My fantastic (with a capital FAN) husband

For any and all of the times when Ben and I get frustrated with each other, or we're not on the same page, Ben really rocked yesterday. Here's how it went down...

Ben coaches middle school boys & girls cross country, and this is getting on toward the end of that season. This keeps him away a lot of nights and Saturdays, like yesterday. I rely on Ben to help with the Abby-girl on those times though too so that I can get homework for my grad class done. Never once has he complained about taking care of Abby after coming home from school/cross country when I know that he's tired and just wants to sit down. I know how draining teaching all day is, and then to come home to a fussy infant...not easy! But that's not why I'm putting the FAN in Ben's fantast-cism.

Abby came down with a cold on Friday that turned into a full blown snot dripping, don't-lay-me-down-just-hold-me, sad little Saturday. We were supposed to go to a wedding in Indy Saturday afternoon/evening, which was going to be a long and probably grumpy trip for Abby anyway since we wouldn't be getting home until at least an hour after her bedtime. But we've also been putting her to bed a bit earlier than her bedtime, so even her bedtime is kinda past her bedtime. But anyway...neither here nor there.

This was a Manchester wedding, which means that anyone (you know, so to speak) who wasn't at Homecoming yesterday was going to be at this wedding...lots of friends from college. And these are all wonderful, funny, smiley people who we never see and Ben especially loves to talk to old friends. I am the very epitome of awkwardness, so I enjoy it less, but I still reallllly wanted to go, too. I also just love weddings; they're so optimistic!!

Sidenote...I was so looking forward to going that I even scheduled my haircut for Saturday morning and arranged for Ben's mom to come over to watch Abby (Ben had a cross country meet) so that I could at least have decently styled hair. For me, a haircut is really a 4-times-a-year luxury.

So Abby has a cold and it became very obvious yesterday morning that we wouldn't both be able to go to the wedding because that would have been nothing short of child abuse to take her with us and make her sit through all of that and be accosted by bright noises and lots of people and have all of her routine thrown off. She's been to 2 weddings so far and hasn't been a huge fan of either of them. Throw her beleaguered immune system on top of it and it wasn't going to be a fun times for all event. Like the adults that we are, we had a parental discussion about what to do.

Amy: We're not both going to be able to go to the wedding, and I'm going to be selfish and suggest that you stay home with Abby since it would give me the chance to get out of the house. (totally childish)

Ben: I agree. (no hesitation...totally selfless)

Not only was Ben giving up the chance to see good college friends again (and seriously, we've never felt more a part of a community than we did at Manchester) and take care of a cranky 4-month old by doing so. Um...wow. That's testing your parental chops and totally being the wonderful wonderful FANtastic person that I love and married. He did it for me. He wanted me to have the chance to be able to see other people and have a mental break. He knows that I love staying home with my little one, but he also knows that I needed this and that he alone could give it to me. I think that he loves me. I think that I definitely don't deserve it but glory in it anyway. I think that I picked a good one. I'm his FAN, and I hope that I can remember this the next time a grumpy moment pops up.

"Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he [or she!!] should be." Anton Chekov

How to make apple dumplings with a 4 month old, a step by step tutorial

1. Put baby down for an afternoon nap. Figure that she'll sleep for at least 2 hours since she had a rough morning where her napping was thrown off because of her 4 month well baby check-up and subsequent vaccines. Ouch.
2. Poke around on the internet for at least the first 20 minutes of her nap figuring that you have all the time you need and more. While poking, do pretty much absolutely nothing but check email for about the third time of the day and then look at the Atlanta Braves website again.
3. Strain ears to hear even the slightest peep from sleeping baby. Nothing? Proceed to step 4.
4. Pull out recipe. Since you only make these once a year, refresh your memory about how these all go together. Note that apple dumplings really consist of three basic parts--making the syrup, making the dough, cutting up the apples and assembling the dumplings.
5. Make the syrup. Easy.
6. Begin to make the dough (aka the no-turning-back-now part). Hark! A peep.
7. Try to ignore the increasing peepage coming from the other part of the house in hopes that baby will put herself back to sleep as she's only been asleep for about 35 minutes now, a bit short even by her standards. (Sidenote...this is completely wishful thinking as baby neeeever puts herself back to sleep after waking up from her afternoon nap.)
8. Lament the 20 minutes that you wasted poking around mindlessly on the internet at the beginning of baby's nap.
9. Put wooden spoon down in semi-frustration. Go check on the loud protestations and gnashing of gums issuing from the crib.
10. Try to calm irate baby. Change diaper. Feed baby. Mentally rue the oven that was started to pre-heat about 20 minutes ago. It's ready.
11. Sigh at unhappy baby, who was not mollified by fresh diaper and mid-afternoon meal. Baby demands to be held. Clingy baby will not tolerate being set down.
12. Go rummage out carrier that sister-in-law made for you as a baby shower present. Frustratedly mess with carrier, trying to figure out how to put it on and secure it and having poor success. Baby cries.
13. Attempt to work on cutting up apples with crying baby in carrier. Baby cries some more. This is not working for her but you give it a go anyway. Remove baby. This is just as well.
14. Put baby in exersaucer. Baby is satisfied just long enough only so long as you are within her sight at all times. Baby does not play, but just kind of props her head up. You sing songs to her about what you are doing. 15. Construction of dumplings complete and pans in oven.
16. Sigh.
17. Hug and soothe baby while wishing that your spouse would just come home to give you a break for a few minutes.
18. Enjoy delicious dumpling knowing that you're a multi-tasking expert.

