Hello 2013 and 2 Month Appointment

I rang in 2012 at the Mexico City Airport.  Barret and I were en route back to the U.S. from our honeymoon in Argentina.  I had a little snafu when booking the flights (thought we were leaving Mexico City at 9 p.m., not 9 a.m.) so we stayed the night in the hotel attached to the airport.  We stayed at the airport because even the natives from Mexico City had warned us about the dangers of the city and taking cabs.  Surprisingly, Mexico City has a very nice airport.  However, we got in kind of late and no restaurants were open.  So we had a tasty dinner of potato chips and donuts from the Seven Eleven and may or may not have made it to midnight.  Needless to say, it was not going to be difficult to top our previous New Year's Eve.

This year we had some friends over, played a little Mexican Train Dominoes and ate some food.  Although it may not seem so from this picture, I think we all had a good time.  Owen did not quite make it to midnight but this was the first time in several years that I did!  Perhaps it was Barret's interesting stories on first experiencing puberty that kept us awake.

2012 was a great year - found out I was pregnant, had Owen, sold our first house, and returned to living in Madison full time.  It seems hard to believe that 2013 would be able to top 2012 - but I thought the same about 2011 and here we are.  I am anxious to see Owen grow over the next year and see what other fun is in store for 2013.

Speaking of Owen growing, he had his 2 month appointment today.  He and his diaper look gigantic in this lovely picture snapped at the doctor's office, but we learned that he is in the 68th (13 lb 8 oz)  percentile for his weight and 56th percentile for height (23.5 inches).  His head is in the 85th percentile and I was worried that he may be developing elephantitis, but the doctor said they don't really worry about those numbers until they are off the charts.

He then had to get 3 shots in his legs and an oral dose.  It was pretty terrible.  His first shot in the hospital he hardly noticed, but we did not have the same luck.  The doctor recommended that I nurse him while he gets his shot, but Owen was not tricked by such tactics.  He stopped nursing as soon as the first shot was given and continued to scream in my face until it was all over.  He was not a happy camper, but it is obviously much better than having him get Polio.

Despite having the cutest fan cheering them on, the Badgers were unable to pull off a Rose Bowl victory... for the third year in a row.  Pretty disappointing - but that has been the Badgers this season.  Usually I don't care too much, because I have already moved on to Badger basketball by this point, but that looks to be even more disappointing this year.  At least the Vikings are still out there - and they never disappoint...

Here are just some pics of Owen hanging out. 

A lot of my shows have been on hiatus with the holidays, but Teen Mom 2 has hung in there.  I do not understand how Chelsea still has not gotten her GED.  It has been 3 seasons of her trying to get her GED.  She is no longer working part time at the tanning salon and I get that taking care of a kid is a lot of work, but getting a GED is not that difficult.  If all you have to do for 3 years is keep your child alive and get your GED - you should be able to accomplish both those goals.  Get it together, Chelsea.

In other Teen Mom 2 news, resident train wreck Jenelle got married and there was word that she is already divorced (a mere 26 days later, which would beat Kimmy K's record).  Apparently, she is still married, but it is not to my beloved Kiefer or even the boyfriend she is currently living with on the show.  Nor is it the guy she was engaged to after the guy on the show - it is someone totally different who I have never heard of.  It is getting more and more difficult to keep up with this celebrity gossip.  Thankfully, I don't need to worry about getting my GED on top of this.

Christmas 2012

We drove up to Minnesota for Christmas this year.  The car ride was actually not that bad.  I rode in the back to change diapers when necessary and we only needed to stop once.  Barret is no longer allowed to change diapers in the car.  The first and last time he attempted to do so, Owen ended up with poop on his face, foot, and shirt.  Not to mention the poop that also ended up on the car seat and Barret's shirt.  Thankfully, I did not have any blunders and the drive up was pretty nice.  Murphy kept a very watchful eye on Owen for the trek.

Before heading up to Minnesota, we were able to see some friends who were back in Madison for the holidays.  Owen found a kindred spirit in Tatum.

On Christmas Eve, our friends Roger and Amanda hosted a brunch.  Murphy was super into Roger and photobombing pictures this holiday season.

 This squirrel outside of Amanda's place also had a good Christmas Eve - he took down an entire donut and provided some free entertainment for us.

