The Tao of Jenny [entries|archive|friends|userinfo]
Jenny

[ website | Know when to hold 'em (The Jen and Tom Blog) ]
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Voice Post [Dec. 14th, 2009|02:33 pm]
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[Emotion | busy]

VoicePost Help
231K 1:13
“Ok you gonna try and get Sidney in talking. What are we baking listen now stay on the phone ok. Try to see how what's up? Are you making a waffle. What is it? Well you can't have the phone yeah you can have a waffle hot. So yeah I know waffle hot. Here you go ok listen to it and see.”

Auto-Transcribed Voice Post


Sidney?! *laugh* Okay, so I was trying to "Fwapple", which came out kind of, and as a bonus, I got a version of his insanely cute "sad/disappointed" noise. It's not the best iteration by far, but it's a good hint at the potential cute factor when he does a good one. :) And, of course, you can also hear him say "hot", which happens to have been my first word.
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First snow! Sick cat. [Dec. 4th, 2009|08:47 am]
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[Emotion | tired]

Have you ever purchased a lotion, potion, or pill that promised miraculous weight loss, perfect skin, or fantastic sex even though you knew it was (probably) a hoax?
Not that I can think of...I'm pretty anti-hoax. My skin is okay, my sex life is spiffy, so weight loss is really the only candidate, and I don't recall trying any of those...and I certainly wouldn't now!

My get-into-shape-via-raising-children plan is starting to come to fruition. Ow. *wry*

Yesterday, we had our first snow of the season, and Finn's first "I'm old enough to be even vaguely aware" snow. He loved it! He laughed! He tried to catch the falling snow! It was adorable.
This morning, we had our first dusting, and I was forced to go outside before breakfast so they could be in it. I was mean and made them come in pretty quickly. Finn did not want to eat snow. (Which is probably a good thing, I know! :P) Will is extremely excited...he has suddenly remembered the good thing about winter that isn't the holidays. :P

Max has been having a constipation-type issue for several days. Took me a couple of days before I remembered to try hairball treatment, but that didn't work, so we have a vet appointment this afternoon. I am now feeling guilty for my general crappiness as a pet parent since I had the boys. Poor Max, poor all of them, they got shafted. *sigh* I'll have to make an appointment for Magic, soon, too. She's dropped a lot of weight. With four cats eating communally, I can't track food intake at all. We tend to think it's just that she's getting on in years and maybe has lost some of her appetite, but...I wouldn't be surprised if either or both of them were to head out of life relatively early. (They are basically the same age, about 12, and both have some issues from birth/before they came to us.) I'm hoping not, mostly because I would like to be being a less crappy pet parent when they go.

In addition to the vet trip, I have to get the grocery shopping done. I was stuck in the chair all night and am exhausted, so it's gonna be a loooooooong day.

On the up side, the boys and I had a really great day together yesterday and I'm hoping to keep the positive energy and behavior going today.
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More Vital Statistics. [Nov. 23rd, 2009|07:17 pm]
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[Emotion | sore]

Finn got his 15 month checkup today. (He's almost 16 months, though...oops!) He is 24.5 lbs and 31.5 inches. He got both his flu shots and another vaccination shot. Will also got the H1N1 flu shot and is 47 lbs. and 43 inches. The doctor was appropriately awed by Finn's talking. :)

Don't forget to point your friends to my friending frenzy post! :)
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Books, Birds, Fashion/Clothes, Friends [Nov. 18th, 2009|08:29 am]
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[Emotion | cheerful]

What (if any) books would you ban from a high school library? Are there certain subjects that you feel are inappropriate for teenagers regardless of literary merit?
JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST NO!
Well, that WAS my first response, gotta be honest! Teenager-hood (what an awkward term!) is absolutely the time they SHOULD be encountering all this stuff. When they have guidance. When they are doing (yes, they ARE) the most critical thinking they will do for the next several decades. This is when they are setting their feet on the path they will walk...giant gaps in that path they could fall through? BAD.
Also, just generally? NO BANNING BOOKS. Period. *calms breathing, thinks soothing thoughts*

Moving on...
I do still have to keep recording my life here, since, you know, that's kind of a major part of the gig. Got a bird done! Yay, kingfishers! I am SO CLOSE now that it's starting to breathe down my neck, and I have major excitement bubbling just under the surface.
Guess what? *looks around* I'm throwing in a wild card! A joker and a fool...guess! The bat! *squee!* I love this SO. MUCH. :) Okay. Next thing.
Wait, also, got an AWESOME deal on an AWESOME reference book last weekend. Bird, the definitive visual guide, from Audubon. Was 50 when it came out, I paid 11. Comes with a CD of birdsong, even. *does that dusting-off-the-knuckles thing* :)
Okay, really the next thing now.

