Today I finished my first felted project. It was pretty much a bust. I used some old left over ugly yarn, so it's not too great a loss. I was hoping I could use it to cart my knitting supplies around, but it's way too small for that. Emma is loving it as a purse, though. To the left you can see it pre-felting. Don't ask me why the handles are so off center. If I knew why, I would have been sure to do them correctly. I also did my three needle bind-off inside out. This is basically just a whole project gone wrong.

Today I made another cooking club meal. It was a LOT of trouble and took forever, so that's the last time I will be making that dish. Plus I didn't saute the celery long enough so the soup has a little unwelcome crunch to it. To anyone reading this who will be receiving my Wild Rice Soup, I apologize.

I finished Emma's birthday video (that I was supposed to be giving her last year). If you're interested in more pictures of Emma than you ever cared to see, you can view it here. Please feel free to turn up your volume. Note: You will be asked to download a plugin. This is very easy and quick to do, so if you want to watch it, don't let that stop you. If you don't want to watch it, here is a single picture so you can get your cuteness fix.

If you can stand it, here's another post about Emma's cuteness. We just got a Wheels on the Bus book, and on the page where the babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah, there is a picture of a stressed-out looking mom holding two very upset babies. We never make it any farther than that page, because when we get there, Emma always insists that I nurse the babies so they won't be sad anymore. I've been nursing that book several times a day ever since we got it.

Last time I was at my mom's, our toilet paper ran out, so Steve had to go by some. I'm always the one who gets it (and changes it), so he doesn't know about the magic of double rolls. He bought this gigantic package of all single rolls. Ever since then I feel like all I've been doing is changing the empty rolls! How did anyone ever get anything done before there were double rolls???

Well, Steve just called. He's not coming home tonight. His flight was cancelled and he'll be spending the night in Milwaukee. Poop.

Steve should be home in about two hours! He's going in to work tomorrow, but tonight I'm just focusing on his being home.

Emma loves to play house under anything bigger than a paper towel. Today I made the mistake of creating a big "house" in which we could play. Once we were inside, we weren't allowed to leave. The dogs would escape and she would crawl out and chase after them, yelling, "DOE! PATS! HOUSE!", and then drag them back in. I think poor Joe and Pax were even more sick of playing house than I was.

I'm planning to make a slideshow video for Emma's birthday every year depicting the previous year. It's time I should start working on the second year, so I've been busy working on the first year, which I never actually completely finished. Oops! I moved some picture files around awhile ago and it's been a huge hassle getting this thing together. I finally thought I had it finished today and for some reason it wouldn't copy to the DVD. Argh! I'm going to have to mess with it some more, but I'm already sick of putting so much time into what should really be a very simple project.

I think the yarn turned out pretty well for my first attempt. The purple color is a little more dominant than I wanted, but that's okay. Here is it before I cooked it.

This, the hanging to dry process, was the hardest part. I was anxious to wind it into a skein but it took all night to dry.

And here is the finished product. Not too bad. Now I just have to come up with something to knit with it!

There has been an insane amount of drama in my AP group lately. I am so sad about what is happening to our group. Why in God's name is it so difficult for adults to get along already??!!?

Emma and I have had a pretty great couple of days. This morning we had a fun playdate and then came home for more fun activities. We dyed yarn, which she (and I) thought was pretty great. We're definitely going to have to do that again. I'll post pictures tomorrow when it's dry. We also made Spanakopita, which was easy to make and SO yummy. I think Steve is jealous that he's missing out on all this good food this week. I can't remember the last time I've had the urge to cook so much. Don't worry, though, I'm sure it won't last long!

Emma has been asleep before 8:00 the last two nights (!) so I've had time to drag out the sewing machine and sew myself a couple of needle cases. My knitting needles were all just thrown in a disorganized drawer so this system is much better.

The only bad thing about the last two days is that our mail hasn't come until almost 6:00! What is UP with that? Doesn't the Post Office know I'm waiting impatiently all day long for that mail?

Apparently The Plan is back on track. Emma has been asleep since 7:40 tonight. Amazing.

Today I realized that we have not been eating our green leafies as diligently as we should, so I found a few recipes to incorporate into my meal repertoire. For dinner tonight I made Potato-Kale Quiche and it was delicious! Emma scarfed it down like she was starving. Tomorrow I'm making Spanakopita. Mmmmmm!

I recently found two cookbooks that I'm loving and am going to purchase. Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer and The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook - you should check them out.

Tomorrow is trash day and I do not want go outside in the cold and drag the cans to the street. Brrr!

Okay, I wasn't tagged, but I saw this on another blog and thought it looked like fun.

THE FOUR THINGS MEME

Four Jobs I've Had
1. sandwich maker at Imo's
2. administrative assistant at Midwest Engineering Services
3. server at Olive Garden
4. driver at Pizza Hut

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
1. Notting Hill
2. Back to the Future Trilogy (Can I count that as one?)
3. Love Actually
4. Moulin Rouge

Four Places I've Lived
1. Rolla, Missouri
2. Lima, Ohio
3. Carbondale, Illinois
4. Eugene, Oregon

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch
1. 24
2. Seinfeld
3. 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray
4. Design on a Dime

Four Places I've Been on Vacation
1. Orlando, Florida
2. Salt Lake City, Utah
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Galena, Illinois

Four Blogs You Visit Daily
1. Toole (Warning: This guy is hilarious but NOT family friendly.)
2. Dooce
3. Yarn Harlot
4. Redhead Princess

Four of Your Favorite Foods
1. mashed potatoes
2. roasted red pepper hummus
3. chocolate chip cookies
4. asparagus

Four Places You'd Rather Be
1. in Michigan with Steve
2. Now that Emma's asleep, I'm pretty darn happy being right here.
3.
4.

Four Musical Artists You Love
1. Sarah McLaughlin
2. Jack Johnson
3. Rachel Fuller
4. Lori McKenna

Four Vehicles I've Owned
1. 1986 Mazda 626
2. 1987 Honda CRX
3. 1992 Mercury Sable (ugh!)
4. 1993 Mazda MX-6

Four taggees
1. Katie (wifewomanmother)
2. Katie (runningkt)
3. Abbie
4. Dad

Emma has had a little fever off and on for the past two days, and it's killing our sleep routine. At least I guess that's what it is. She won't stay asleep without my being right next to her at all. During the night if I roll away from her she wakes up and cries out for me. Yesterday she didn't get a nap because she woke up as soon as I left the room and I could never get her back to sleep. Then last night she was asleep at 9:00, but woke up no less than ten times between then and midnight. I should have just given up and gone to bed because I spent my whole night in there nursing her back to sleep anyway. Now we just got back from driving her around because she was so overly exhausted that she would NOT fall asleep for anything. I hope she sleeps for a long time.

Yesterday I made one batch of meals - Honey Pork Chops - for this month's cooking club. I made enough for us to have it for dinner last night. The recipe said to cook them for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I did that and they were so overdone and tough that they were barely edible. Rats! Now I have to figure out how long they should really be cooked and change the directions I wrote on all the freezer bags.

