My little Samson

It's okay, I can admit it. My child's hair was getting out of control. I loved it, but he was starting to look like and orphan, throw in a sucker in one hand and sticky all over his hair and face and he would have looked like a neglected child left by the train tracks. He might have had a little mullet going on, and his hair wasn't completely standing on end anymore, but it was getting ridiculous. Bill put his foot down and pulled out the scissors. I cried. Asher didn't care. However, the day after his hair was cut, he was grumpy, I think all his happy powers were lost with the hair. Bill should have known his hair held magical powers.

Before

After

Also note that Bill cut his own hair too. He decided it was also getting to be ridiculous and so I woke up this morning to find him in the bathroom going to town on his hair with a pair of scissors. It looks good, and it saves money. Anyway, my two freshly shorn boys.

Asher Army Crawling

We have a number of these army-crawling videos. Asher stops doing most things when we turn the camera on, as its little red light traps him like a deer in the headlights. But if you put the camera where he can get it, the situation is more like a moth to the flame. All these analogies sound bad when applied to a baby. The point is that army-crawling is one of the things he will do not only for the camera, but because of the camera.

Paige

Cookies and life as we know it

It's cookie season and I have no self control. I'm trying to be good and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. But lets be honest, the fruit selection this time of year is weak. And frankly, a mini cheeseburger sounds way better to me right know than a salad.
So here is my question (please leave comments), what do you guys eat everyday. Staying home all day makes me want to graze on crackers. I love crackers. Do any of you have any other tasty alternatives¿ Cool, I just figured out how to do the the upside-down question mark¿

In other news (in no specific order):

• My sweet babe is crawling. I like it and I don't. I need to get some gates.
• We put of the tree last night and I've already had to redecorate the bottom half of the tree, not because of my kid- but because of the cat.
• Bill is officially an Esquire. We all rejoiced!
• I signed up for the cherry blossom 10 miler, it's a lottery to get in, cross your fingers I win. I need something to motivate me to keep running.
• All I want to eat are cookies, like these.
• And lastly, well, I don't have anything else to say. I thought by having a kid my life would get less boring. I was wrong. We go to target, we go on runs, he naps, and we chill.
• oh I know, I mopped my floors this morning. I feel happy strangely enough. I hate cleaning this apartment, probably because 1 item left out makes the place feel like a disaster. So I always feel like I'm picking up etc. ¿What am I going to do when we live in a place that is bigger than 800 sq feet? Maybe liking the apartment more will give me reason to clean.
  

Favorite Photos

I have been sorting through pictures for an extended family photo album. Anyway, I've run into pictures that are awesome, so I'm devoting a post just to those.
p.s. Bill has taken pretty much all of the awesome photos.

Victim of poop street, Chicago, IL

Washington Monument

St. Louis Arch

Cass

Winter in Chicago

Lance Armstrong, Boston Marathon '08

Freemont Street, Las Vegas

Emma, Bill's dog sister

Enough time has passed that I can post this picture now. In case you are wondering, it is cookie dough ice cream, and yes, it was delicious - baby liked it too.

Bill the Baller or Gala-er

So last weekend Bill was invited to a black tie event - the Lombardi Gala, or something like that. His firm represents the NFL or some aspect of it, and since he worked on the case that went to the supreme court last summer, one of the partners invited him to come along to the event. The firm bought a table, but alas, since people from the NY office and DC office would be there, there was no room for me. Poor me, it would of been fun, but it would have been a nightmare coming up with a formal dress in 3 days time (excuses excuses, I would have made it happen). Anyway, we checked out tux rentals, they are very expensive. Luckily, Bill found one on sale. When he told me that, I asked him if it was baby blue or brown (because who would have a decent looking tux on sale for such an amazing price?). He said it's just black. Score, so Bill is now an owner of a tux, and he looked great if I may say so myself. All the pictures of just him had bad lighting, so you'll have to see my tuxed boy with a pant-less boy. He had a grand time eating good food, and talking law. Oh yeah, and there were even NFL hall of famers. Don't ask who they were, because unless they are Joe Montana or Steve Young, I probably have no idea who they are.