Um. Oh, yeah. I'm having a bit of a crisis of style. I am 35, so it's probably a good time for one. I've been dressing primarily for Tom for 13 years, and I've no major intention to stop doing that, but I feel that my fashion needs to evolve a bit. I'm starting to feel silly in "younger" styled fashions.
And I'm realizing that there IS no clothing for my personality type. (What a surprise, what with me being ridiculously unusual. :P) What do I want my clothes to say about me? I am sexy. I am compassionate. I am non-average. That last one is the doozy...I've cloaked myself in normalcy for so long, I don't know how to break out of it. Especially since I still want to blend in at least a little bit. So, if you see clothes that scream JENNY! to you, please point me to them...I will be keeping my own eye out, but I need to build a style to see me through this next phase of my life and I would love a little help from my friends. :)

I really love that song, btw. I went a long time not really having the kinds of friends that help...or really any friends at all. That changed, and that's really the biggest news of my adult life, the thing I'd go back and tell younger me if I could. Someday, people will love you as much as you love them. What a tremendous thing that would have been for me to know. :)
*hugs her friends* Love you guys!

P.S. And Finn slept like crap last night, so I have no idea why the good mood right now! Well, Tom was sweet this morning, which helped. Let's hope this lasts the whole day. Well, we can dream! ;P
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Pumpkin carving. [Oct. 30th, 2009|11:01 pm]
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[Emotion | sleepy]

Well, Will sort of drew a face (with help) and tried to carve, but just didn't have the hand strength, so I did it for him, and he was very happy. The pumpkin came out surprisingly cute for a free-handed job by my untalented self. :)
He was more interested in just playing with Kaeli. :P
Finn just played and was utterly uninterested in the pumpkins. He did wear a kitty mask for a few minutes, we showed him in the mirror, and it was mildly disturbing to him, so off it went.
He did play Kitty, as he has learned from watching his brother, without the mask, though. :)
We're up late. Tom is doing a work thing after our late dinner. So I'm doing this. Then we're going to bed.
Here's hoping everyone (who celebrates) has a happy Halloween!
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Finn says words now! [Oct. 28th, 2009|01:57 pm]
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[Emotion | amused]

VoicePost Help
501K 2:39
(no transcription available)


He's actually been saying words for a while now (as in, more than just a consonant and a vowel), but today he finally broke the gutteral sounds barrier...sort of. ;P
If only he would stop being so mesmerized by the phone, these posts would be a lot more frequent!
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Pumpkinfest [Oct. 24th, 2009|05:28 pm]
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[Emotion | exhausted]

We got to the carnival around 12:30. Tanya and family arrived around 1ish, which was awesome because Will was seriously jonesing for someone to go on the rides with. So he and Kate rode and rode and rode and only had a couple of tiffs...Kate's other mom, Elizabeth (who goes by E.T., but I just CANNOT bring myself to call her that) was saying that they are like an old married couple. *chuckle*
Even Finian got into the act, riding on the carousel, once with me and once with Tom. He also had popcorn. (Tanya is a much less rule-following mom than I am, and I decided to let him when Maggie was eating it just fine. He did fine, though I don't plan to make a habit of it!)
He had a great time on the carousel. He added the word "ride" to his vocabulary. :P
We WAY got our money's worth out of the unlimited ride wristband this time, which was great.
When time was up, we headed to the pumpkins, but the truth was we were ALL (except for Tom, that is) out of gas, so we had to give up after an attempt at snacks was a disaster and come home. Tom and I have finished the snacks, the boys are both passed out...I'll start poking them soon so we aren't up till OMG trying to get them to sleep.
It was a good time. We'll go back to look at pumpkins either later or tomorrow. I wish I could get a nap, I'll tell ya!
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Ouch. [Oct. 22nd, 2009|04:55 pm]
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[Emotion | tired]