Steve's flight gets in tonight a little after midnight. He is leaving Sunday afternoon for another week. I just talked to him and he informed me that he has to go into the office tomorrow and work all day and probably all evening. He said he's really going to try to get everything finished tomorrow so he can hang out with Emma and me for a few hours before he leaves again Sunday. Wow. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

This is the beginning of his busy season again. Every year I forget how absolutely horrible it is and then when January, February, March, and April come around, I have to get used to seeing him for about three hours total per week all over again. Ems and I might as well just move to my mom's house for the next three months so we are not rotting away here by ourselves.

Well, apparently it's International Delurking Week. Who comes up with these things? To celebrate, if you read this blog but have never left a comment, now is your chance to do so. Come on, you know you want to!

Tonight I almost had a heart attack. Emma and I were eating dinner at her little table in the living room. It was dark outside. The doorbell rang. Our porch light is burnt out so if I opened the door I would have only seen darkness. Especially because Steve is still out of town, I was especially freaked that some unknown person was ringing our doorbell after dark. I grabbed Emma and carried her into the hall. Whoever was standing on our porch continued to ring our bell, like, five more times. The dogs were going crazy and suddenly I was sure I heard our garage door opening. I didn't know if I should hide in the closet or call 911. My cell phone was back out in the living room so I chose the closet. When I didn't hear the doorbell anymore, I peeked out my bedroom window. And, boy, did I feel stupid.

Our neighbor told me earlier this week that she was going to make some homemade cinnamon rolls and bring us some. I saw her at the house across the street, handing a plate to the woman who lives there. I hope she comes by again tomorrow (during daylight!) because I would hate to miss out on those cinnamon rolls!

Oh, yeah, and apparently my mind was working overtime because, when I checked, our garage door was still very much closed.

I just heard about this today and it's way cool! You can go to www.paperbackswap.com and list old books you have and trade for other books you want - for free! Well, you have to pay shipping for the books you send out, but it's still a darn good deal!

David and Abbie just left. We had such a good time while they were here. It was nice to have someone else around to play House-in-the- Laundry-Basket with her.

Yesterday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then to the Art Museum. Cheesecake Factory was good, museum, not so much. I can't decide if it was my fault for trying to bring Emma there, or the fault of the museum employees for being uppity child-hating snobs. Emma was being pretty darn good while we were there, but we were still getting dirty looks from all the security guards/ushers/people in suits/whatever they are who stand in every room and look over everything. It's not like she was knocking over sculptures or anything. Sure, there may have been a few fingerprints on the glass, but still... So at one point we were in a room and Emma spotted a duck in a painting. She let out a joyful, "Quack!", then was so pleased with the echo that she couldn't stop herself there. "Quack? Quack! QUACK! QUACK!" At that point one of the suit guys in the corner came over and said, "You need to keep that stupid kid quiet or get the heck out of here NOW!" Okay, so those weren't his exact words, but that was the essence of it. The other patrons stopped milling around silently to stare at us as I dragged Emma away. As we left the room, she called back to them (hopefully out of spite), "QUACK! QUACK QUACK QUACK! QUACK!"

I am walking on air. Emma was asleep by 9:00 last night, and this morning we actually made it to a 9:30 playgroup! I am SO incredibly thrilled with the success of this plan. Last night after Emma was asleep, I was able to sit by myself and watch Wedding Crashers, drink tea, and knit uninterrupted for three hours. Heaven.

Steve is out of town this week, but the good news is that my brother David and his girlfriend Abbie are coming tonight to visit for a few days. I think tomorrow we're going to the Art Museum and to lunch on the Plaza.

Last week at my mom's house, Emma said my brothers' names (Andy, David, and Peter) for the first time. Now whenever she's playing with a toy phone or a cell phone, she says into the receiver, "Annie? Date? Pert?" She is too cute.

Time for a little What's on the Needles...

Okay, so these are off the needles now, but were just recently finished. They were for my brother Peter and were the most tedious knitting project ever.
This doesn't look like much now, but is eventually going to be a poncho for Emma. The yarn is from an unraveled sweater.
I recently finished this sock and plan to cast on for the second one today. They are for my mom.

These are for me.

This barely-started hat is going to be for my brother. This is also recycled yarn.
And, lastly, this scarf is my first cabled project. I'm not sure who's going to get it when it's finished...maybe me!

Amazing. Unbelievable. Last night lights went out at 9:06. Then (are you ready for this?), Emma was sound asleep at 9:18. Steve and I actually had almost three hours to hang out by ourselves. This plan is working wonderfully so far. I didn't feel like going to bed last night at midnight, but I had to stick with the plan, so I did. The very hardest part of the plan is waking Emma up in the morning. Right now she's still asleep and I'm inclined to let her sleep so I can take a shower, pick up the house, etc. However, I know it will be worth it tonight, so off to wake her up I go.

Today started out badly, but ended up being pretty decent. Last night was bad, bad, bad. Emma spent most of the night crying to nurse and tearing at my shirt. I wanted to spend most of the night crying because I was so completely exhausted. This morning, I finally gave up at about 7:00 a.m. I certainly didn't want to get up then, but I didn't want to give in and let her nurse, so we just got up for the day. Bleh. However, it turned out to be not so bad. You can accomplish a lot in a day that begins so early. Who knew?

So besides cleaning Emma's room, doing three loads of laundry, baking cookies, making 30 burritos, cooking a double batch of chili, vacuuming, sweeping the kitchen and bedrooms, and doing the usual daily chores, I was also able to play a lot of "kitchen" and take Emma and the dogs to the park. The weather was so nice that after we played at the park, we went for a two-mile walk. Emma was in the Mei Tai and it felt really good to get a little work-out. We haven't been going on walks since it got colder, but I think we'll start up again.

I have a new plan. (Why does it seem like almost every day I come up with some sort of new plan?) We are going to have a bedtime routine for Emma and really stick to it in hopes of getting back onto a more normal sleep schedule. Plan goes: bath, massage, stories, night-night. Tonight her bath started at 8:40, I started her massage at 9:10, we all got into bed and read a few stories at 9:20, lights out at 9:40, hopefully to be asleep by 10:00. The last part didn't go exactly as planned, but she did finally fall asleep at 10:45. Not too bad for the first night. Tomorrow we are getting up at 8:00. Now here's the tricky part. I let her nurse while she was falling asleep. I think I'm going to concentrate on this schedule thing and then maybe then work on the night weaning. I'm giving it up for now partially because I don't want to suffer through any more nights like last night, and partially because I think there must be a reason why she is nursing so much. Maybe a growth spurt, maybe teething, whatever, but I'm going to trust her little body to know what's best for itself.

Oh, and I got some yarn in the mail today! Woo-hoo!

