everyone else.

It's wonderful that Jeff is happy about Turtle with no reservations. Sam was a major surprise and there was a lot of stress till I was...oh, probably five or six months along. Fishie was less of a surprise, but the stress was higher, as we found out right around the beginning of Hell Year (some may call it 2002). I also wasn't quite aware of how much he wanted another baby too. It's all just so great. I definitely picked and was picked by the right person to spend my life with.

~~~

Sam has freckles across her nose and cheeks that are nearly identical to mine. I don't know why I find this so damn cool, but I do.

~~~

We have got to get a humidifier for our bedroom...maybe for Sam's too. Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night for two things. Peeing and drinking water to combat the hellacious throat-ache. Yeah, if both my nostrils worked at the same time, it might not be so hellacious, but I really don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

So. Humidifiers. Should I just get the one shaped like a penguin and be done with it, or are there rules to this sort of thing?

~~~

Kind of scattered lately.
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
Sammy has a loose tooth! And, if I'm remembering right, it's one of the first she got.

She's too littttttttle to have a loose tooth! I remember when she got the teeth (two at once, she's always been an overachiever ;), when she was a couplethree months old. They looked for all the world like two grains of rice on her gum.

Wow. :)
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
Sammy has a loose tooth! And, if I'm remembering right, it's one of the first she got.

She's too littttttttle to have a loose tooth! I remember when she got the teeth (two at once, she's always been an overachiever ;), when she was a couplethree months old. They looked for all the world like two grains of rice on her gum.

Wow. :)
myschyf: (Silent Contemplation)
Oh nifty! I bought the Great Big Sea Great Big Cd & DVD and in the liner notes it mentioned that Murray Foster was their new bass player. After a tiny bit of research, I found out *why* that name sounded familiar. He was the bass player in Moxy Fruvous. So, now we know what *he's* doin'. *grin* (Yeah, I probably am the last person on the planet to find this out. But I did find it out all on my own, so go me. ;)

~~~

Oh, confusion! The Great Big Dvd, which is identical in content to the one included in the set linked above is thirty-six dollars. The set is fifteen.

~~~

I would love to post something deep and profound, but right now I'm no deeper than a puddle. And not the scary puddles that seem to have no bottom, but the ones that are only called puddles 'cause there's no good short word for "slight dip in the pavement filled with water".

~~~

Yesterday, I taught Sammy about seeds and how they grow, and she mapped it right to her peanut plant and remembered how the root had grown and how much bigger it got when we repotted it and it had room to spread out. I'm very pleased. :)

~~~

These are interesting. Pierced Glasses. They attach, with strong magnets, to a piercing (duh?:)...I can see how it would be useful, especially if you only needed one for something (like those magnifying glasses that fold down on one side so one can apply makeup or put in contacts) but I think actually wearing them would annoy me.
myschyf: (Silent Contemplation)
Oh nifty! I bought the Great Big Sea Great Big Cd & DVD and in the liner notes it mentioned that Murray Foster was their new bass player. After a tiny bit of research, I found out *why* that name sounded familiar. He was the bass player in Moxy Fruvous. So, now we know what *he's* doin'. *grin* (Yeah, I probably am the last person on the planet to find this out. But I did find it out all on my own, so go me. ;)

~~~

Oh, confusion! The Great Big Dvd, which is identical in content to the one included in the set linked above is thirty-six dollars. The set is fifteen.

~~~

I would love to post something deep and profound, but right now I'm no deeper than a puddle. And not the scary puddles that seem to have no bottom, but the ones that are only called puddles 'cause there's no good short word for "slight dip in the pavement filled with water".

~~~

Yesterday, I taught Sammy about seeds and how they grow, and she mapped it right to her peanut plant and remembered how the root had grown and how much bigger it got when we repotted it and it had room to spread out. I'm very pleased. :)

~~~

These are interesting. Pierced Glasses. They attach, with strong magnets, to a piercing (duh?:)...I can see how it would be useful, especially if you only needed one for something (like those magnifying glasses that fold down on one side so one can apply makeup or put in contacts) but I think actually wearing them would annoy me.
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
I was whistling "Yellow Submarine" to bug Sammy and she said "Mamaaaaaaaa!" I laughed and said "It's fun bugging you." She said "No it is not, it is evil!"

Yeah. That's my kid. *Grin*
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
I was whistling "Yellow Submarine" to bug Sammy and she said "Mamaaaaaaaa!" I laughed and said "It's fun bugging you." She said "No it is not, it is evil!"

Yeah. That's my kid. *Grin*
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
I've got a box of cookies (cinnamon almond) on the desk and gave a couple to Sammy before she went in to watch Zaboomafoo & Dragon Tales (which seems to have become a ritual for us...she gets to watch the shows and I get a bit of time for myself. Yay :). She just came in and said "Can I have another cookie? *pause* Three this time." (They're crisps, so they won't make her explode.;)

I said "What am I, the cookie fairy?" She said "Yes! And I am the cookie Sammy baby child. That's why I loooooove cookies!"
myschyf: (Sammysmile)
I've got a box of cookies (cinnamon almond) on the desk and gave a couple to Sammy before she went in to watch Zaboomafoo & Dragon Tales (which seems to have become a ritual for us...she gets to watch the shows and I get a bit of time for myself. Yay :). She just came in and said "Can I have another cookie? *pause* Three this time." (They're crisps, so they won't make her explode.;)

I said "What am I, the cookie fairy?" She said "Yes! And I am the cookie Sammy baby child. That's why I loooooove cookies!"
myschyf: (Mama)
While Sam was having her bath, I was running back and forth, checking on her (and washing her hair, helping her get out to go to the potty, rinsing her hair and adding conditioner, etc.) (No *wonder* I'm so tired. *Grin*) and finding a juice cup (the one she was using has mysteriously disappeared), filling her bubble bottle (unspillable), fixing her a little bowl of cookies and dropping two Pepsis before I finally got one out of the fridge (Nothing broke, but I don't think I'll be approaching those bottles till tomorrow). After I got her out of the tub, dried and into underpants, she noticed the stuff on her stool. She went over and sat down, then turned to me and said "You get me tookies, duice and bubbles!" *pause* "You rowck!"

That definitely made this cranky day better. (It was her first spontaneous "You rock" too.:)

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