Finn managed to bite into his tongue this afternoon. Blood pouring out, crying, whole nine yards.
It was over fairly quickly, and Mom came over to help soothe him, although it was pretty much all over by the time she got here. Just going to make sure he has a good dose of Tylenol tonight and keep an eye to make sure it doesn't (NOTHEHORROR) get infected. But it should be fine, nurse consulted and there's nothing they can do.

Playdate was kind of rough...Kate was In A Mood. Then Will had a kind of "everything getting to him" meltdown afterward, which was not fun. He got over it, though.

No idea what I'm doing for dinner other than that potatoes must be involved.

In good news, TMI, ( Read more... )

That's all.
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SQUEE! [Oct. 7th, 2009|10:30 pm]
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[Emotion | sleepy]

We have a Goodwill! Squee! I found out today (HOW I missed it, I don't know, but it hasn't been open long) and have already been shopping and gotten a couple of toys, boots and some PJs for the boys. *is ridiculously happy*

Spent most of the day with Mom...I had to get my blood drawn for a wellness thing through work, so Mom had to come with to watch the boys, and Grandma came, too, and we went out to breakfast. Will disappeared for a scary couple of minutes at the end...we weren't really leaving but he thought we were and it got muddled, but came out okay in the end. My mother just cannot cope with him, though. Later, Goodwill got cut short mostly because my mom was clearly at the end of her rope. She has to watch them tomorrow while Tom is with me at the hospital, so...poor Mom. Surgery is scheduled for noon, we have to be there at 10:30. Hopefully everything will run on time!

In other news, we reassembled the Kangaroo Climber for Finn to play on in the backyard. Here's hoping he doesn't break his arm like Will did! (It was a freak accident, for the new people, and it'd be a hell of a coincidence if it happened twice...or I wouldn't be putting the thing back up, of course!) Yes, Finn is now wandering free in the backyard. Have to figure out what to do about the deck. Baby gates come into play somehow, I'm just not sure how yet. Meanwhile, the corral can go to Mom's and replace the walker that Finn is really too big to be using.

And now I REALLY need to get to bed!
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Tuesday, ded of cute. [Oct. 6th, 2009|09:47 am]
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[Emotion | tired]

So Finn goes down for a nap this morning, and I'm at the computer, and time has passed, and I realize I'm hearing this noise, and my brain struggles for a minute and I realize it is the sound of Finn making kissy noises. So I go into his room, and there he is, standing at the end of his crib and kissing it over and over and over again! I died of cute on the spot. He didn't want to come out for about 10 minutes, either. *laugh* He was also noticing the text on the crib (how to lower the side and the brand name), which is a different texture from the other stuff. SO cute!

In other news, I think the mechanical solution of a D&C is probably better than a chemical solution in terms of hopefully having minimal effect on the mood improvements, so I'm feeling even better about it now.

Dreary day trapped inside...should be fun. :P At least I just have today and tomorrow to get through! Sad that we had to cancel playdate this week, but Will will have plenty to keep him busy at that point anyway.

Will is getting into dinosaurs...his new favorite show is Dinosaur Train on PBS. Right now, he's in his room using his Tag reader (hallelujah) on the dinosaur book he has for it. Awesome.

Finn doesn't like me on the computer. *pout* Well, I have a headache and am hoping to get a nap (another long night) anyway.
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P.S. [Sep. 30th, 2009|06:32 pm]
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[Emotion | amused]

I forgot! So I made the stir fry last night, and we were trying to get Finn ready for bed and he kept having a fit and I realized he wanted some of the stir fry, so Tom fed him several pieces by hand. So the stir fry was so good, even picky baby wanted it! :)
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And in the weird thing category... [Sep. 21st, 2009|03:22 pm]
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[Emotion | busy]

Finian makes a nonsense sound that is exactly the same as one I used to make...but haven't, I'm almost sure, since long before he was born. Sounds kind of like "buh-doo" with occasionally a soft "p" at the end. He uses it in exactly the same way I did, too. I have been too busy to make it. :P

I don't want any of the food in the house for dinner and have no money. Fun. :P
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OMG, Wednesday snuck up on me. [Sep. 9th, 2009|08:47 am]
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[Emotion | tired]

I just realized tomorrow is playdate! Well, good thing I was planning to check out the new park option today anyway! I don't think it'll be quite warm enough for swimming, but we'll see what Tanya thinks, I guess.

