It WAS a Happy Birthday!

I am very late in wishing Miss Bridget a happy birthday out here. HAPPY WEEK AFTER YOU TURN ONE, BRIDGEY!

I can't believe I didn't blog this weekend when all I could think about was how a short year ago, we went from no extra Delantys to ONE EXTRA DELANTY NAMED BRIDGET AINSLEY!

Miss Bridget, when you arrived, I was nearly as over the moon excited as I was for Matthew. Now our little "St. Louis family" had a matched set - boy and girl - and naturally you would be best friends (I'll stay out of the arranged marriage territory until you're three.)

And now your parents' heads could be spinning from your arrival - just like ours.

Getting to know you and watching you with your family has just been amazing. You are a beautiful, sweet, funny, wonderful little girl.

We are so happy to be part of your life to witness the cutest moments in the world, like this. Love you, girlie!

p.s. Matthew says thanks again and no hard feeling about that cake?

He's One Going on Thirty-One (Year Old Woman)

Isn't it funny when kids want to start dressing themselves? They just get their own tastes and well, just demand that they MUST wear the orange shirt with the purple socks.

Impressively, Matthew's fashion demands are quite high brow.

It's called Mommy, circa 2005 black squared toe heels.

We think they're quite fetching. DON'T YOU?

(Note: The editors would like to point out that he walked from our bedroom to the living room and yes almost down the steps. In the heels.)

D Day

Today was Draft day for fantasty football. I looked forward to this as though I was getting dressed up and going out somewhere. Like a ball. Driving home I had butterflies.

This is our four year tradition now. It's the official end of summer and introduction to what's become one of the best times of the year - four months of friends, football (food) and fun.

I can't say I feel that butterfly effect about my team, post draft. Think these little boys are gonna have to grow on me this year. Which they will the minute Team Mandelbobby starts WINNING!!

Today was also Driver's license day. As in, AS OF THIS MORNING (at least for a few hours) I WEIGH WHAT IT SAYS I WEIGH. For the first time since college or maybe high school. Don't know when I, er, departed from the truth on that document. It's been so long, it's laughable. And it's not exactly a fancy hollywood starlet type number we're talking.

But to weigh it is just, well, a real accomplishment. Hopefully I'm making some cranky old lady at the DMV proud.

It's Business Time

Actually, lest you think I'm ALL business ... THIS just made me laugh. Song lyrics from the Flight of the Concords song, "Business Time." About, well, taking care of bizness. (Dale, sorry in advance ... )

Flight of the Concords is this new show on HBO that Mike's obsessed with.




These guys are (supposed to be) two folk singers from New Zealand, coming to America to get discovered. The show's so goofy but funny and it grows on you.

And of course, technically its cultural for me. Since they come from as Mike would say, my homeland.

Just One More Thing to Say on This Topic

I just would like to say I TOTALLY LOVE AND AGREE WITH THIS GUY.

My two five day vacations (which are now a distant memory) simply weren't enough to recharge batteries. See, it's not me being spoiled to want long vacations. It's SCIENCE.

What I wouldn't give for a week - one week - off to just ... not DO.

Or to live in France. Cranky lazy Parisians may have it right after all.

Marathons Suck

I knew there's a reason I'd always fantasized about training for a marathon (or a 1/2) and never made one inch of attempt toward it. Because they SUCK.

Work right now is a marathon. And I'm in the 21st mile or whatever the hell feels like you're near the end and about to die but DAMMIT you're not done. And you're out of that squishy stuff and your shoes hurt and the guy running next to you smells and keeps cutting you off and Kramer throws hot coffee on you instead of water and ...

Anyway. I will survive. I will survive.

Wish me good "final approval and to the printer next week!" vibes. And I'll be having the happiest freaking Labor Day ever.

Budgetpalooza

All this year, I have been keeping a meticulous detailed budget. We really needed to get on track with our spending. Somehow though I am never buying half of what I want to, we're always, er, tight.

Today was catch-up-my-poor-neglected-budget day. I haven't really maintained it fully in a couple months. During both of Matt's naps and for the last two hours since same went nigh-nigh, I have been entering receipts and reconciling months of spending.

I probably have carpel tunnel and my legs are asleep but it's DONE, it's caught up.

Most of the missing entries were July and August. But for April - June, I also had to compare my list of already entered receipts to our final actual credit card and bank statements. It's anal and time consuming, but if I don't the one I miss will naturally be some little tiny thing ... like our new dryer or Libby's two-week check.