And lastly, here is a few pictures from out trip to the Shenandoah mountains. The colors were amazing and the crowds were ridiculous.

Bit o' life

It is 2:54 in the afternoon, and the cat is still in bed. I think he is suffering from depression, just can't bring himself to get up in the morning. Or possibly, he is catching up on sleep lost in the night when Asher is crying. When the baby is crying, nobody sleeps. Boo.
Speaking of the cat, when I picked up our new to us car, I had to clean out the Camry, and while doing so Asher was screaming. The guy helping me clean out the car was really helpful and got Asher to stop crying......with a toy mouse he found under the seat (left there from when we moved). Thoughtful, but really?? giving my kid cat toys?? Gross.
Moving on, Mom, this picture is for you. Asher's hair is getting to be a little bit ridiculous (long and standing straight up), so we wet it and combed it down. He doesn't look like my baby anymore.
Took a trip to Utah in October. It was great to see my family, and even some friends. I was told that my blog has turned into a baby blog. Despite my efforts, it's true. But I will say, I have not, and will NEVER, do a post of 20 pictures of Asher in different positions, with no words. I try to have some sustenance in my posts.
Next item of business, we drove out to the Shenandoah state park (along with everyone else in DC) to see the colors of fall and do a quick hike. Unfortunately, both sets of batteries for the camera were dead. I'm still waiting for pictures from my sister who planned better.

And last but not least, one more Halloween picture of Asher and cousin...because I think it is cute.
oh yeah, I'm listening to one of my favorite artists, A Fine Frenzy, as I type this with one hand and hold Asher with the other. He squealed with delight when I turned it on. I'm glad he has good taste in music like his mama.

GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES

Watching the Giants

1 more game. 1 more game.

Happy Halloween

Our ward had trunk-or-treat last weekend, thus we celebrated early. He was a busy little bee.
Too bad he didn't collect any candy. I would have enjoyed every bite of it.

Goodbye, Camry

Oh, Camry. Like a old relative in a nursing home who drains his family's savings, you just refused to die. And then, to the relief of all who knew you, you did. Your engine shook, your gears stopped, and then all you could see was light. This light was not transcendent. It was not heavenly. It was orange. And it was the check engine light. Since you weren't worth the gas we put inside you, that little light meant it was time to go a better place. Probably the junk yard.

You, our Camry, will not be missed. You were a car; not a person. And you were a bad car. You were an ugly car. Your beige interior matched your beige exterior, which matched your complete beige-ness. Less flashy than a black hole, you excelled only in mediocrity. You had a tape player, for crying out loud. And it broke. You had a broken tape player. Once I left the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition. But even on the South Side of Chicago, no one would take you. And who can blame them?

We have fond memories in you, but no fond memories of you.

That, of course, is a fabrication of the truth. We have exactly two fond memories of you. First, you allowed yourself to be hit by a medical student in a 4Runner. We thank you. That was a nice check we received from the medical student's insurance company. We could have used it to repair you; but, as you know, you weren't worth it. The second fond memory we have of you is our last: the memory of that car dealer actually giving us money to take you. Surely he only did so because he felt sorry for us, and it wasn't that much, but we will always relish the pity that had a price tag.

What is there left to say, Camry? You made it on long trips? You hauled that trailer to Chicago? So what? You were a car. You're supposed to work. The fact that we were thrilled with these achievements only shows how low the bar was set.

Goodbye, Camry. I hated you every day.

Go Giants

If you are our friend, you are rooting for the Giants. If you are not rooting for the Giants, you are not our friend.

Fear the beard.

Update

So we are on night 4 and he slept from 7:30-6:45!! Night 1 was the worst as he woke up several times and cried from 2-3:45. It really was awful. Especially when he woke up the next morning because he was hoarse. Oh it broke my heart hearing him cry.
Night 2 - cried for probably 15 minutes.
Night 3 - cried for about 5 minutes
last night - no crying! Success. Thanks for all the comments, it helped a lot, especially on the first night.
So on to happier stuff. My sister and I went to Maryland to go apple picking. You know, to do stuff white people like. If you think that sounds racist, see this (it isn't racist, it's satirical). We had a jolly good time. The weather was perfect and the fruit was delicious. I've been munching on apples all week. Oh yeah, and they had the most wonderful tomatoes. You can't get them like that in the store. Beautiful tomatoes come at a cost, and I'll willingly pay it for a little piece of heaven.