I decided to come home a day early in hopes of avoiding another difficult night. On the drive home I was thinking about some things I want to change in our lives. Usually I think New Years Resolutions are silly and I don't bother making any, but I can hardly avoid calling them that at this time of year, so here they are:

1. I think Emma is getting bored with me and is probably starting to require more stimulation. She had such a great time playing with my parents, my brothers, and my brothers' girlfriends while we were at my mom's that I'm afraid it's going to be a let-down for her to come back home and have only me as her single playmate. I'm going to make every effort to get out and take her to playgroups, Toddler Time at our community center, Mommy & Me at our other community center, and any other activities I can find. The problem with this is that these activities are usually in the morning, which brings me to the next resolution...

2. Our time schedule has gotten pretty ridiculous. Emma hasn't been to bed before 2:00 a.m. once in the last week, and getting up before 11:00 a.m. is a struggle for both of us. My plan is to have Emma asleep every night at 10:00, and myself in bed every night by midnight. That should enable us to get up by 9:00 every morning. If Emma wants to sleep later than that, great, but I will be getting up then. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to manage getting the kid to sleep every night by 10:00. I've requested The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers from the library, so hopefully that will help.

Wish me luck! :)

Exhaustion is setting in. The last few nights, Emma has been nursing literally all night long. This morning we were up hours before we should have been because I couldn't take it anymore and refused to let her nurse. She cried and cried but I had to stick to it and eventually we just got up. Argh. I need to start developing a plan for night weaning, but I'm so torn over it. Most nights are okay, so I'm sure there is a reason for her nursing so much at times. Because I know she may be teething, or missing her papa, or maybe didn't eat enough during the day, I feel guilty for trying to take away her night nursing. But another part of me says that the nursing relationship has to be working for both of us and this constant night nursing (which includes switching from side to side every three seconds) is not working for me. More on this as I mull it over.

This Saturday is the next cooking club meal switch. I'm a tad nervous because we are still at my mom's and won't get home until Thursday night. That leaves me only Friday to buy the groceries I need and make enough chili, burritos, and cookies for five families each. Yikes. I'm also a little nervous about my veggie dish. I'm planning to make these. I've made them before and I think they're delicious, but whenever I tell people about them, they're like "Sweet potatoes and kidney beans?!? Yuck!" I just hope the people in my group aren't wondering why I brought them such a weird and gross-sounding meal!

My brother and his girlfriend are in town from Oregon this week so Ems and I are staying at my mom's while they are here. After living it up until 2:30 last night, and then gallavanting around St. Louis all day today, Ems is plum tuckered out. It is 9:16 p.m. and she is, amazingly, asleep. Today my bothers, their girlfriends, my parents, and my grandparents all went out to lunch, then to the arch (pretty fun and interesting), then to the history museum (much less fun and interesting), and then to dinner. The rest of the crew is now at a hockey game. I opted out because I did not feel up to chasing a toddler around the arena amidst a bunch of screaming fans.

Now I'm here, enjoying the silence, and trying to decide what to do with this unusual gift of free time. If my parents' dog ever stops whining to go outside and come back in every thirty seconds, I might be able to get some knitting done.

Why is it so hard to find a good pair of jeans? I used to love Abercrombie jeans, but they have since changed their style, plus they always wear out in one season now. (Also, while I used to not think twice about spending $70 on a pair of jeans, I refuse to do so now.) My old favorite jeans from there all have holes in the knees. I bought a couple pairs from the Gap a few months ago that I thought were okay, but they have somehow morphed into "mom jeans". I don't have a single pair of decent jeans...argh! I need something that is somewhere in between the mom jeans and the ultra-low-rise, butt-crack-hanging-out, teeny-bopper jeans. Does such a thing exist?

Emma LOVES her kitchen. She got some food and dishes from other people in my family and she's been busy cooking all day. So far I've pretended to eat and fervently enjoy about 3,794 meals today.

So many of the things she received for Christmas have a bunch of little pieces. I'm concerned that these things are going to turn the usual annoying clutter around our house into a much worse organizational disaster. Last night we went to Target and bought some cute baskets that fit on her bookshelf and can hold (and organize) toys. I hope that these will cut down on the mess a little bit since it will be easier to toss toys into the correct bins instead of putting them all back in their original containers.

One more picture...this is the kid running off to deliver some mail while wearing her fairy skirt and a little purse from her aunt and uncle.

Tomorrow morning we are doing our family Christmas. Well, the stuff Steve and I ordered for each other hasn't arrived yet so it's really just Emma's Christmas. We waited until she was in bed tonight (which, as usual, wasn't until after midnight) and then Steve got busy assembling the kitchen while I sewed her skirt and mail bag. (The poncho is taking much longer than expected so she's going to have to wait awhile for that.) I'm so excited for her to wake up tomorrow morning! :)

We had a wonderful Christmas. Here are some pics from the weekend. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you want.

Here is David wearing lovely mittens knitted by yours truly.

I'm so bummed that this one is blurry. Ems got these singing, light-up antlers from Abbie and her family.
Finally, your chance to see my chopped hair!
My grandma knitted this adorable little dress for Emma.
This is Emma and my cousin's baby, Colin, looking at the Nativity scene together. So cute!
And, finally, here are the pants. I stayed up until after 3:00am twice last week working on them. I finished everyone's except mine and my brother Andy's, who lives in Oregon and won't be here until New Years anyway.

I keep thinking of more things I want to make Emma for Christmas. Why couldn't I have done this before now? I have three days to sew her a mail bag (she is obsessed with mail and the mail carrier) and a fairy skirt, and knit her a poncho. The poncho won't be a problem because I can do that on the trips to/from St. Louis, but I really need to get busy on the other two.

I am exhausted.

Emma is really into playing house in a laundry basket lately. She will drag around a laundry basket, saying "House? House? House!", until I sit on the floor with her and place the laundry basket over our heads. We then enjoy tea parties and the singing of Let's Go Fly A Kite, which is her current favorite. I keep waiting for her to get bored with this game, but so far no luck.

Sometimes in the evening Steve and I will bring Emma into the bedroom and we'll lay there with her, hoping she'll go to sleep early for a change. This is always a mistake. Someone always falls asleep, leaving me to stay up with the kid, who does not. Tonight Steve has been asleep since 9:30 and I'm still up playing house with Emma, even though I desperately need to be sewing pants right now.

I just had the worst trip to the store with Emma. We had to run in for about five small things, and it started out okay. She was riding in one of those little truck things in the front of the carts, but after a few minutes she started trying to climb out and saying she wanted to walk. When she says walk, what she really means is run swiftly away and throw food on the floor. I said she couldn't walk, but could sit in the cart. After struggling to get her in the cart, which did not have a buckle, I also had to struggle to keep her there. By this time she was wailing and people were staring at us, probably thinking I was a bad mother. I couldn't push the cart and hold her in there at the same time so I said I'd carry her. Luckily we were ready to check-out at this point, but she flailed and writhed around and I couldn't handle her and look through my purse for my card at the same time. I set her down and held onto her coat hood. I found my card, but the stupid thing wouldn't swipe. Emma threw herself on the ground and wriggled out of her coat. So at this point I'm standing there searching through my messy purse for my checkbook and holding an empty coat that once housed my toddler, who is now racing for the door in an attempt to leave the store. The poor people in line behind me had to wait while I ran after her, then more while I carried her yelling, kicking self back to the line. She laid on the floor wailing, "Noooooo! Owie! Noooo! Owie!" while I held onto her shirt and wrote out the blasted check at the same time. I was so happy to get out of there! If I believed in spanking, I think today I would have done it. Luckily, she is asleep now and back to looking sweet and angelic.

