But wait! There's more.

So he's having a touch of amnesia in regard to sleeping during the day- what we lesser beings commonly refer to as "napping".

He does this only when he can't stand it one second longer and he's in the carseat or somebody's arms, and when we have filled out the paperwork (notorized) in triplicate promising to fill him in on anything he might miss while asleep.

Today I decided I would have to help him remember this skill. So we discussed it for about an hour. Finally, I went down to the basement to load up some laundry. This wasn't rude on my part, as I could still clearly make out each and every discussion points he was making two stories up. Suddenly, there came a lull.

So what did I, proven genius parent extraordinaire, do?

I naturally assumed something grave had befallen his innocent yet very loud head, dropped the clothes and ran flailing up both sets of stairs nearly killing the dog, burst noisily into the room and demanded, "Toby?!"

He had (I know, you already know) fallen asleep. Now I have to wake him up to meet the realtor.

Shhhh, don't tell, but I think he's winning.

PS. The coaster corner came out of the ordeal relatively unscathed. All systems are go.

Worst! Parents!! Ever!!!

So the kid needs toys now, new and interesting and constantly evolving. Sometimes we get creative. He has, until tonight, gently and quietly been enraptured with coasters. Tonight, however, he devoured the corner of this one in just a few moments. Yes, that's right: he's on a high fiber, low flavor plan. At least he's not quite joined the ranks of J's fam by eating snails, dogfood and spiders... yet.



Anyway, luckily we had ordered some beer tasting samplers which came in these convenient infant-sized glasses that he might wash down his inaugural meal. Thank goodness! He was parched.

Happy Birthday, MOM!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Return to Timberline

Home of The Shining!

Today it felt very un-creepy, though, seeing as it was 103 degrees and my parents were our friendly travelling companions. It was so wierd to get up there (11,249 ft at the summit, which we were just below) and have it still be blazing hot despite little lonesome patches of snow loitering about. There were even packs of teenaged snowboarders (part of a summer camp) juxtaposed with tanned & taut Tour de France-esque bicycle racers.




I forgot Toby's hat so we had to go about draping him with a rag- we could start our own cult.

I'm still a tad grumpy and crusty and grumbled at J (helped him with his driving, even) for part of the day. We picked up a sweet find from Craigslist (backpack stroller!) in Milwaukie but it took forEVER to get there.

Tonight when we were searching the realtor sites as always, we realized we could literally get twice the house for the money in the Milwaukie area. Twice the rooms, lot sizes, square feet, charm. So now I'll have to drive around to get a feel for it. All I know of it now is a small section of raunchola strip joints on the highway nearby. I've heard the main part of town is cool, and there are two big bike trails nearby so we'll have to check it out.

Here's an illustration in the difference in what you get and I'm not kidding. On the west side we are Clampits, on the east we're Daddy Warbucks.

Honesty...

...is when your husband looks over and says,
You know, at the start of that commercial when that chick said she knows all the hot spots to hook up in town, I was not thinking what she was thinking.

This is how much of a geek we are.

Sorry....

I'm trying to regain my composure after a few weeks of too-business that just about made me insane.

I sort of lost it, and realized I had somehow (AGAIN) come to the ridiculous conclusion that if I can't do things the way I want each day, I might as well not do them at all. This meant I wasn't exercising, practicing, bible-ing, anything. Even cleaning the house had rather lost its charm.

I'm recovering. The first step- a mandate, really, given to me by a most exceptional mind- is to exercise every day. Go to the gym, use the daycare, sweat if you want, sit in the spa, just get there.

It's only been a few days. I'm still a little stubborn about the whole thing. When I know Toby's tired and he just won't go down for a nap, when he needs to be held all day, when he cries in the car, when he spits up all over himself directly after bathing, I have to remember to choose to laugh rather than swear. (I've been swearing a helluva lot, too. Damnit.)

My friend, a mom to a 9 month-old, says it wears on you that you are never really "off work". Whose job comes calling at 3 and 6am in addition to 9-9? Sometimes I really really really would like to be alone for a little while. But when the babysitters (YAY GRANDPARENTS!) arrive I want that time for me and J, too.

I wish this was a touching 6-month birthday post for the nipper, but I'm learning you just have to take what you can get. He and you all know how my heart spontaneously combusts just looking at the cheeks, two Gerber teeth, bubble-blowing drooliness.

So... technical difficulties, blah blah. We'll be back at it shortly.

Ye-es!

Here's the sculptures I was rambling about. The mystery word was "gospodor". Turns out the guy who owns the land just liked the idea of them, had the means, etc. Probably what makes them most intriguing is the fact that they're in the middle of a boring stretch of highway.

Ahhhh, like an itch getting scratched- nothing real is absent on google anymore.

And POW!

Suddenly it's been a whole week. Rachael is married! Mrs. Tim had a magazine-worthy wedding. I got to wear a dress designed by her brideship (each bridesmaid was different) and have my hair done up all curly funky wild. Her friends are such the zippy bunch. Lots of rockabilly; tattoos, pinup curls, vintage dresses and pomade.

Seattle is my kind of town. First of all there's tons of freaks, beer and coffee. Second, it's fabulously pretty. But then there's the traffic and the winter rain and the distance from babysitters who share a predominance of genetic markers with Tobias.

It's been a busy few months, good and bad melted and mixed and schmushed until it's a blur. There are friends who need prayer, and new ones making their way into our circles. Toby is charming and flirting and thoughtfully studying his way into hearts everywhere he goes.

Warning- repetitive rant ahead. He exploded out of his outfit and flooded our new car today in front of (seriously) Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. And did they have a damned changing table in their inconvenient-ass far away bathrooms for their enormous clientele of thirty-something parents??? Absolutely the hell not.

Later that day, we did indeed find a 'bucks with a changing table for which I thanked them profusely. They were the second one I have ever seen that did. Losers.

Seattling

Yesterday we drove to Seattle for a bridal shower we had today. Rachael is excited to marry Tim. Brings back memories. I enjoyed the Wedding Year of chaos and doom, but it's nice to not worry about planning such an extravaganza. There's also something so intimate about marriage when you have progressed beyond the microscope of the familial forum.

On the drive up we were treated to the clearest views of Mt. Hood, St. Helens, Baker and Rainier I have ever witnessed. The whole Cascade Range was on display, a purply-blue border framing the higher frosted beauties. You should all come visit us here in the Northwest, people.

Every time we go up I-5, on the right side near the turn-off for St. Helens there is this wierd set of three copper monuments and I'm dying of curiousity about them. I just googled random combinations of words for about an hour and can't find any images or sites about them. Damn. The sign says something about the holocaust, Mother Teresa and the cosmodors? Comondors? Osmodors?

Obviously, not much to write tonight, but there's always tomorrow.