Posts (page 2)

7.5.08

I happened upon the CD Baby website (www.cdbaby.com) from Cool Mom Picks blog the other day, to purchase the coolest kids' CDs from Frances England - Fascinating Creatures and Family Tree. She is a folksy, indie, kind of Sheryl Crow-esque, tres cool singer who does childrens' music. Not happy crappy Disneyfied music, but just cool, chill music.

Francesengland

Check her out on the CD Baby website here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/francesengland.

I am, however, digressing from my original intent of this post. After ordering from CD Baby, I received the standard "thanks for ordering from us" e-mail confirmation, but on closer inspection, it turned out to be the funniest damn confirmation EVAH. Please feel free to enjoy it below, and check out CD Baby and Frances England NOW or the goldfish gets it. Seriously.

Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with
sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
 
A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make
sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.
 
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money
can buy.
 
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party
marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of
Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in
our private CD Baby jet on this day, Wednesday, July 2nd.
 
I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all
exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Sigh...
 
--
Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby
the little store with the best new independent music
http://cdbaby.com cdbaby@cdbaby.com

Zebra bag

I am not a diaper bag person. The bag I registered for (which we didn't get so we're using the free bags we got from the Enfamil rep) was just a plain black bag, very straightforward. Tom could carry it if he wanted to without fear of being labeled a "Man Purse Carrier." Howevah, when I was returning diapers to Babies R Us yesterday, I saw this KEYOOT zebra Wendy Belissimo bag. I mean, come ON. It's zebra for the love of Marlin Perkins. I just don't know if I would tire of it, but for $25, I guess it wouldn't be a tragedy if I did.

Orrrrr I could just get my zebra fix from THIS lil cutie, which I just ordered from J Crew:

J crew zebra dress

Sigh. Meloves. Zebralicious.

7.4.08

Ready or not, they are all home. We are so glad to FINALLY have Gavin at our casa, even if it is scary as hell to have three wee ones depending on us for everything. Gulp. Of course, we had to get some pics of them all together, so enjoy our lil peanuts!

DSC09396

Every girl needs back-up dancers.

Simon, Scarlett, Gavin

DSC09397

Cheeky Monkeys

DSC09401

Don't let their angelic looks fool you. Those three were little devils their first night home. Holy Schnikes!!!!

DSC09328

Brother can you spare a bink?

7.3.08

Just a short entry to say that the Gavinator is FINALLY coming home today! I will post more later, tators!

If these are not precious, I don't know what is. I spotted them on http://designmom.com.

Birdies

And speaking of cute, I just ordered this for the nursery from Urban Outfitters:

Chris Rubino Birdcage

7.1.08

What a difference a day makes. This time yesterday, I was one of those women reduced to tears because her babies were inexplicably, strangely, and quite vocally, crying. There I was, holding Scarlett, bawling as she cried because I didn't know why she was crying. Hungry? Nope - she had just eaten. Dirty? Nada. In pain? Not that I could see. Burped? Yes, like a trucker. So there we both were, crying. Thankfully, today is a better day. Both peanuts are asleep upstairs, and we are planning a trip to the NIC-U tonight to see peanut number three. In the light of a new day, I can now make proper fun of my children while they can't talk back, so I fully intend to.

For some reason, all three peanuts have what we call their Grunting Noises, and while they sound somewhat similar, they do have their own unique grunts. Simon and Gavin are what those in the medical community (and by "those" I mean Tom and me, and by "medical community" I mean standing at the medicine cabinet in our bathroom) call The Billy Goat. It is self explanatory, starting with a gutteral grunt that ends in the high, nasal whinny of a billy goat. They both sound very similar, and I wonder if we will be able to distinguish one goat from another when The Gavinator finally decides to give it up and come home.

Scarlett, sweet little baby bird that she is, has quite a different grunt. Tom described it best, and I will pass on his description as interpreted through this dialogue from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation:

[Snot the dog is choking under the table making it shake]

Clark: Uh, Eddie? What's wrong with the dog?

[Snot gags again, table shakes]

Eddie: (Looks under table) Oh, he's just yakin' on a bone.

[Snot coughs up the bone]

Eddie: He got it up.