Silly me, I forgot a hat for my fair little babe, so we improvised and used a blanket to protect his strawberry head. He didn't mind. It makes him look like a saint, no?

Sending out an SOS

Help. I need HELP!
My little munchkin used to be a GREAT sleeper. He would go to sleep by 8, wake up at 4 or 5, and sleep until 8.
Then we moved.
Now he is an awful sleeper. Last night I put him to bed at 7, because he was exhausted and he woke up at 12, 2, 4, 6 and finally around 7:45 for the day. He even napped pretty well yesterday, but refused his last nap.
I can't do this any more. He is almost 6 months old, he should be sleeping through the night. Not every night is like this, but most nights, he wakes up multiple times. We went through a period of inconsolable crying during the middle of the night. It was horrible. I'm sure our neighbors love us. He doesn't have an ear ache, and I haven't seen any sign of a tooth.
I've read online that a move can really mess up their sleeping. I'm starting to reconsider this move, just kidding, but my 2 am self is.
Advice Please. I know you all have it. So save me.
oh yeah, he rolls, it's a huge pain and won't sleep on his tummy. Oh yeah, one more thing, out of desperation, I tried a little cry it out session. He won - he went for 45 minutes. Don't judge, we were checking on him.



Above picture is to showcase his hair. It naturally stands straight up. I love it.

The good & the bad: Chicago

I think I'll take a minute to give a few words about my beloved Chicago. The things I'll miss, and the things I won't miss.
I'll miss (in no specific order):

• Our apartment, we had a great view of Lake Michigan and our apartment was spacious.
• The walk-ability of our neighborhood. We could walk to school, church, grocery stores, the library etc. Easily hop on the bus or train to go into the city. Our new place has a "good" walk score, but really, there is no walking.
• Our friends, enough said.
• The food. Oh man, Chicago has great restaurants. For our last night in Chicago, we went to Bandera, one of our favorite restaurants. Pictured above is their famous veggie burger. Oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
• The ward. Our ward was great and very unique. I don't think you could find a ward like it any where else. Can I get an A.MEN?!
• The UofC. Beautiful campus, weird (insert uber smart) students. I liked it though.
• Hyde Park Produce. Oh I miss you so very very much!
• The lake shore path. Perfect place to run or bike.
  

I won't miss:

• The parking situation. It was impossible all the time. Add in the bird poop factor and it was miserable.
• Kenwood kids, they were scary.
• Service or lack there of on the southside of Chicago.
• Issues associated with the southside - crime, murders - it wasn't by us, but nonetheless, it was not that far.
• Winter.
• Corruption in Chicago politics.
• Flamin' Hots - you HPer's know what I'm talking about.
  

I'm sure the lists could go on. But we'll just leave it at that. Overall, I miss Chicago a lot. It was comfortable and part of me feels like Chicago is where I grew up, and it's where our family started. Luckily, we'll always have a piece of Chicago since Asher is a native Chicagoan.

We're Here

Hello, anybody out there? I'm here, I promise. I just got internet TODAY! Who knew I was so dependent on the internet, but not having it for the last 3 weeks has be difficult....torture even. Can't look up destinations, or recommendations for this that or the other. Luckily, my blackberry has gotten me through a few rough patches (where is the closest CVS...)Anyway, we left Chicago on Saturday morning, and got to DC in about 12 hours. The babe was a trouper and only really had a melt down during the last hour of the drive. I'll take it. I expected him to be way worse! Anyway, last family picture in Chicago next to old reliable - the Camry.In our new place. We decided to paint before all of our stuff arrived. Someone had the bad idea of painting the whole apartment purple.
My sweet babe, growing like a weed. His hair stands on end and he eats his feet and rolls like a potato bug. (it's causing problems, he likes to roll the most when he should be sleeping:(
Bill has started work and is loving it. So while he is working hard for the money, I'm hanging with my sister. We're fun like that.
And the boys like playing together. So we indulge and have regular play dates. There has only been one incident of hair pulling. Of course only one of them has enough hair to pull (see Asher's hair stands on end).And there you have it. Hello from DC!