My family is not too crazy about Christmas traditions - we just try to get together.  Growing up, we always went to my grandparents and celebrated on Christmas Eve.  We tried to do that again this year, but ran into a few obstacles.  First, my aunt (who lives with my grandparents) informed us that she may have the chicken pox the night before Christmas Eve.  Needless to say, we did not want to take our 2 month baby there anymore.  Thankfully, we had two little cabins booked at the casino near where my grandparents live.  We weren't really sure what we were going to do to celebrate Christmas, but decided to just head up to the casino and see what happens.  My grandparents weren't able to make it to our cabins on Christmas Eve because they were not feeling well.  We decided to have dinner on our own while Barret played Christmas music on his phone.  Then my mom and Holly decided to go to the casino until about 2 in the morning.  Barret and I went to sleep.  Waking up Christmas morning, it was 10 below.  I had forgotten how much colder Minnesota is than Wisconsin and had actually forgotten how cold temps below zero was.  I hope to not be reminded again in the near future.  Fortunately, my grandparents were feeling better Christmas morning and able to make it to our cabin and meet Owen.  I do not get to see my grandparents too often any more, so it was great to be able to spend Christmas morning with them.  However, I kind of hope this is not the making of a new Christmas tradition....

Murphy continued on his photobomb escapade.

Owen is either going to grow up really loving dogs or really hating dogs. 

Being the first grandchild on both sides, he got plenty of presents this year.  We are excited to celebrate Christmas with him next year when he will be able to understand a bit more what is going on and perhaps open his own, many presents.  

December 20, 2012

 So - this happened this weekend.  We were basically white trash this past weekend.  On Friday we took Owen to the bar with us, which was actually not that bad because we were at Genna's for a friend's birthday celebration.  However, we then popped over to the Silver Dollar and it just seemed wrong to have a baby there - so we left there after about 10 minutes.

I do love this picture above though.  Owen's face is priceless.  And for those who are considering contacting Child Protective Services, it was a shot of Bailey's and we were sober - so no need for an investigation.

Pictured here are the lovely hostesses of the party and whose evil minds concocted shots for the new parents.  I learned that I will do pretty much anything a woman with 80s shoulder pads asks of me.  That outfit really brings ugly sweater parties to another level.  I love it.

I finally put my Booze Cakes recipe book to use this weekend.  I made pink champagne cake and think this will be making another appearance at New Years.

   

 

I love pictures of babies sitting on the couch together.  However, it will be a bit better when Owen is able to sit up on his own.  Not pictured:  Emilia getting fresh with Owen and grabbing the Santa on his butt.

Round 1 of Christmas is under our belts.  Barret's parents are en route to Thailand for Christmas so we celebrated with them this weekend.  Owen is going to be one spoiled little guy.

This is what happens when you stay home with a baby all day - you take awkward photos and wear polar bear pajama pants all day.  The hat is a gift from a friend and the stocking was knit by Barret's mom.

I took a little trip to Milwaukee this week - thankfully before Thundersnow began.  It was a good test run for our drive up to Minnesota - Owen slept the whole time in the car.  We stopped in to see my friend Sarah and Owen's friend Reed.  We believe they were playing together - I think that is just how babies play - lay next to each other and maybe swat at a thing or two.  Then we stopped at my old law firm to visit with co-workers.  I miss our reality tv and celebrity gossip times at work.  It was good to see everyone, but I certainly do not miss making that drive.

My beautiful little Owen has been super into punching and kicking lately.  Unfortunately, he does not have much in the way of coordination.  He is starting to get some use of his activity map now though.  He also likes to just sit and kick me in the stomach - I know that he likes it because he keeps doing it and smiles while assaulting me.  This newfound love of kicking has made changing his diaper more of a challenge.  As you may recall, the kid loves his changing pad.   So not surprisingly, he loves to sit on his changing pad and kick and punch like a maniac.

I had to take this little butterball to the doctor this week and discovered he is weighing in at 12 lbs 9 oz.  The nurse needed a urine sample from Owen.  If you are wondering how they collect urine from a baby - they basically tape a plastic bag around him to collect it - seemed to work.  It reminded me of when we needed to get a urine sample from Murphy about 2 months ago - that was a job for Barret.

First Bottle

The fateful day of introducing the bottle came this past week.  I thought I would be excited to have Owen using a bottle occasionally so that I might gain some freedom, but I was not.  First, pumping is terrible.  As if I did not already feel like a cow - enter the breast pump.  It also does not help that Barret refers to the process of nursing as milking (although he has not been allowed to use that phrase since Owen entered the world).  Second, it turns out I totally understand those moms that refuse to give up breastfeeding.  There is something special about being able to nurse your child and it is a great bonding experience.  I somewhat worry that I may carry on the practice for a bit too long.  If I turn out to still be nursing Owen and having him sleep in my bed when he is as old as the child in the picture - please intervene.

Amy and Amanda came to visit us this past weekend.  What is crazy - we have been friends for sixteen years.  Back then we were riding our bikes around, sneaking out to Teen Night at Tropics, and getting samplers at Applebee's.  Now, I have a baby, Amanda just got engaged, and Amy just bought a new house.  Nevertheless, we are not too old to have sleepovers and rock matching polar bear pants.

Barret felt a little excluded, so decided to put on his Simpson pants. 

It was a wild weekend of hanging out at my house and gossiping.

