Maren's First Haircut, and our trip to the Other Side

Maren has recently developed an aversion to wearing anything in her hair, resulting in the 'sheepdog' look for her most of the time. Her hair has gotten so long that it just hung in her face and drove me nuts! Yesterday Quin and I took her to get a haircut for the first time and she did just great--no tears or anything. We went to a place that specializes only in children's haircuts, so Maren got to sit in a cute little car while she was getting worked on. I had the stylist even up the sides and cut bangs on top to alleviate the sheepdog thing, and I thought it turned out pretty cute! With bangs and a 'hairdo' she looks so much more grown-up. I know she's almost 1, but she really is looking less and less like a baby. Walking, a mouth full of teeth, and a real haircut--yup, she's almost a toddler! It all looks a little incongruous, though, as she's still so tiny.

Happy to report that last night was much better than the night before. I still think Maren is teething, and today I caught a glimpse of what I think is the culprit for all this mess. Hope it pushes its way up quickly so we can be done with it.

Yesterday we had temperatures in the 70s...in February...in Colorado, not California! Amazing, when you consider it's still technically winter here for another month. After we got Maren's hair cut, we drove up to Boulder to visit an outdoor store Quin was interested in. The weather was warm, if a little windy, and it was nice to be outside.

Boulder has this downtown shopping area called Pearl Street that is blocked off for pedestrians and there are lots of shops and restaurants and homeless people hanging about. When they call it 'the People's Republic of Boulder'...folks, they aren't joking. It was seriously like being in another country! We were joking on the way up that we were venturing behind enemy lines--we are pretty much everything typical Boulder-ites are against: we drive an SUV, Quin works for the government and enjoys shooting things, we believe in God (and that God is a He, not a She), we do not advocate the use of mind-altering substances, etc. Quin said if approached by strange people, we should just yell "Free Tibet!" and run, and they'll never know we're imposters. I didn't think it would be all that different from Denver, but I was shocked that it really was. Maybe I was just hyper-aware or something, but it honestly was weird there.

Now I'm waiting around for the washing machine repair man to show up. I purposely scheduled the appointment between 8 am and noon because I know that during that time we don't go anywhere because that's when Maren and I get ready and then she goes down for a nap around 11. However, we came home yesterday to find a message that we got pushed back to the afternoon slot--12 to 3 pm. Boo. I have plenty of things to do around here, but it's just annoying. Hopefully, the washer will be easy to fix and won't be expensive. It's been leaking water for a while now, and I confess I've just been doing my laundry anyway and putting a towl around the base to soak up the water. My washer--a Kenmore--is such that you can't get the back off without first removing the top, front and sides, so I wasn't able to check the hoses myself to see if it was an easy fix. I'm out $65 for the service call no matter what, so hopefully it won't be a whole lot more than that--otherwise, we'll be getting a new washer. Ah, the joys of homeownership.

Sleepless nights

Bad night last night.

We noticed yesterday at church that Maren's cheeks were really flushed--like bright red--and her nose was a little runny. I worried that she might be getting sick, as there's a hacking cough going around. Anyway, last night Maren awoke at 1 something, so I fed her most of her bottle and she went back to sleep.

She woke up again at about 3:45 am. I could hear her playing in her crib for a little while, then the crying began. I got up again, but this time she was wide awake. I fed her the rest of the bottle (only about 2 oz) but when I put her back in her crib, she cried. So I sat in the rocker and held her on my chest for a while. She was so tired, but very restless and couldn't relax or keep still. Each time I thought she'd finally calmed down and I was safe to put her in her crib, she cried. So at that point, I took her into my bed and laid down with her on my chest. She still thrashed around, and woke Quin up. By this time it was about 4:30 am, and she was wide awake. I could tell her nose was runny, so Quin went to the bathroom and got a whole roll of TP so I could wipe her nose. Maren loves TP, so she happily went about shredding it, in the middle of our bed, at 4:30 in the morning.

Quin eventually went to put her (and the roll of TP) back in her crib, but she wouldn't have it, so he took her downstairs. He fed her and let her play while he laid on the couch and tried to rest. I was able to fall asleep for a little while, but she was cranky and cried a lot, so it kept me awake. Finally at 6 something I got up because she was crying and crying. I have to admit that I grabbed her, plunked her in her crib, shut the door, and just let her cry while Quin and I tried to sleep on the couch downstairs with the TV on to drown out the screaming. We were able to sleep for a couple more hours, but it was restless and unsatisfying.