With my mom visiting last week and Steve working late, we had to put our viewing of 24 on hold for a while. Saturday we resumed it and we didn't stop until we finished. After watching until 3:00 a.m two days in a row and knocking out twelve episodes yesterday, we finished the season. That show is like crack. Once you start, there is no stopping. Yesterday we mistakenly made the mistake of thinking we were just going to watch a few episodes, and then accomplish some useful things the rest of the day. Oh, no. Another trip to Blockbuster ensured we were not leaving the couch anytime soon. I probably haven't spent that many hours, total, in front of the TV since, well, the last season of 24 came out on DVD.

In other, less obsessive-addiction news, I finished knitting these mittens yesterday.

Exciting news! I think after staying alone with my mom twice in the last week, Emma is getting a little more independent of me! Usually when Steve is home and I'm going somewhere (the store, the post office, etc.- any place that would be easier without a toddler along), Emma clings to me and Steve says, "Well, I guess she just wants to go with you." And, surprise, I always end up bringing her along while Steve sits on the couch and reads a book or something. Well today I had to run to Goodwill to drop off some stuff and secretly look for sweaters to unravel for yarn. Emma ran away from me when I tried to put on her coat. I asked her if she wanted to stay home with papa, and she gleefully called out, "BYE!" while waving to me! Woo-hoo! I got to go to Goodwill all by myself! I don't think Steve is nearly as excited about this development as me! Bwahahaha!!!

Well, Emma and Steve were asleep at 11:30, so I figured it was my big chance to knock out a pair of trousers or two. I decided to have a snack first, and sat down at the computer while I ate. I got sucked into some long threads at MDC, and now it is 1:30 and I'm tired and going to bed. Way to go, me.

After rethinking my previous post, I should have said that all money not otherwise spent on gifts should be spent on oneself OR, even better, donated to a good cause.

Emma is obsessed with purses. Also, she loves the shoes I wore on the date Tuesday, and has hardly taken then off since then. I took these pictures of my little lady yesterday.
Last night Steve had to work late so we met him at Minsky's for dinner. While we were there, he told me that his firm recently took an anonymous employee satisfaction poll. In the Kansas City office, 92% of the employees said KPMG was a great company for which to work!!! Ha!! They should give the survey to the employee's spouses!

I feel like I should update, but I've got nothing interesting to say. Here's a rundown of the general uninterestingness around here...

- Steve is working late tonight.
- My house is a complete mess.
- I haven't sewn any pants.

Woo-hoo! I told you things were exciting around here.

Tonight was our date and it was wonderful. Emma adores my mom and I didn't worry about them while we were gone at all.

When Steve and I were dating, it was always so exciting just being around him. I always wanted to be holding his hand or touching him in some way. Sometimes I was so overjoyed that I felt like strangers looking at me could just tell I was in love. Over time, the excitement has faded as we've settled into our comfortable lives together. Now concerns such as what to have for dinner, who's going to take out the trash, and wondering how one kid can poop so many times in one day tend to get in the way of romance. Tonight we didn't have to worry about any of those things. I guess a special night out can, for a while, bring back the excitement.

Last night we got back from a fun time at my mom's house. Friday night we all made gingerbread houses and Saturday afternoon we went to my dad's Christmas concert. A fun time was had by all, that is, until the trip home. Emma had basically no nap the whole weekend so she fell asleep immediately when we got in the car. On the way out of town, we stopped for pizza with my brothers and Abbinator. She slept through the entire meal and woke up just as we were leaving. Of course she didn't fall asleep again in the car and spent about 30 minutes crying to get out of her carseat. The last hour was filled with Steve's and my singing every song from Annie, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, VeggieTales, and Disney's Robin Hood many times over.

Today Emma has been incredibly fussy. She'll cry about something and when I try to comfort her she just tells me to go away ("o-way-o-way-o-way-o"). Her most recent meltdown resulted from my not letting her have some wire clothespin bag thingy. After she calmed down, she fell asleep in my arms. She's now sleeping on the bed *crossing my fingers* maybe for the night? Let's hope so.

My mom is coming to visit. Yay! I'm leaving in about 30 minutes to pick her up from the train station. She watched Emma while we were at the concert on Saturday. We were gone five hours, which is Emma's and my longest separation ever, and I think it went pretty well. She is going to watch her this Tuesday while Steve and I have a date at a local dinner theater. I'm SO looking forward to that!

Steve stayed home from work today (!) and we had so much fun. We went and bought two awesome sleds and spent the afternoon out in the snow. The first time I tried to take Ems down she did a faceplant in the snow, so after that she just stood at the top and watched us take turns going down. After sledding, we came back in and watched some more 24. Now he just left to go rent the next episodes of 24 and pick up some pizza. We are settling in for a fun and cozy evening!

Today it was snowing when Ems and I got up and it is still snowing now, over 15 hours later! I think we have about 8 inches. I really want to take the kiddo out to play in it tomorrow but the high temp is supposed to be 14 degrees so that may not be a good idea. She could probably handle it, but I am a wimp!

Steve was supposed to fly to New Jersey today but cancelled the trip because of the storm. Woo-hoo! Tonight we risked our lives to venture out to Blockbuster and get the first two DVDs of the newly released Season 4 of 24. We are obsessed with that show and the releases of each season are cause for much celebration around here. Tonight we watched the first six episodes. Steve said he is taking the DVDs to work tomorrow to make sure I don't watch any episodes without him. I'll just have to wait until tomorrow night to get my Jack Bauer fix.

This afternoon I ran across this website, and decided to try out the recycled yarn thing. Why didn't I do this long ago? I went to the thrift store and bought six sweaters, and so far I've unraveled one whole one and a sleeve each of two others. It's a pretty slow process, but a great way to get cheap wool. You can't beat 24 large skeins of wool for $26! Have I mentioned that I am infatuated with wool?




And, no, I haven't made any progress on the pants.

I am really starting to stress about those Christmas pants. I have 6.5 pairs left to sew, and only 19 days to do it. The problem is I can only work on them after Emma has gone to bed, and by then it's usually midnight or so, and the last thing I want to do is drag out all that sewing stuff. :( After I finish this entry, I am making myself go in there and finish the half-done pair. Then only six more to go...

Today Emma and I were at the mall, waiting in line at a little kiosk. There was a girl in front of us, holding a baby boy (who had to have been under a year old) and leaning against the counter. The baby was messing with a little glass trinket on the counter, and he knocked it on the floor, where it shattered. The mom yelled, "Dammit! What the f*** is wrong with you?" and smacked the baby pretty hard, twice, on the forehead. I was so upset after seeing that. I also am very sorry that Emma had to see it. The mom started telling the kiosk employee how the baby was being so terrible and driving her crazy. I considered offering to watch the baby down in the play area for awhile so the mom could have a break, but I think that would have been too weird. Besides, who is just going to let their baby walk away with a stranger? I really felt helpless.