Gonna just get a new wireless card for the laptop...I've spent more than enough time trying to get this one to work. I may even skip the bargain hunting just this once and just Get Something.

So I went to the doctor yesterday. She checked my hemoglobin, which, if alarming, will speed the process up, but this is the plan assuming the hemoglobin is okay. If I don't stop bleeding, in two weeks, I'll have a D&C and be on DepoProvera until Finn weans. This potentially could involve 24 hours of no breastfeeding, but we think we can get around that. (I love Dr. R. She TOTALLY gets it.) She says if I have any fibroids, they're quite small, and she thinks it's all hormonal, which I actually agree with...my mood has been normalizing, which says to me that hormones are involved to a big degree. That's why I haven't been in a rush to do anything. But six weeks is a long time to bleed, and it'll really be seven in two weeks, even though we are pretending we're only waiting six weeks, so, at that point, something will have to be done.

HORRIBLE night last night...I kind of melted down and Tom took the worst of it, really. Finn had a major wake-up. They happen. Honestly, they happened a lot more often with Will, so I'm not going to complain. Much. :P

In cheerier news, Will is officially potty-trained! He slept without a pullup on Friday night and every night since without an accident, and hasn't worn a pullup during the day in, what, two weeks? So, potty training accomplished, with a total of 3 accidents, no muss, no fuss, no trauma, just past 4 years old. So there. :P

P.S. Will slept in his tent in his room last night...he made it longer than I expected (till 3am!) before he woke up uncomfortable and switched to his bed. This was our compromise...the neighbor kids camped out in the backyard and he was asking but we didn't want to deal with one of us out there with him and one with the baby and Will in the yard at night and bugs and blah. :P Maybe next summer!
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Will and the potty. [Aug. 27th, 2009|08:35 am]
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[Emotion | sore]

He's doing beautifully, no surprise. He had no accidents yesterday, and we're off to a good start today. What do you all think about his desire to go commando (and is there another phrase I can use for that? :P) all the time? So far, I can't see a reason to say no. He's happy, his pants are clean...
He's still wearing pullups at night, but they've been dry most mornings. I told him a week of no accidents, and we can try making it through the night.

In other news, no bids on the art, but one watcher, so there's hope. Early days yet.
Got the garage sale posted on Craigslist. Tomorrow, we should be in the money again, but today is tight. I should go grocery shopping, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. (If I do, I'll have to write a check again.) Had an epically bad cramp last night that I'm still recovering from. Ow.
Will (yes, Will, not Finn...Finn had a relatively good night for him) slept HORRIBLY last night. Just one of those nights where you can't sleep, you know? Which means both Tom and I are deprived and Will is going to seriously need a nap this morning. I'm hoping to get them both down around the same time. Hah. :P Anyway, again with the no-will-to-be-productive. I won't have any choice tomorrow, though! Wish me luck.

P.S. A double dose of Finn cuteness for you today: First, ever since Will and Kaeli were here the other day playing superheroes, Finian "flies". Kid you not, he started the same day they were doing it sticking his arms out, weaving around going "sssssshhhhhh". DEDOFCUTE, I'm telling you.
Also, he discovered his belly button yesterday. It was fascinating and hilarious for him, and me! *grin*
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Big Boy Finn [Aug. 25th, 2009|10:29 am]
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[Emotion | impressed]

Finn just brought me a pair of his shorts that were on the floor and I held them out for him and he stepped in and put them on! Go, smart baby! :)
(See new icon, there's another one of Finn and one of Will, too.)
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Guiness World Record Cuteness. [Aug. 21st, 2009|08:49 am]
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[Emotion | touched]

So, I am nursing Finn last night...he's developed a habit of nursing for a while, then getting up and playing for a while, then going back to nurse to sleep in the evenings...this was the first nurse where I expected him to get up after a while. He nurses and, sure enough, sits up, and then...
asks (via his "open for kisses" mouth) for FOUR kisses from mommy before getting down and playing for a while.