So after all this I see that we are ... well, still tight. We HAVE improved, big time. I can tell and thank goodness and GO US. Our spending in general is down, it's just that we've taken two mini-vacations this summer plus some weekend trips.

But we are, day to day, doing better and it's thanks in part to this budget. Seeing the numbers add up really helps curtail my impulses the next time I'm at Walgreen's or Target. (The key is I have to do it every week or two, though. The impact of my errant Easter-overpurchasing is less impactful now.)

So I finish and I tell Michael proudly we are exceeding our budget for the year but not by TOO much. And that I can see hope for us of places to tighten up a bit more and do better.

And then, to reward myself for my fiscal buttoned-up-ness, I close my horrible budget file and open the Internet to do my daily blog check of my fave mommy blogs.

And I see this post which represents this blogger's ode to (1) unnecessary IKEA purchases and (2) the $400 strollers she's narrowed her stroller search down to. And I think almost want to make my husband read it (though he'd probably sooner run to the store and buy boxes of lady products. He's not quite part of the blogosphere yet).

The point is, this girl PROVES the point I make EVERY time we talk about money.

"If I am overspending at Target ... or have a few too many shoes ... there are a 1,000 women out there doing ten times worse than me at any given moment."

Course, he never buys it.

Neither does my Excel budget sheet.

New High/Low

I am pretty sure Weight Watchers understands that their participants don't all stick to the "35 extra points a week" rule. I haven't for a while yet continue losing.

But I wonder what part of "the program" THIS fits into:

And God help me, I have two more days left before that bastard counter zeros out.

A Peeping WHAT?

Imagine my surprise when Mike hands me a bright pink flyer the other morning and calmly announces that we have a Peeping Tom in our neighborhood.

A WHAT? Didn't that phrase go out in the '50's, along with poodle skirts and greasers? What the heck is that anyway?

According to my scary pink flyer, it's a man in a black trench coat slash cape, with a big black hat on. That looks like he MIGHT be FBI if he weren't a peeping Tom. And he's black too, the same color as his coat and hat. Kinda like this guy, who is apparently peeping on us all through the computer screen:

But on the flier he's got snake like slits for eyes and they're hot pink from the flyer background. So he's more like Lord Voldemort in a Halloween detective costume.

Since my PC isn't working, I can't scan it for you tonight. So I'll improvise, ahem:

Alert!

Our neighborhood has been experiencing problems with trespassing, "Peeping Toms", and vandalism over the past few weeks. Police are aware and have been patrolling over night.

We will be having a neighborhood meeting at the Shrewsbury Police Station in the courtroom ... (don't want to say when, what if the Peeper shows up to our unguarded home? Oh yes, our "guard dogs" would wiggle on him to death.) A police detective will be there to answer questions and listen to concerns and we can share information.

Let's send a message that we won't accept this in our neighborhood. Leave your exterior lights on if possible at night. Please be aware of any unusual activity or strangers and report it to the police immediately. Let's help solve this problem.

I am thrilled with the initiative taken to set up to create and distribute this notice. And the police efforts for us. Yet again, I love my neighborhood. (I would point this flier isn't signed or reference to anyone so hopefully it is not indeed The Peeper himself crafting a master plan that will have us all scratching our heads wondering where our TVs and laptops went after the meeting's over.)

I'm also obviously pleased with the police efforts and the meeting, which we will be attending. But come ON people, how CREEPY is this? I haven't seen anything or noticed anything. But this is NOT what I want to hear! It upsets me that my neighbor(s) had to get upset and feel insecure ... and now we all do. You just never know what's going on ... someone casing the neighborhood for burglary would be the best of it, you know?

This is so cliche, but I have always felt so safe here. To walk by myself at night or early in the morning. Yes I am careful, watch over my shoulder, take the dogs, prefer to take Mike ... as W would say, I am vigilant. But I never really thought twice about it. Now I am thinking just once about it. No more for me. And that STINKS stinks stinks.

Not that taking a walk or really moving, at all, for any reason, has been on my agenda lately. But I'm always waiting for the urge to strike and now it only probably should during the daylight hours.

(Matthew, don't read this.) I do miss the days before having a baby when Mike and I could get the dogs out and go for a nice 9 p.m. walk after dinner and 8 o'clock hour TV. I couldn't always wrangle him, but when I could it was so great. A time to catch up and get the dogs out there (and sooo much easier with us both; even with the Gentle Leader, I am not the biggest fan of herding them both at once by myself). But now those days are gone. We either round up all the troops together and go before Matt goes down. Or I go by myself later.