Emma's hair has been out of control lately. It stands up everywhere and there is no taming it. Tomorrow I will try to take a picture of both of us with our bad hair.

Okay, so I brought in that picture and gave it to the hairstylist. She told me she likes having pictures because then she knows exactly what the customer wants. She even pretended to look at the picture for awhile, and then proceeded to give me a terrible haircut that doesn't look anything remotely like the picture!! The kicker is that the entire time she was cutting it, I was turned backward so I couldn't check on the progress. The pieces falling to the floor looked really big to me, but I figured she knew what she was doing. Um, no. All night Steve has been making jokes about my being Emma's big brother, and he keeps calling me Little Guy or Little Buddy. Swell.

I've been noticing that Emma seems much older these days. Tonight Steve mentioned that he thinks her facial features and even her demeanor have changed in just the past few weeks. She's gotten so many more words, and is now pronouncing them more clearly. Her binky used to be "bee" and it's now graduated to "bink". She's putting multiple words together now too. My baby has grown into a little girl right under my nose. WAHHHHHH!

We were having a good day yesterday until about 9:00 when several bad things happened. First, I realized I'd made a horrible mistake on the mitten I'd been knitting and I had to rip out the entire thing. Second, Emma knocked over the Christmas tree and Steve tried to blame it on me by saying I'd set it up wrong. Third, while trying to right the tree, Steve managed to crush several glass ornaments and grind them into the carpet. Things sort of seemed to spiral out of control, and by the time Emma went to sleep at freakin 2:00 a.m., I was so mad at Steve (who had already been asleep for several hours) that I was going to sleep on the couch. At around 4:00, I realized that Emma, Jose, Paco, and I weren't all gong to fit comfortably (or even uncomfortably) on the couch, so I swallowed my pride and we all went to bed.

Today we noticed that poor Ems just had a tooth pop through, so that probably explains her constant nursing as of late.

Now I'm going (all by myself!) to get my eyebrows done and hopefully get this haircut. I'm sure it will look cute whenI get home, but tomorrow when I have to actually style it myself, it will be back to it's usual blah self. Either way, I am so looking forward to having an hour alone!

Today was the first cooking club get-together and my freezer is now full of delicious meals made my someone other than me! I'm so excited! The only bad thing about it is I have an intense hatred of onions and this may have to force me to get over that. Or maybe just get really good at picking them out!

Steve and Emma are asleep so I'm off to spend a few hours sewing some lovely Christmas pajama pants!

Emma has been wearing our tree skirt like a cloak for the past two days. I feel like I'm in some Star Wars movie or something! She is much cuter than any Star Wars character, however (although Ewan McGregor is a close runner-up!).

I got some wonderful yarn in the mail today! I can't stop looking at it and feeling it. I'm almost afraid to mess it up by actually knitting something out of it!

Before Emma was born, my mom gave me this book. It's full of great little stories that have been compiled from New Beginnings (LLL's monthly magazine). Today I was paging through it, hoping to find some encouragement regarding night-nursing a toddler. I did find it, and also found a poem that I was searching for a few months ago.

The Family Bed
by Carrie Scully
1979

It's only a double
And sometimes there's trouble
With covers and kicking about.
But o-o-o-h it's so warm
And it can't do much harm
When you feel all the love in and out.

This morning I woke
And this is no joke...
I was holding my little girl's hand.
So who could disgrace
The love that took place
While we dreamed our sweet dreams hand in hand?

It's a cute poem, but the sweetness is sort of lost on me now. I think I'm getting a little burnt out on co-cleeping. Lately Emma has been nursing all night long, and it's getting old. Plus she is getting bigger and suddenly taking up much more room. Sometimes I lay there, smashed on all sides by Steve, Ems, Jose, and Paco and fantasize about having a whole bed all to myself. I always thought we would co-sleep indefinitely but now Steve and I are discussing getting Emma her own bed in a few months. We'd probably put a little mattress on the floor in our room and have her sleep there sometimes, just for the sake of a little breathing room!

I ordered some Babylegs (legwarmers, basically) in a co-op and they came yesterday. They are so cute and very convenient for diaper changing. Here is the kid sporting her favorite pair.

I just finished knitting these mittens. They are MIL's Christmas gift, but I just realized that she will probably never wear them because mittens are not smoker-friendly. Oh, well.

I have more to say and pictures to put up, but Blogger is acting funny. I guess this is it for now.

When I lived at my mom's house, we had this Christmas tree ornament that I absolutely loved. I remember taking it off the tree to gaze at it many times every year. One year when we were taking down the tree, I even "stole" it and hid it in my dresser so that I could gaze at it whenever I pleased throughout the year. The ornament actually belonged to my brother Andy, but that didn't stop me from taking it with me when I moved out. We finished setting up our tree today, and without my pointing it out to her, Emma is obsessed with the ornament. She is carrying it around and telling me about the ni-night baby over and over and over and over. Very cute.

In other less cute news, Emma has been on a hitting and kicking streak the past few days. We'll be sitting around playing nicely, and suddenly she'll giggle, then turn around and smack me in the face. So far I've just been telling her that I don't want to play with someone who hits me, and leaving the room. She'll stop for awhile, but then a little later she'll walk up to one of the dogs and kick him in the ribs. She always laughs but I don't know how to get through to her that hitting/kicking isn't a joke. :(

You know what I hate? Going to the grocery store and returning home to realize I forgot one very key ingedient.

Steve is going to be working pretty late tonight so to cheer ourselves up, Emma and I are going to put up the tree and the rest of the decorations. Steve said he wouldn't mind missing out on the fun. We had such a great time with him while he was off work last week so I'm feeling a little sad that he's gone again today. He is taking two weeks off at Christmas, so at least I can look forward to that.

We're ordering this for Emma for Christmas. I'm so excited! I want to load her up with nice toy dishes and food, but it's already a pretty big present. Maybe other people who are giving her gifts will get her things like that (hint, hint)! I hope she loves it! I know I will!

Gah! I just checked on my ad amount, and it is up to $10.85. I was hoping to be able to donate $30 to the shelter, $15 of which I made from the ad. While checking, I came across this:

You can expect to be paid in the payment cycle that follows the first month in which you accumulate more than $100 in earnings in accordance with the Google AdSense Online Program Agreement.

WTH!?!?! It will take me ten years to make $100! Scrap the plan, I'm taking down the dumb ad. I apologize to any of you who may have wasted your time clicking. :(

Someone in my local AP group is starting a cooking club. The idea is that everyone cooks a bunch of one type of dish, then meets with other people and trades dishes. In the end everyone goes home with 4-6 other ready-to-freeze dishes. It sounds really cool because you only have to cook once and end up with a week's worth of meals, plus I love the idea of trying so many new things. This Friday we're doing the first switch. I joined a meat group and a veggie group and I'm already agonizing over what to cook. I'm worried whatever I make will turn out terribly, and I'll end up having to run out and buy take-out for everyone!