With Mom and Dad

Asher is a poor painter. He rarely remembers to put paint on his brush, and he pays far more attention to the TV. But he is excited to be done, because that means we're closer to moving, and that means he gets to spend more time with his mom.

Happy #5

Happy belated anniversary. Here's to many more!

picture circa 2005

Veni, Vidi, Vici

I went out to DC this weekend to look for an apartment and to see my sister and her little family. She had a baby in June and I felt like our kids needed to meet. We had a little photo shoot on the couch. My babe is almost 4 months old, and her babe is 5 weeks old. I forget how small they are. He makes my baby look gigantic. I'm glad that the bigger baby is being held up by a 5 week old. Here is more of our photo shoot.
Does this make me a bad mom because instead of putting the babies up right again, I laughed and snapped some more pictures (neither were crying). Oops. Couldn't help myself. Come on, don't tell me this isn't funny.
In other news, we found an apartment! Hurray. I may have cried hysterically 2 or 3 times while searching, but we came, we saw, and we conquered! Let me just brag for a minute. It has a washer and dryer in the unit! I'm excited. And it's reasonably priced...for DC...cough cough. Searching for apartments is the worst. process. EVER! Thank goodness it's over for at least a year.

Mr Mom

We are alive, I promise. It has just been a busy summer - well busy month of July. First off I went back to work. Lame I know. Something about being responsible and having an income until Bill's job starts. Got to pay the bills:( So Bill has been a stay at home dad all while studying for the CA bar. We made it work. When I got home from work, I would take over and Bill would continue studying until 1 or 2 in the morning. There may have been a day or two when I received a panicked email about a baby not sleeping and thus no studying was accomplished. But over all, it all worked out. And I think Bill enjoyed the time with our babe. I'm sure this was the face made when I walked out the door every day. Just kidding, he was fine.

Also, I ran a 5k this month. I decided I needed a race to motivate me and get back in shape. It went better than I thought, but I looked at the pictures and decided they were all too ugly to post.
Oh yeah, cut my hair way short. I put my faith in Dave to make me look great. He might have failed. It isn't that bad, but I feel like I have mom hair. Dave told me it wasn't a mom cut, it has too much spice for that. Whatever. It's growing on me...get it?! bahahaha. I think I'm growing it out, but I've adjusted and love how easy it is, just not how short it is.
I've also been searching for a new apartment. I'm losing sleep over it. Needless to say, it is very stressful and all consuming - thus no blogging. DC is muy expensive and the apartments are small.
And our final activity of this month was Bill taking the bar. Can I get a hallelujah that it is over?! I've felt like a single mom for the last month. No fun. I know studying for and taking the bar sucked too. Oh well, it's over. Now we have to squeeze in as much fun as possible before we move.
Now onto a busy August, and maybe life will slow down a bit in September. Cross your fingers.

Asher Talking-ish

Asher and I like to practice talking. So far he has "oooooooooo" down cold. We try other vowel sounds, but he just stares up at me in confusion, either because he doesn't know how to make those sounds, or because he doesn't know why we would say anything besides "oooooooooo."

Tribute to America, My Final Installment

In case you missed it, Epitome of Patriotism, and Ode to the President were part 1 and 2.
We love America, that is why we gave our baby boy the middle name of Britton? Hail, Brittania! Just kidding, we gave him that name for other reasons. But we do love America, and our next child if it is a girl, will have the middle name of America, and if it is a boy will be Deutschland (because they are kicking butt in the world cup).
We felt the need to be festive for church, so we put the babe in good old red white and blue.
We also had a lovely bbq on the 3rd with some good friends in the ward. I found these disposable bbqs for $5 and it was well worth the money. It's hard being a city slicker and never being able to bbq. So if you want to try these out, check out this website. No, I'm not getting paid to promote these. But yes, the burgers and kabobs turned out delicious!
We also made it to taste of Chicago. If you love America, you support your cities festivities...no?
And finally, I made Bill take a break from studying to go to the beach with us. I might have sweetened the deal with McDonald's, but who cares.