Why I want to be a cat (a pictorial guide)

Who wouldn't want to be a cat?

a blog about eating (more or less)

Sometimes, Abby has epicurean tastes, like frog legs.

Sometimes, she just likes to eat junk food...like plastic rattles.
(The quality on this picture isn't that great for some reason?)

Regardless, her milk supply is by far her favorite. There's always some serious sucking going on when the bottle is around. It's too bad that pictures don't come with sound effects.

Abby turned 4 months old and marked the occasion with her first ever apple pickin' at the orchard trip. It was also her way cute 4 year old cousin Macy's first ever apple pickin' trip, too. Overall, fun times!

Nice, cool weather brought upon a lovely, albeit brief, nap.

This was by far my favorite apple picking trip ever, and I always enjoy going. It's so cool to share things like this with your child, even if they will never remember. I will.

I needed a mental break tonight, so I hopped over to Panera to pick up something to eat, and yay...Panera is now posting the caloric content of all of their menu items! Fantastic!! It made me feel somewhat gooder, too, that my fav sandwich is *low* on the caloric scale and my fav coffee, a hazelnut latte, is absolutely not that bad for me, forgetting the sugar content, especially compared with the super sweet carmel/mocha drinks. I love Panera!

my once-every-6-years-mood has passed, maybe

I told Ben that this information was not to leave the house, but since he never reads this, he won't know that I'm writing about it. But of course, you are also held up to the same promise. If you want to read my forthcoming revelation, you must promise not to spread this news around. I can't want to tarnish my reputation.

(Disclaimer...this blog explores the painful topic of exercise. Should you find yourself working up a sweat while reading this, please find some good, crunchy dark chocolate to calm down.)

I jogged last night. Granted, in the loosest sense of the word. There was a point on my nightly walk where I ran/shuffled from point A to point B, not once but threeeee times. Three very short times. But thrice, nonetheless. My observations were surprising, especially considering that my basic exercising philosophy entails exercise just enough to be able to eat what you want.

1. I feel heavy when I run. This is one good reason why I don't like it.
2. I did not feel nauseous or have a stitch in my side at the end of any of the three spurts. This in and of itself is amazing. The last time that I chose to attempt to jog, I experienced both. And, I was about 25-30 pounds lighter then and 6 years younger. The 20s are rougher on a person that one would expect!
3. I actually found the perfect time of day to jog, should I ever become possessed as I obviously was last night. Dusk. No one is outside anymore. No one is watching me jog/shuffle.
4. The dang earbud, which doesn't stay in well when I walk, really doesn't stay in well when I jog/shuffle.
5. I wish that I did enjoy running simply for glorious weather like we've been experiencing lately. My daily prayer--Please let me be in shape enough to run just during lovely weather. That's all I ask. Amen.
6. I can see how people dig it as a chance to wind down and clear your mind after taking care of kids and problems all day. It was somewhat, begrudgingly, mentally refreshing.
7. I might just do it again, should I find myself with an Abby free moment at exactly the right lunar moment when the temperature is just perfect.

"I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises."
--Buzz Aldrin (this coming from an astronaut who must be in peak physical shape, which just proves that exercise is waaaaay overrated)

Inexplicable

My thoughtful pondering of the day include a number of conundrums, including this:

Why do cats enjoy a) staring at the refrigerator and b) sleeping with their noses mere centimeters from it, even when there is a perfectly lovely patch of warm, morning sun one foot to their left?

I would have taken a picture to exemplify my point this morning, but I was busy doing something and then forgot and then the cat moved. So illustrate this one yourself.

I feel all bloggy lately

(a poem with no meter and no apparent talent)

As I strolled across the campus
on a day so bright and sunny
I spied a goodly amount of undergrads
all technologically addicted

I studied them one by one
each with thumbs a flying
with earbuds pushed in their ears
to drown the world out

A revelation I suddenly had
while walking by myself
the difference between the undergrad
and grad student quite succinct

The "younger" set so full of youth
with all their bizarro or namebrand outfits
no social status amongst their peers
unless a technology addict they be

The "wiser" group by one or two
instead of tuning the world out with music or staring at their hands
a stroll from place to place
eyes up with only a laptop to qualify them as "student"

(like tips at a coffee shop, polite snaps always appreciated)