Ems and I are staying at my mom's house this weekend. A boatload of aunts, counsins, grandparents, etc. are here today baking cookies. I've been hiding out in the basement trying to get Emma to sleep, but people keep running up and down the stairs, turning on the lights, or doing anything else they can to sabotage her nap.

Yesterday Emma gave me my first taste of what it'll be like being the mother of a teenager. On the drive here, which is about 3.5 hours, we listened to many, many kiddo tunes. When my personal favorite, Banana Phone, came on, I turned it up and danced in my seat and sang my heart out. I turned around to see if Emma was enjoying it as much as I, but she had this horrible scowl on her face. She looked at me and - I swear she has never done this before - she put her finger up to her lips and said "SHHHHHHH!" She's not even two years old and already I'm getting on her nerves!!

EMMA JUST PEED IN HER POTTY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!

Yesterday I found a great pattern that I'm going to use to knit some Christmas presents. Once I found it, I had an overwhelming urge to begin knitting immediately. I called the yarn store to make sure they had the needles I needed (size 11 double pointed). She assured me they did, so I put Emma in the car and we drove all the way downtown, even though I knew I was going to have to battle traffic on the way back. When we arrived at the yarn store, only to find out that there had been only one pair of size 11 DPNs, and since I had called about 30 minutes ago, someone else had come in and BOUGHT THEM!!! Ack!! I asked the women there to help me find the right yarn size that would still work out with a size 10 needle. They helped me, but there is no way what I bought will work for the pattern I had picked. I ended up having to to pick a new pattern. I started last night and it does seem to be working out. Why, oh why, doesn't someone open up a yarn store closer to me?

We had our carpet professionally cleaned today and it looks great! Woe is the dog who tries to pee in the living room again.

I'm doing another poll because (1) I think they're fun, and (2) I'm curious.

I'm usually pretty darn happy this time of year because there are so many fun events. I love decorating, giving and gettings gifts, yummy food, and time with my family. I keep hearing other people talk about general holiday unpleasantness, and my Natural Health mgazine this month is all about how to avoid the holiday doldrums. So, tell me, how do you feel this time of year?

Today on my way out of Hobby Lobby, the Salvation Army bell ringer nabbed me. She kept talking and talking, telling me all these intimate details about her family. I probably said two words the entire time we were standing there. First I thought she was just a little weird, but then I began to think she was really crazy. She was rambling on and jumping from topic to topic and really not making any sense. Emma was struggling to get down and I wanted to leave, but this woman was not taking any hints. I was slowly making my way towards my car and she just kept following us! At one point she told me that "a woman ain't nuthin without a man" because the Bible says so. ?!?!?! When she told me that she thought teachers in school should still be able to beat children, I instantly just turned and walked briskly to my car. I didn't know how else to escape her! She was still yelling to us across the parking lot as I put Ems in the car! Weird.

Phase One of Project Pie is complete. Tonight Steve baked the first two pies, one with fresh blueberries, and one with fresh cherries. We are going to go ahead and eat the cherry one because some of the crust fell off anyway, and also because we don't have much self control.

Today was a great day. We went shopping for pie ingredients and other random stuff, went out to lunch, came home, went back to the store for everything we forgot the first time, came back home, and played around in the kitchen all night. Here is a picture of Steve and Emma, just because I think it's cute. Well, Emma looks cute. Steve looks rather goofy.

Well, here I am blogging at almost 3:00 a.m. again. Tonight Emma and Steve were both asleep at 10:30 and I had the most pleasant time - get this - cooking and cleaning! First I baked some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, then I started to straighten the kitchen. It was so nice to work without little hands clinging to me and/or creating more messes! Once I began, I got in a groove and I was unstoppable! I completely cleaned our sink and it looks really great. It was dingy and old-looking before so I'm pretty excited about this. I also emptied, washed, and organized our entire refrigerator and pantry. There was some scary science project-type stuff in the back of our fridge. The outide was pretty much covered with pictures, comic strips, and various items and I took down most of those things, specifically some pictures of studly d. Our ktichen looks so much less cluttered now. I also planned to sweep and mop really well, but Emma woke up and insisted on nursing. Now that she's back to sleep, I've lost my motivation. Maybe it'll come back again in about six months or so.

MIL, step-FIL, FIL, BIL, and SIL are coming here for Thanksgiving and Steve has big plans to bake a bunch of pies. He baked a delicious peach pie a few months ago and now apparently thinks he's some pie connoisseur. Today we even watched the National Pie Competition on the Food Network so he could get inspired. He wants me to call him Flaky Crust Steve, but I think I'll wait until he actually produces some pies before I bestow him that title.

There is one reason why I will never be a really good seamstress: I hate details. The two best parts of any project are devising the project and finishing the project; everything in the middle is just the details. When I'm making something for Emma or myself, I rarely use pins or measure anything. However, when sewing things for someone else, I have to be more meticulous.

Now that I've finished the longies, I'm devoting all my spare time to sewing Christmas presents. I'm making matching pajama pants for everyone in my family (8 pairs) and tonight (at around midnight) I got started on those. Considering I cut out all the pattern pieces for the first pair upside down, I didn't get off to a very good start. I did end up almost finishing the first pair and I think they look pretty darn good. Whew!

And now I'm off to bed...

Yes! I finished the longies. Well, almost. I still have to do the cord for the waist, but I was too excited; I couldn't wait for her to try them on. Not too bad for my first pair, I think.
This picture has also made me realize that I desperately need to clean that mirror. Please pay no attention to the little dirty fingerprints all over the glass!

Emma needs to work on her good-byeing skills. She says "buh" in this deep, gravelly voice and it's really adorable, plus she loves to wave. The problem is her timing. Whenever we are out, people always stop and talk to her and usually finish the conversation by saying "bye-bye". At this point I prompt her to say bye, but she just stares at the person silently. We walk away, and soon as we are around the corner or out of earshot, she begins waving frantically and yelling "BUH! BUH! BUH!" Maybe one of these days she'll get it right.

Something has been bothering me lately. I've been hearing a lot of anti-Christian attitude and it makes me really sad. People say that Christians are judgemental and selfish and don't do anything to help the world, only sit and pat themselves on the back. I know exactly one person who fits that description, and she unfortunately happens to be my MIL. BUT I know tons and tons of others who call themselves Christians who are not like this at all. I pretty much grew up in this protective little Catholic box and I seriously didn't know anyone who wasn't Catholic until I got a job in high school. The people around whom I grew up - relatives, family friends, teachers - were so generous and helpful and exactly the opposite of this stereotype I'm seeing. My parents are insanely generous and spend their entire lives making the world a better place for others and it hurts my feelings that there are people out there who talk trash when they really don't have a clue. I am also sad that there are people like my MIL who are giving the real Christians a bad name.

Just had to get that out of my system.

Our new neighbors just came over unannounced and our house was a complete wreck. I am mortified.

Thanks for your votes! I'm going to leave the poll up until tomorrow in hopes of eking out a few more votes. (Can you tell I'm losing so far? Maybe go round up your friends and tell them all to vote for Einstein!)

