I Thought I Grew Up When I Stopped Watching the Real World

But I realize I have not because I am still addicted to bad reality TV. As evidenced by the fact that I just got up, left the room where my husband's watching TV, so I could come into the bedroom to watch the second episode of the night of Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.

It's odd how simple demographics can make you feel like this (crossing my two fingers together, ala we are tight) with B list celebs you have never met. They have a toddler son and are expecting (well, now have, as of June I guess) a new daughter just like us. Also they were moving in the middle of her third trimester.

Thought interspersed with discussions about Tori's jewelry sales on QVC and what color to choose for their real silk tailored curtains and how many millions they can afford for the new house...well, the rest of the discussions could be right out of house.

When you're pregnant no matter who you are or what hot sh*t life you lead, there's a lot of boring and leveling talk about contractions, doctor visits, eating too much, gaining too much weight, and, if you're pregnant with #2, how are you gonna manage it all. Former 90210 mogul daughters are no exception apparently and I find some odd comfort in that.

Though I do know, oh yes, that it's so wrong to watch it and especially to justify it and philosophize about it.

Why You Need a Flat Screen

Because even the scary awful shark show looks so cool I'm forced to watch it and learn stuff.

So far I've learned how to not buy a bathing suit with a pattern that tempts sharks to eat me.

On My Mind

I wanted to tell you guys something I've been thinking about a lot lately, that I've come to realize is actually really very important to me. I don't know if you'll agree or not, but I feel I have to share.

Here goes:

SUMMER TV BLOWS AND IF I SEE ONE MORE MADE UP "WATCH PEOPLE EAT KETCHUP THROUGH THEIR NOSE" REALITY SHOW OR THE SAME G.D. CSI WE'VE SHOWN YOU 8 TIMES OR ANOTHER UPDATE ON HEIDI AND SPENCER, I'M GOING TO SMASH MY FANCY NEW TV THAT I SWEAR TO GOD, HASN'T VIEWED ONE GOOD PROGRAM SINCE WE BOUGHT IT LAST MONTH.

I hope you are with me, but if you are not, well, we will just have to agree to disagree. I feel very strongly on this important matter to myself and my family. Thank you for listening.

And if it's a help to you and yours, my husband and I find comfort knowing that, with September and the blessed arrival of my daughter, the just as blessed arrival of new fall TV will shortly be upon us, praise be to NBC, Tina Fey and Steve Carrell.

I Rock and So Does Snapfish

So according to my scientific poll, you're all as delinquent as I am at actually printing photos on actual paper for actual frames or God forbid, actual albums. It's a virtual world and we are virtual girls. But allow me to inspire you: tonight I ordered real live photos - a disgusting 186 of them - from Jan. 1 through my last July download.

So NOW when my computer crashes or I spill coffee on it, I won't have to throw myself off the nearest bridge. Because I will have my child and family and friends captured on PAPER not just megabytes. At least, the last six months. We won't talk about the lion's share of Matthew's first two years of life, just right now.

First, let me point out that at $.o9 a photo, vs. $.19 a photo, Snapfish beats the pants of Shutterfly. EEJ, I know you already are a fan...

Second, let me note that I love Picasa enough to marry it. Was SO easy to run through hundreds of photos, tray the ones I liked, connect to Snapfish and one short Visa order later, have our last 6 months of existence be put in the mail within 3 to 5 business days.

Third, do I have any takers on how long I'll procrastinate to actually PUT them into an album? I say if I can do this pre-baby, I'm a hero. Realistically, if I do this within 2008, I could die happy.

Either way, that's hardly the point, people. I can at least take 2-3 and put them in frames. Because judging by what you see displayed around our house, Matthew is still a newborn and Mike and I are still appily engaged to be married.

Okay, to wrap it up with a bow on top ... in my photo search/queue/order process, I ran across some kiddo shots too adorable not to share:

Matthew and Bridget, Superbowl, acting like goofy little kids (not babies) for one of the first times that I noticed.

Matthew and Max, our frienda Steve and Renae's son, during their last visit to us in June. Acting like the sweet angels they always are. Uh huh.

And the entire Steve/Renae clan - Anna, Aidan and Max - on an earlier visit this spring, at their old favorite haunt (before they became Little Rockians), Kirkwood Park.
The utter boredom of meeting Baby Shane at the hospital forced both kids into the closet, apparently?

Oh come on, you kids don't know from fun. Just LOOK AT HIM!

Naturally, I finally post a newborn photo right about the time he's turning 1. Ok, two and a half months, but might as well be 1, this kiddo has already grown more than I care to think about. Stay small, little guy, stay small ... you break mommy's and aunties' hearts when you grow too fast.

Miss Amelia, that all goes for you too.

I have to say, Matthew appears a little more lively visiting you. Guess he just likes the pretty ladies, and who can blame him. Though I certainly did not take a close enough picture of this baby girl, and I will be rectifying that when I can. Trust me, she is gorgeous.

Grama Shout Out

I feel it's time I dipped my toe into the video posting pond. Especially since my kid and his sweet little voice are so g.d. cute I can hardly stand it. Documentation must commence.

Enjoy, gramas!

Guess What You Can Do for An Hour?

When you are two, apparently for an hour, you can happily and silently look through the science and learning toy catalog leftover by our prior house owners. Carefully, painstakingly, page by page, back and forth.

But then sometimes you do have questions and comments. "Car? Cars. CARRRR!!!" "Trains, mama? Trains!!! TRAINS! Tracks? Where tracks?" "What's that mama? And that? What's THAT?"

For an hour.

Then you look through it again for another 1/2 hour that qualifies as your bed time story. And you sure can charm the pants of your mama while you're doing it.

Well, That's Just GREAT (from BabyCenter.com email today)

Only 24 percent of U.S. companies offer some form of paid family leave, according to a 2004 poll by the Society for Human Resource Management.

And why WOULD the other 76 percent offer proper family leave? Really, why? Dumb women wanting time off to raise stupid babies. Can't they just shuffle off to the break room, birth the kid and jump back on their 1pm conference call? Where did the power moms of the 80s go?

This whole topic makes me ill.