Yum, Cake

Happy Birthday Carter

I can't believe my baby is one. I know it's really cliche that everyone says they grow up so fast but the time really does fly by. One year ago today I just kept saying "I can't believe I had a 9 lb baby."

At his checkup today he
Weighed 20 lbs = between the 25th and 50th percentile
30 inches tall = 60th percentile
19 inches around your head = 95th percentile.


I love you Carter. At one you...

...can say
mama
dada
nana (anna)
dawh (dog)
uh ah (instead of uh oh)
and your newest word just a few days ago: bawh (ball)

...love
to take a bath
push anything around, including chairs, toys, the booster seat
put smaller toys inside bigger toys (sorting)
get into every cabinet that doesn't have a lock
to be on your mommy's hip
your binky
to hit things to make loud noises
the nightlight in the outlet in anna's room

...have six teeth, your top front four and your bottom front two. Plus I think you're getting more since you were up for two hours last night which is very unusual

...walk everywhere

...like to eat what everyone else is eating

...throw balls with your left hand - daddy is so excited that you might really turn out to be a left handed pitcher

...go to bed at 7:15 and sleep until about 7 am (except for last night)

...pull your shoes off right after I put them on you

...drool. More than any dog I've ever met. Your shirt is always soaked.

...won't hold still for 10 seconds so I can get a diaper on

...sleep on your tummy with your booty in the air and your hands tucked under your tummy

...pat your hand over your mouth to make indian noises

...won't hold still for me to dress you. It should be an olympic event

...like it when I
Blow raspberries on your tummy
Smell your toes and say PU! you have stinky feet
pretend to eat your toes
tickle your sides
play peak-a-boo around items
chase you and say I'm gonna get you
jump out in front of you and say booga-booga

And more...

You have the cutest giggle
When you smile really big you have dimples
You have peach fuzz for hair
You clap when I sing Patty Cake
You move your arms up and down when I sing Its Bitsy Spider
You like to hear Old MacDonald and sometimes this will make you hold still to get your diaper or clothes on

Random people always comment on your beautiful blue eyes

I miss that you won't fall asleep in my arms when I'm rocking you anymore

I love the way you smell after a bath

I feel like I should
Spend more one-on-one time with you
Read more books to you

Happy First Birthday my Handsome Snuggle Bug. I love you sweet precious baby.

Think Tank

Have you seen the IBM commercial where they're all laying around in a dark room and brainstorming?

I was stuck in that meeting today. From 8 am until 3:45 pm with no more than a 5 minute break.

And they really started at 7:30 but I just couldn't make it there by then. Clearly the people who decided on this time are not full time working mothers with children to get ready in the morning and drop off at daycare and drive from the outskirts of town.

I quickly downed two cups of coffee to try to wake up and not yawn in front of everyone. Carter was up off and on between 1 and 3 am last night so I didn't really feel like I'd slept.

While I was in the meeting today and someone was talking about taking out full page advertisements in major newspaper publications I was reminded again of what I call the "generation gap" in technology. These people are not that much older than me.

I turned to my fellow coworker and asked, when was the last time you picked up a newspaper?
- years.

Ditto for me. I don't read the paper. I don't want to read the paper.

To me, when this last not-entirely-technology-savvy generation finally grows up I think the online space is going to take off even more than it already has. Just like no one buys Encyclopedia Brittanica and you don't look anything up in a Card Catalog at the library, I predict that newspapers will only be delivered to old people and online advertising is going to be more relevant to you, based on what you are subscribed to, your profile, the sites you visit.

When we finally don't have the target audience that are my parents - who read every line of text presented to them on screen and take 20 minutes to checkout on a website - making the decisions about company websites, then this internet thing is really gonna take off.

Overheard in our house

"Please may I want some help."



"Don't shut ME in the fridge, I'm not a snack!"

Love Hurts

I love you Sonar.



I love you Carter.



I love you Tassie.


I love you Anna.


And I love you all. So super cute.

Shopping Success

About $350 worth of clothing for around $140. My best deal was a $52 coat for Carter for $10. Yea!

Coming soon - pics of our Christmas decorating.

MMMM, Sales

So, as a super girly girl who LOVES to shop, I was very excited to see a special announcement in my inbox this morning from Gymboree for an additional 30% off my entire order. See, I also received a special 20% off my entire purchase coupon in the mail this week. PLUS I have gift cards totaling $30 AND I have the Gymboree Visa so I get an additional 5% off. IN ADDITION, to the items that are already on sale, this mean I can get a fleece hoody and pants, super cute here here and here, for a really good deal

Regularly 19.50
on sale for 12.00
add'l 30% 8.40
add'l 20% 6.72
visa 5% 6.38

This is cheaper than Target people. And much better quality.

This is a really good deal. People wonder how I buy so much Gymboree for Anna (their boys lines are not quite as cute) and this is how. Sales people. Watch the sales. Then I stock up. And a lot of times I buy a year in advance. So I would buy some size 3's now, but probably also buy size 4's for next year for her.

Crowds don't bother me too much. Guess where I will be (and yes, braving it with two kids because my parents are out of town and Kevin has to work) at 10 am on Friday morning. Too bad they don't open earlier, not that we could make it anywhere before 10.