Steve is still at work right now, which is not so good, but... he doesn't have to work late the rest of this week and he's off ALL NEXT WEEK!!! I'm so excited!

Just a heads up - Little Turtle Knits is having a great sale - 30% off and free shipping for anything over $50. I'm not even going to try to resist that one!

Boring day, nothing else to write, so...bye!

Please help resolve a dispute between Steve and me by voting on the poll to the left. Thank you!

Winter has arrived! This morning we had a mix of snow and rain that eventually turned to all snow. It would have been a perfect day to curl up in the house, but I needed another needle size for my...ahem, Emma's longies so we braved the elements in the name of knitting. On the way we stopped at Whole Foods because they were offering Thanksgiving lunch (turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a drink) for $1.00! Mmmmm! It was delicious!

Yesterday for some reason I had an overwhelming urge to get caught up on my scrapbooking. I drug everything out and now every surface in our kitchen is covered with pictures, stickers, stamps, paper, glue, scissors, and markers. Like I need one more project that I didn't really have time for anyway. Will I ever learn?

Last year I managed to get an adorable picture of Emma to send out with our Christmas cards. This year I wanted to do the same thing so I turned the kitchen into a studio and proceeded to take about five hundred pictures of Emma. What I thought was a good idea turned out to be a disaster. Out of all the pictures I took, not a single one is Christmas card-worthy. If there was a previous record for begging "Can you please please please just sit still here for one more minute?" a certain number of times in one hour, I surely broke it today. By the end she was crying and I was on the verge of it. Taking good, posed pictures of a toddler requires much more patience, talent, and sanity than I have available.

I've been bitten by the knitting bug again. I was working on those socks for so long and they were coming along so slowly, that I stopped working on them all together and thought maybe I was at the end of my knitting career. Nope. As it turns out, I am apparently only at the end of (or at least taking a super long break from) my knitting with double pointed needles career. Friday night I started knitting a pair of longies for Emma and they are coming along beautifully. Today Emma and I went to the yarn store and she slept in the Mei Tai while I perused the yarn and, once again, dreamt of all the fabulous things I will create.

The only problem with my rediscovered obsession with knitting is that I have lots of sewing I should be doing instead. I have a huge project, or rather eight medium sized projects, to be finished by Christmas. I'm starting to get slightly nervous about that. I can see myself staying up until four in the morning the entire week before Christmas to finish those. (And Julie, I prmoise I'll get those pants done soon!)

Well, I have a new plan. Remember that ad I was talking about before? I was about to delete it, but I noticed that now it's brought me $4.86 in revenue. Thanks to those of you who've been clicking away! I've decided to leave it up until the end of the year. I'm going to take the money it brings in, match the amount, and donate it to our local no-kill animal shelter. So let's get clicking, people!!

It's 8:09 and Emma is asleep. I'm sure that's too good to be true, so she'll probably wake up at around 11:00, ready to go. Regardless, I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Man, I've been cooking up some CRAP lately. I don't know what my problem is. Three out of the last four dinners I've cooked have turned out terribly and I've had to throw them out. Three out of four! For example, tonight Steve is working late so I made Emma and myself a breakfast casserole. I've made it before and it's been yummy, but tonight for some unexplained reason, the bottom layer - shredded potatoes - turned into gray sludge. Like really nasty looking, can't-stand-to-eat-it, sludge. Why did that happen? I'm baffled. I think it's a sign that I should just give up and eat out every meal for the rest of my life! Ah, if only that could be...

You may have noticed a little ad on my left sidebar. I put it there as an experiment. I'm supposed to get money when people click on it, and I wanted to see how much. I ordered David (some of you know him as studly d) to click on it a bunch of times, and after 30 clicks, I made $0.10. Woo-hoo! I'll be rich in no time! It doesn't count when I click on it, otherwise I could just employ myself to sit here and click on my ad all day long. Anyway, I don't think the few pennies are worth having that ugly ad there, so I'm going to rid of it.

As for my other experiment, my hair feels a little funny today, but looks better than usual! It's more coarse to the touch, but I'll gladly trade that for this newfound fullness. So far this experiment is a success!

My cell phone battery pooped out, so today I went and bought a new battery. Those shysters charged me $37.95 for a simple battery! How do they sleep at night?

I am expecting several packages in the mail, and every day they keep not coming! It's driving me crazy!! Where, oh where, are my packages?

Regular shampoo contains all sorts of questionable ingredients, so for awhile now I've been on a search for a safer alternative. After a couple failed attempts using baking soda and vinegar, I finally settled on a natural brand of shampoo. Not ideal, but better than conventional stuff. Well, now I've found something new. I ordered a couple of these shampoo bars and I tried one for the first time tonight. It says there is usually an adjustment period where your hair looks, well, gross, for a week or so. My aunt is coming to visit tomorrow and I'll probably be looking like some slimeball who hasn't showered in weeks. I'll update on the nastiness of my hair as the week progresses. (I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat, right?)

Along with the shampoo bars, I also got a free sample of some powdery stuff that, when mixed with various things, becomes a face mask. I mixed mine with mashed avocado and some lavender EO. Apparently I didn't mash the avocado well enough because instead of a smooth mixture, I got a clumpy mess. I did my best to smear it on my face and now I'm sitting here like some scary swamp monster. There was a bunch left over and I wanted to put it on Steve but he refused. Well, he'll be sorry when he sees my clear and glowing complexion!

It's 12:53 a.m. and Emma just went to sleep. Steve has been asleep since about 9:30 and awhile ago I took Emma in there, thinking that she'd get bored enough to fall asleep. Not so. The room was completely dark and I pretended to be asleep, but she still managed to prance around the bed, bang on the wall, fake laugh, stick her fingers in my nose and ears, pry open my lips, nurse, and twiddle for over an hour. I didn't acknowledge her once this whole time, but she wasn't deterred. When she finally fell asleep, it was hard for me to sneak away quietly because I really wanted to dance around and leap for joy.

Sometimes, as a reward for his hard work, Steve is allowed to take Emma and me out to dinner somewhere and KPMG pays for it. We always live it up and go somewhere really classy that we couldn't (or shouldn't) afford on our own. Last night was one of those dinners. I always feel like when we walk in, people are looking at us thinking, "You did not just bring a toddler into this place." Oh, yes, we did. (Last time we did this, we went to this cool restaurant that rotates up in the sky, and after we got there the hostess came and told our server that no one knew where the high chair was. THE high chair. Apparently, not too many babies dine at cool revolving restaurants.) Last night, Emma rotated between her high chair, my lap, Steve's lap, and her own big chair about 50 times, but I don't think she disturbed anyone. She loved the food, which was fabulous. And I'm fairly certain we were the only table there performing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" during our meal.

We have two radio stations that only play Christmas music around the holidays. I adore Christmas music so I have no qualms with this tradition. However, one of the stations is already playing only Christmas music. Can't they at least wait until December? Plus, how on earth are we supposed to be in the Christmas mood when it's 80 degrees outside?