So, now it's almost 10:00 pm and I'm actually dreading going to bed--afraid that tonight will turn out to be much like last night. We're not so sure Maren is sick--we think she might actually be teething again. This is just what happened when her first two teeth came in. It didn't happen with the top four, and I can't really see any more teeth on the bottom, but it's so similar to what happened last time. I just put Maren in her crib and although I know she is very tired, she's crying, so I think maybe she needs a hit of baby Motrin. I think I might need a hit of something myself.

More random stuff about me...

4 Jobs You Have Had in Your Life:
Bookseller, Secretary/Receptionist, Scrapbook store employee, office temp

4 Movies You Could Watch Over & Over:
The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Newsies

4 Places You Have Lived:
Utah, Savannah, El Paso, Denver

4 TV Shows You Love to Watch:
Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica (current version), Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

4 Places You Have Been On Vacation:
Disney World, Hawaii, the Bahamas, California

4 Websites You Visit Daily:
www.twopeasinabucket.com, the Cooking Light bulletin board, www.lileks.com, www.gofugyourself.com

4 of Your Favorite Foods:
Tempura shrimp rolls at Sonoda's, masaman curry, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fritos

4 Places You’d Rather be Right Now:
Savannah or Charleston, On a beach anywhere, London, visting with my family

It's the little things that make me happy #401

An entire washload of PINK baby clothes. :)

Mommy's Little Rastafarian

My brother Kristjan is the consummate Bob Marley fan. When Maren was born he sent us this hilarious onesie with Bob's face adorning the front. It's still a little big for Maren, but I know Kristjan has been waiting a long time to see her in it, so we put it on the other morning and took a few snaps. Not sure what Maren is doing in the top picture--I know she wasn't crying; she was actually quite happy. Perhaps she's Getting Down With Her Bad Self, or doing some sort of Bob Marley wail. Couldn't tell you, really.

"CAN" I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day?

These are the little goodies I made for the ladies I Visit Teach. It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but they are actually made from those little cans that mandarin oranges come in; the kind with the pull-tab lid. But these cans contain Hershey's Kisses and Hugs, not fruit! Clever, no?

The trick is that you open them from the bottom using one of those can openers that removes the entire lid, not just cuts out the top. Put the treats inside, decorate the outside, and then glue the bottom back on. I'd be tickled to get something like this, but then I'm easily amused! Anyway, hope my VT ladies are equally pleased.

Hostess ain't got nuthin' on me

This, my friends, is heaven in a cupcake. Yellow cake (from a mix ), homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, filling, and holiday-appropriate sprinkles, of course.

I've had to use every ounce of restraint I possess to keep from gobbling these little beauties like they're going out of style.

Thrift store finds: last Friday

Found a few fun things this week:

Another vintage Christmas tablecloth. Unusual, since they put the Christmas stuff away until next year. Somehow this one escaped, and I'm glad for it! It does have a few spots, but it will be fine in a stack. Someday I will find a brilliant and clever way to display all of my tablecloths. I'm still working on that. For now, they're in a drawer.





I'd never seen these trays before until I started thrifting here in Colorado, but apparently they must have been a popular souvenir at some point, because I've seen them for nearly every state in the Union. At one point I thought maybe I should start collecting them, and bought a Minnesota tray on a whim. Then I realized that I was crazy, and what on earth would I ever do with a collection of these trays, and I haven't bought another since. Until Friday! I only bought it because it was a Utah tray, and I've been collecting Utah-themed souvenirs for a little while. I'll put this one with the rest of my Utah stuff in the guest room.










A cute (maybe vintage) crocheted potholder. It's in great shape, and the colors are fun and bright--yellow, red, and green--with the cutest crocheted rose on the front. Maybe I'll eBay this one.

Some random things about Me

This is in response to a journaling/blogging challenge posted by scrapladyb on Two Peas:

1. Where were you born?
I was born in Provo, Utah. My parents were students at Brigham Young University at the time. That's also where I went to school and where I met my husband.
2. Name something you've always wanted to do.
I've always wished I could do the splits! Sometimes I even have dreams that I can do the splits.
3. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be the kind of person who makes you feel good when you talk to them. Not sure if I'm explaining myself well, but I knew a person like that once and I always came away from our conversations feeling better about myself.
4. What's the number one problem we face in the world today?
People refusing to take personal responsibility for their actions.
5. If you could change the world, what would you do?
Get rid of scorpions, cockroaches and mosquitos, in that order. Make it just as easy and fun to lose weight as gain weight. Oh, and World Peace.
6. What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done?
Thawing meat on the counter instead of in the fridge? I don't know, I'm a pretty big wimp! Not much of a risk-taker, this one.
7. Favorite word?
Loquacious.