And natch now that Mr. Peeper's lurking, maybe it'll be a while longer. I am going to blame him for these last 15 lbs.

(Don't you like all this light humor about a (hopefully) petty criminal roaming my street at night? I hope so, because it's helping me not be freaked out by it.)

Who's Trying to Sell Da Murphdawg?

What is THIS?

Are Mike and Murph not getting along this summer? Or whoe else is trying to pawn my dog?

I can't believe there's such an exact Murphy twin running around and moreover, that someone doesn't want him or her.

Seriously ... here is the close up:

If I wasn't 100% confident Murph was at home snoozing on the front couch where she shouldn't be right now, I would be worried!

We Wouldn't Even Have to Forward Our Mail

...If we moved across the street to 7617 Suffolk Avenue, one number up from our address, to the big house across the street that's for sale for a pretty great price.

It leaves a bit to be desired on the outside. But the inside is 2,000 square feet (that would be about 70% more house than we have now) and its FAB. It's got a great lower floor plan, it's sort of circular and just flows nicely. From the entry you see the little sitting room (aka playroom, aka office, aka place for the piano) on the right, and to the left, you go from a nice living room with fireplace, to the dining room (all of which is light and updated with redone wood floors and white trim) back to a big kitchen with big pantry and big eat in, and room for an island.

There's a little back porch that's covered in this cute red trellis, but you could screen it in also. That's IF your dogs don't repeatedly ran their heads against it like current owners' did. Wait, what am I saying ... Bogey would be coming with us, wouldn't he ... Anyway, it has a fully fenced yard, leading back to a two car detached garage.

Back inside on the main floor, there's also a master bedroom downstairs and (here's one hitch) the one full bath that's in the finished part of the home. Upstairs, no bath, but three bedrooms. One's big, one's medium and one's smallish (but oh so perfect for a nursery or my eventual home office; sadly, does look across the street right at ours which COULD give me mental problems, but I'm willing to risk it.) The bigger BR's have two closets each. Plus there's a big crawl space (supposedly a "selling point" because apparently lickety split - at least, according to the agent - you could just whip up another bathroom right there. I'm sure.)

In the basement, there's another full bathroom with shower but that's the only finished part. The rest is huge but unfinished, with that cellar feeling thought it's painted a clean white. There is some "dampness" that comes in during heavy rains (aka, you could easily see the wet spots, but to Tim's point, this sucker's 85 years old. She'll have her little issues, I imagine. At least it's got copper not knob and tube wiring. It's a start right?)

Okay, so ... I don't know why I'm typing all of this. It's not like we're going to run out and buy it. Timing wise, this is all wrong. We are supposed to fix ours up to sell ... all the while continually St. Louis neighborhoods for a potential fit, and fine tuning our list of "must haves," by visiting open houses for a few more months. Then list ours next spring and THEN find our perfect dream home in the Shrewsbury/Webster/Kirkwood area. Right? That's how it'll go, RIGHT?!?

In any case, we are NOT supposed to find something now. Someone took that order down wrong.

Anyone who knows me knows I love my street and wish I didn't have to move from it. I've said before, if I could wake up tomorrow and have a much bigger mortgage and a second story ... or an add-on master bedroom/bath where part of our backyard/patio are now ... I would be a very happy camper. But I also know there's lots of nice neighborhoods and I shouldn't be so attached to this one just because i'ts familiar.

I just, well, am, and so when this house came up (which I'd always threatened to Mike that I'd want to snap up the minute it went on) I was like, OH! Course, I was always half kidding, because I figured it'd be kinda dated and "okay but not great" inside like the outside. But now of course (like so many Sunday open house "browsers" have fallen into the trap before me) I am thinking, I sure wish we could do this house.

It would just be, er, challenging financially to take on a bigger payment, just yet. We'll be in a much better position by next May once our ginormous (for us) car payment ends. And semi-better even after December when my GE Penance Payments end. (Sidebar: The story is that GE kept paying me for a couple checks after I left. Because despite bringing good things to life, they are apparently idiots. I convinced myself (against my goody goody nature) that I was justified to, well, keep it. Because they also sca-REWED me on my incentive comp when I left and basically didn't pay me according to our gentleman's agreement of a comp plan that never got nailed down. (Hint: Don't ever do that. Make people write things down.) So natch, once they realized they overpaid me, we all had a difference of opinion, with their opinion being I owe them every penny and mine being I sure don't want to pay them but can't remotely think about hiring a lawyer to fight something I am probably on paper in the wrong about anyway.)