This last weekend was very unusual for us. Steve didn't work at all the whole weekend, and we concluded that Saturday was his first non-working day in over three months. He just wanted to take it easy the whole time, and take it easy he did. I don't think he ever changed out of his pajamas, and he only left the couch to go on a Blockbuster run. I guess he deserved it, though.

Today was a pretty great day. The weather was fabulous! Emma and I spent the morning at the park. It was so beautiful outside and we were having such a good time that I couldn't help but sing many renditions of "Who Will Buy" from the movie version of Oliver Twist. After playing on the playground, we walked around on the trails. Emma had a wonderful time throwing leaves off the little bridge and watching them flutter into the stream. I tried not to think about any snakes that may have been slithering around under the leaves.

This afternoon was kind of exciting. At the library I usually just get board books for Emma because she really just likes to look at the pictures and she is pretty rough with them, anyway. Today I decided to try getting some real little kid books. We brought them home and she actually sat on my lap while I read them to her...and read them again...and read them again! I'm so excited about this because actually reading stories is much more interesting than just pointing out pictures in board books. I'm keeping them up on the shelf though, because I don't want her to tear pages out or color in them or something.

Lately Ems has been sitting on the potty a lot while we read books. She hasn't produced anything yet, but she gets really excited about sitting there. Anyway, Saturday night I was back here in the office and Steve was in the bedroom, so Emma was playing in the living room by herself. I went in there to check on her and she was on the floor reading a book next to this (which might be the cutest thing I've ever seen)...

Emma got a bag of microwave popcorn when she was trick-or-treating and Steve tried to make it today. He says he followed the instructions on the bag, but something went terribly wrong. We ended up with a bag of unrecognizeable black char and now our whole house REEKS like burnt popcorn. We left for awhile and could even smell it while we were out so I think the smell has permeated our clothes and hair. Lovely.

Well, we are back to the cloth diapers. The ease and the trimness were nice for a couple days, but I really just think sposies are gross. First of all, they stink. They are so heavily perfumed that it's all I can smell when she's wearing one. I want my baby to smell like, well...baby. Plus a dispoable diaper with pee in it smells five times worse than a cloth one with pee. Second, they are ugly. Emma runs around in her cloth diapers all the time, looking completely adorable, but I would never let her just hang out in a sposie. They bring her cuteness level down several notches. So those of you who were berating me for destroying the rain forests and calling me gross (and you know who you are), worry not. :) Emma is back in her cute, soft, economical, and environmentally-friendly dipes.

Here are some funny pictures. This one is of her saying "cheese" for the picture while eating a cracker.

My dad taught her how to "wink" while he was here last weekend. Here she is showing off her new skill.

Last weekend I bought the Annie DVD for myself because I remember liking it as a kid and I wanted to own it again. Emma loves it. She is seriously infatuated with it. I have to hide the case or she will follow me around with it, whining for me to turn it on. When it is on, the minute it ends she runs to the TV and tries to start it over. We've been singing the songs all day, every day. I'm about Annied out.

How do you teach an only child about sharing? Yesterday we had a playdate here with two other very sweet and darling little boys and Emma was very possessive with her things. I was embarassed but I don't know how she will learn to let others use her things, when there are very rarely others around. We have a pillow that she lays on on my lap to nurse to sleep in the afternoons, and sometimes the dogs will lay on the pillow. She gets really upset when they do, even if she wasn't using it. When that happens, we go get a pillow out of the bedroom for Emma and talk about how it's nice to share because the dogs like the pillow too. Other than that, I don't know what else to do.

I have a confession. Emma has a strange rash around the tops of her legs that won't go away, so two days ago I decided to try using disposable diapers for awhile to see if it helped. When I went to Stitch and Bitch, Steve went to the store to buy some diapers. I told him to just buy a small pack of generic ones, but he returned with this monstrous package of Pampers. I've been using them, ...and now for the confession...and loving it! I feel guilty, but it's so nice to not have diapers to wash and for Emma's clothes to actually fit. I think I'm going to let myself use them for one week, then go back to her regular ones. The rash does seem to be getting better, by the way.

Why do little girl clothes have to be so dang cute? Emma has more than enough clothes for this winter, but I still spend way too much time on ebay drooling over the adorable little clothes I want to buy for her.

I just got to take a shower all by myself. Ahhhhhhhh... Except you know when you're washing your hair and a big drip of water runs right into your eye, but you realize too late that it's actually shampoo? Ouch.

Our mailman used to always come at 12:15. Now he comes around 3:30. I am not pleased about this.

Steve has actually been getting home by 6:30 this week. It's wonderful! He and Emma have been having such a great time playing together. Plus tonight I get to go to Stitch and Bitch for the first time in months!

Today Emma and I stopped at a thrift store. I was so excited to see two entire huge rows of board games. I LOVE board games! I managed to control myself and not buy Boggle Junior and Scrabble Junior, but I did get Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land. I know she is probably still too young for those, but I couldn't help myself. At $1.99 each I couldn't pass them up!

We had a great Halloween yesterday. Emma, who was a bumblebee, wouldn't say trick or treat but offered a very convincing "buzzzzz" to everyone she encountered. She got TONS of candy, none of which I want her to eat. Last night she got ahold of a Tootsie Roll. I put her in her chair and sliced the Tootsie Roll into a bunch of little pieces, thinking it would take her awhile to eat it. Nope! In one swoop, she grabbed up every single piece and shoved them all into her mouth at once. So much for that.

I recently joined Parents as Teachers and today was our first visit. I was somewhat apprehensive about joining in the past because I was worried the educator might push sleeping in a crib, drinking cow's milk, getting vaccinations, etc. It turns out the lady was really nice and wasn't like that at all. At one point we were talking about nutrition and I mentioned that Ems was still nursing. She asked how long I planned to let her nurse and I said "as long as she needs to" and she just said okay. Then later she asked if Emma ever gets to play with other kids. I told her we belong to a group with lots of other moms and kids, a group that usually has several playdates each week. She asked about the group, then about attachment parenting. I tried my best to explain it, then I got my Attachment Parenting Book off the shelf to show her. She paged through it with interest, then asked me what the book said about getting your children out of the family bed when the time comes. I said that the book doesn't really say anything specific about that; you're just supposed to do what works best for your own family while respecting everyone in involved. She then said that some families have a hard time moving their children into their own rooms and asked what we plan to do about that problem. I had to think for a minute, and then I said something like, "Well, I don't consider a child wanting to be with it's mother a problem. We're planning on getting Emma a bed of her own when we're expecting again, but she'll always be welcome in our bed. Maybe it's hard for some families because they have more rigid rules about the child staying in his or her own bed. Telling a child who could very easily get lonely or scared in the middle of the night that he or she isn't welcome in bed with the parents would be very difficult for the child, I think. I don't ever want Emma to feel like I'm not available to her." She nodded like she thought I was making sense, but I wonder if she was mentally writing me off as some sort of nut job. Either way, I think Emma had fun playing with her so we're looking forward to her next visit in six weeks.