Owen has been super smiley, which is so much fun.  However, he can also be serious at times.  Now, he is smiling at time other than being on his changing pad.  He is also still burning through a shocking amount of diapers - I keep waiting for that day to come when he only goes through 8-10.  I was trying to pump the other day so I set him down on my bed and he seemed content - then he started crying so I checked and he had a wet diaper.  I was just finishing up, so I popped his diaper off and snapped his onesie back on - figuring he would not have to pee again within the next five minutes.  I was wrong.  He started crying again just a few minutes later and I was left to wash our bedding.

These are our stockings, and I find it incredibly sad that Murphy has the nicest stocking.  Barret's is by far the worst - it was the stocking he had a prior law firm and they decided to let him keep it.  I actually like mine but decided it was time to update from "Baby's First Christmas."  Also, our newest addition does not have a stocking.  So I ordered some new stockings - now I just have to figure out what to stuff in Owen's.

What the hell did Brandi say about Adrienne?  Usually, I am kind of annoyed because I know what happens on these shows before they air - like that Leah's (Teen Mom 2) facebook love interest ends up being her husband and she is pregnant again.  But, this time I scoured the internet for a good hour and could not find out what was said.  According to the gossip blogs, it is speculated that she commented on Adrienne using a surrogate, but I find it odd that such a statement would warrant such a reaction and a lawsuit.  This episode gave me horrible flashbacks of studying for the bar and what elements are necessary to constitute defamation - so I then decided to make some granola bars.

Being super domestic - I made homemade granola bars.  I also taste-tested them before taking a picture to make sure they were up to snuff.  They were tasty.  Here is the recipe - I added peanut butter chips as well:

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

Housewifey

This Saturday we attended the longstanding tradition of Friends Thanksgiving.  Last year, I was camped out in the basement with the other ladies consuming several bottles of wine.  Ah - how the times have changed.  This year we had babies:  Avalyn (6 months), Owen (5 weeks),and Reed (2.5 weeks).  This was my first time meeting Reed and I was super excited because his mom was my pregnant friend this summer - we talked about longing for a glass of wine, ate many popsicles and went to prenatal yoga together.  Reed did not disappoint.  However, I remember my friends with young babies who came to visit the first week or two after Owen was born and commenting on how small he was and how they don't remember their own babies being so small.  I thought 'these women are crazy, it was only a couple months ago and their babies were actually smaller.'  Well - I am also crazy.  Reed looks tiny and it was only a few short weeks ago that Owen was that size.  So I am sure it is just around the corner that I start commenting on how quickly babies grow up.  I feel like I have officially arrived in the crazy mom club - and I am ok with that.

 To continue with the crazy mom arena - my baby is a genius!  He is already reading.  I am actually not that crazy (not like an Alex from RHONYC) - but I was excited that he has been showing interest in this soft book.

And the soft book was a gift from Owen's future BFF - Mason.  He came by for a playdate with his mom and Becky on Saturday.  Murphy was just waiting for Mason to drop some of his sweet potatoes, but unfortunately, Mason did not splatter his food all over.

Just being awesome...

Owen went to a music class on Tuesday with myself and some mom friends.  He is not the greatest musician yet, but soon he should be able to master the tambourine.  We then went to see Santa - 2 of the 4 kids cried, but Owen just stayed asleep.  I am pretty sure he asked Santa for more milk and for Murphy to stop licking him.

It took until about last week for me to find the ambition to cook actual meals again.  I started throwing Owen in a sling during the day and it has changed my world.  Our floors are vacuumed and I am able to make meals.  This was a fairly ambitious side dish, but pretty easy to make.  It is just roasted vegetables with pomegranite seeds and feta.  I say it was ambitious because required breaking down a butternut squash and gathering seeds from a pomegranite - it was totally worth it.  My housewifedom seems to be approaching full circle this week - cooked, cleaned, and hung out with other ladies during the day.

I was very disappointed in Real Housewives of Miami last season.  DC still stands as the worst season Bravo has ever put out there, but I would put Miami right behind it.  So, I was not expecting much when they started season 2; however, Bravo has upped their game and sucked me in again (like they always do).  They added some new characters (drunk model who slept with Joe Francis, crazy dentist, attorney who cannot let go of her ex-husband, and a plastic surgeon's wife who I actually like).  Anyway, the episode this week featured Adriana (pictured above) throwing a lovely dinner party for her in-laws fiftieth wedding anniversary.  It appeared to be a very nice and fancy event - then she came out in this outfit and did a little dance/shimmy for everybody.  I cannot imagine that this is what your in-laws are hoping to happen at their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  Sorry Van Sicklens, but I will not be putting on this costume and a dance for your fiftieth.  First off, I will be 50 years old when that happens and am pretty sure no one would want to see that.  Second, pretty sure in-laws never really want to see that, regardless of age.  Nevertheless, I do have to say that she looks good - but should maybe just save that for her own anniversary - but she would have to get married first.