And so we've paying basically the value of an extra ginormous car payment since spring, through December.

Oh little house across the street. I wish no ill on you or yours. But maybe you will CHOOSE to sit stagnant on the market, for at least a few months ... the owners are just downsizing because all the boys are in college now so they're not necessarily in dire straits.

Maybe they will be hit by a giant wave of nostalgia and wrestle with the idea of really selling it, their sons' boyhood home (well, kind of, they moved their in high school. NONETHELESS!) and turn down all the reasonable offers that come in. Right up until the moment they realize, crap, we must sell this albatross. And to who better than that lovely young couple across the street, who really do look a little cramped but like they'd take great care of our former home ... and who clearly could use about, oh, a $30,000 discount. "Krisantha (yes that's their agent's real name), write up the papers!"

Realizing from the Television that I Am Blessed

Now I'm quite certain, what with my whining about being "sooooo BUSY" lately, the last thing I should have done the last two hours is what I did. Which is watch two hours of Tivo'd Babies: Special Delivery which airs on the Discovery Health Network.

Now, I only learned about this show as I was setting my "Baby Story" Tivo Season Pass this weekend. Because I have decided it's time to get reobsessed with that show. And NO it's not because I'm pregnant or close to it but YES it is because I'm heavily thinking about that topic just lately again.

Again: NOT pregnant or close to it, YES have babies on the brain. Okay ...

So Babies: Special Delivery was right there winking at me in the alpha list of shows to be Season Passed and so I did and WHOA what a fascinating show. In two shows I saw like nine families undergo what might be some of the most traumatic s-h-t-you know what that you can. Your TINY infant, in some cases your FETUS basically is born and needs immediate urgent care. In some cases the MOTHER is at risk as well and is swarmed with doctors checking her LIFE AND HEALTH.

This is instead of just getting to sit there and bask in your "I made a baby!" glow and have nothing more to fret over than the "Should I try to breast feed in the first half hour? Can I finally order some room service? How CUTE IS MY BABY?! How soon do I get my push present?" stuff most of us get to enjoy.

Even if your birth experience is less idealic or like a few friends of mine, even nauseous, barfing and in pain from your C-section ... I imagine some part of you is still elated knowing your baby is HERE and is off being cared for or maybe even being snuggled by Daddy. And in all cases is healthy and well until next you cuddle him.

But not these new moms. They and the dads (and to some degree, entire waiting rooms full of families) are as worried as worried can get.

It makes me think, in order:

How lucky I am to have has such an easy birth and healthy newborn son and overall, great pregnancy experience.

How much emotion and fear and just - EVERYTHING - my friends Renae and especially Eileen, who have had babies in the NICU in the past year and a half, must have felt. Renae's Max was there for about 10 days and Owen, closer to a month, I think. (Sorry guys if I have those dates wrong.) It's a whole different world to experience your newborn and becoming a parenthood, in that NICU, with the not knowing what's coming next for your baby, your sweet teeny little thing, and the wires, beeping, machines, nurses, and constant and I have to imagine, sometimes just piercing, worry.

And how lucky I am that Matthew today is a healthy, strong little boy growing up right on track. We just had our 15 month appointment with Dr. Jagler tonight. Aside from discussing how do we begin to tackle discipline, and are we ready for only one nap? I had nothing on my mind worrying me, and she was extremely happy with him. And he was happily driving his truck over the wall and loving life. The way all kids SHOULD get to be.

I think of that, and then compare it to the sweet beautiful little baby I watched tonight on TV that was born with spina bifada, who had to have surgery to basically tuck his spine back into him, in his first hour of life. In a specialized children's hospital across town from where his recuperating from her C-section mommy was.

I don't mean to get all drama, for people I don't even know, on a carefully edited to tug at the heart TV show. But it really was emotional watching what some of these little babies had to go through in their first few hours of life. And watching what ALL the parents went through, fearing for the worst but hoping for the best. I guess once you've had a little baby pull at your heart, you just can put yourself in their shoes (to some degree) and just ... imagine what they're feeling.

It makes you wonder why some people go through what they do. And it makes you stop and THANK GOD or whoever you please, for your 100% healthy little baby snoring in the other room peacefully.

And to realize that you don't KNOW from stress until you have a sick child.

Okay, that was my upper post for the day. Anyone want to talk about clowns or rainbows or puppies riding on unicorns now?