Now - I am NOT saying that lil miss Scarlett is gagging and that we find that funny. What I AM saying is that the grunting noise she makes sounds like the damn dog in the movie horking up a bone, and that shiz IS funny. What is also funny? Scarlett's new nickname:

Tootie

Not because she looks like the lovely Kim Fields, aka Tootie, from the Facts of Life, but well - if I really have to esplain it, you probably won't find it as hilarious as her father and I do. What can I say? Girlfriend comes from a long line of gassy people. We are SO proud. And on that note, I will take my leave for now. Just remember these words: It takes a lot to get em right when you're learnin the facts of life!

6.30.08

My title has nothing to do with my post, but it's my blog, so I'll post what I want tooooooo. Here's a lil idea I'm kicking around, but I don't know if I'm brave enough (or have enough willpower) to do it. I'm thinking about posting a pic of me, in a bathing suit, with c-section stomach and stretchmarks and all, sometime in the near future, and then posting weekly update progress pics since I have the official go ahead to start working out again. Yikes. Like I said, this is just an idea, and I may decide to keep my pics for myself - because I am going to do it for my own personal motivation. I just don't know if I want to scare all six of my faithful readers away (and by the way, I thought I'd say a special HOLLA to the two of you who may be reading this from The D.P. - aka Daniel's Purchase - in lovely Millersville, Maryland). But I digress. So. You have been duly warned. Beware.

A Betty. That's what she is. And I made her acquaintance whilst watching the Jon & Kate Plus 8 Marathon and surfing the information superhighway via the Room Somewhere blog (http://roomsomewhere.blogspot.com/). Enjoy both. And you're welcome.

http://shesabetty.typepad.com/

6.26.08

The following is a helpful list of simple rules of etiquette for babies. Please feel free to share it with your own little ones, who may not be aware of the social faux pas they are committing.

1. Do not fart on others. Major party foul. This should be a simple rule; however, babies seem to do it repeatedly. I suppose their teeny wee little toots can be considered cute at times, and it is sometimes useful if the holder of the baby needs to let one rip, as it can be blamed on the baby. In general, though, farting on others should be avoided at all costs if possible. This goes double for pooping on others.

2. Screaming at the top of ones' lungs. Really - is this necessary? I'm talking to you, Simon. Seriously. If I screamed like that, someone would report me for disturbing the peace.

3. Crying. I'm not talking about crying in general. No, I mean crying because your pacifier fell out of your mouth for the 87th time, or because you want someone to pick you up and then you stop crying automatically, and there are no actual TEARS coming out of your eyes, faker. Get it together.

4. Peeing in the bathtub. Do I really need to explain this one? Come on. That's just gross.

6.23.08

As I sit in the nursery feeding Simon, the late afternoon sun bends through the bars of the crib next to the rocking chair and dapples the top of his sweet bald head, and my eyes are still hot with tears. Just earlier, my sister and her family left Kansas City for Baltimore, but this time is different. This time they are moving to Germany in a week. In actuality, it really won't be that different than now. I only get to see them a few times a year - this time it will just be on a different continent. Still, the fact that they are so far away, and I know how quickly my nieces and nephew change, and now we have our own babies who won't get to see their cousins for 3 years, and to be that far from my sister, the person who, besides my husband, is the person closest to me, well, it kills me.

For the past 2 weeks, I have gotten to spend time with my nieces and nephew, which is always one of my favorite things to do. Now, however, I have my own children to add to the mix, and to get to see them all interact (as much as a one month old can interact). Watching them all makes me think about the qualities that my nieces and nephew possess that I wish for my own little peanuts.

DSC09285

Olivia - my Number One Girl - my oldest niece. At 7, she is sassy, funny, giggly, and beautiful. If Miss Scarlett is half as spunky, stylish and diva-esque as Olivia, we may (a) be in trouble, and (b) have another actress on our hands.

DSC09358

Fyn, Fyn, Fyn - He's 4, he's fast, he's funny, he's fearless. Don't get me wrong - he can be frustrating too, but he is SO dang adorable and loveable that you can't help but forget what you were frustrated with him about. And when he comes up and says, "Aunt Shannan - you know what? I love you," even the coldest heart would melt. Fynny Fyn is going to be a heartbreaker, I can tell you fo sho.

DSC09280

Jillian Gayle - my namesake - Quite simply, she is the happiest baby I have ever seen, and I pray that our babies have even a fraction of her effervescent, joyful spirit.

To each of my nieces and nephew - Olivia, Fyn, and Jillian, Aunt Shannan loves you ooooodles of noodles, I miss you already, and can't wait to come visit you with my own little peanuts in Germany.