ZOMGDEDOFCUTE!

And now I decree that 4 is Finian's special number. (For those new to the family, we each have a number. Tom's is 9, mine is 8, and Will's is 11.)

Finian says, "Thank you for this award!"
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Listing help, please! [Aug. 20th, 2009|05:26 pm]
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[Emotion | tired]

Okay, I have to list this on Ebay and I'm kind of struggling with a good write up for it. It's a print, 322 of 1000. I think it might be a special kind of print but my memory is hazy. It also had a title, but I've forgotten and it wasn't written on it. I'm pretty sure the artist is Erin McKee, it's got a date of '89 on it, but that was when the original was made, not when we bought it, because we weren't together in '89. :P I'm planning on a starting bid of $75...I don't remember what we paid, but it wasn't cheap. So I'd appreciate any write-up help you can give me. :)



As compensation, I give you Finn and his cheese storage solution. (More cuteness at the Finn 1 category.)

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Cautious optimism... [Aug. 19th, 2009|10:40 am]
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[Emotion | accomplished]

Yesterday didn't suck nearly as much as anticipated and I got everything done but toy sorting.
Today, it's shaping up to be okay again. Finian seems to have finally figured out how to play by himself. ZOMG. *hopes*
We went for a walk this morning, with Finn wearing the monkey leash. He fell at one point and the leash ripped, so it'll be making a trip to Ba or Nana for some secure sewing. Overall, the walk went pretty well...it's only the second time we've tried it and the first time Will kept running too far ahead so it got cut short.
I've gotten the Ebay pics uploaded already, so I'm going to work on getting the listings ready. It'll be the big breastpump kit (everything you could possibly need, starting at the low, low price of $275), a REALLY awesome piece of cat-themed art (starting bid will be 75) and a farm scene (5). We're tomlandljen on Ebay, btw. :)
In TMI news...( Read more... )
Will was promised playtime with Kaeli today, so we'll do that soon, I think, and come home for Finn's afternoon nap.
Strike that, Will injured Finn AGAIN, so he lost playing at Nana's.
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Ouch. Calling the mommies. [Aug. 18th, 2009|10:06 am]
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[Emotion | sore]

Finn got me good a couple of times recently. Any tips from the breastfeeding moms on dealing with ouchy nipples from biting? The hard part is not being able to take time off for them to heal! :P
And, yes, we're in the first stages of weaning (I'm of the "don't offer/don't refuse" school of weaning)...he nurses for naps and at bedtime/during the night at this point, and we've skipped a lot of nap nursing by having car naps.
Also, when Will weaned from the bottle, we used the pacifier to ease the transition. Finn plays with pacifiers, but doesn't really use them. Do you think I should keep trying or just give up and accept that it's not going to be that easy this time? If you nursed to sleep, how and when did you change the bedtime routine?

I was googling on this topic, and found myself tearing up a bit, to my surprise! I guess I've enjoyed this nursing thing even more than I thought. :)
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Planning. [Aug. 3rd, 2009|09:30 am]
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[Emotion | busy]

Okay weekend...Tom was sick on Saturday and it was muggy, so little got done. Sunday we got the deck finished (there's just making the little landing at the other stairway that we want to do, but no rush on that.)
We planned...we're going to do a one-day garage sale on August 29. We'll hold back all the baby/kid stuff and the clothing for a sale NEXT spring/summer. Everything else, which includes all the big, bulky furniture, will go. After the sale, we'll pick over the remains and maybe pull a few things back in to either add to next summer's sale or give to friends/family, and the rest will get tossed or donated as appropriate. So the next few weekends will be getting ready for that...which is a huge, horrible nightmare of a job. Yuck. But it must be done...even if we were just throwing it out, we'd have to get it all up from the basement anyway, right? Yeah.

Anyway, in more pleasant things, it looks like I'm going to get to see a lot of friends over the next couple of months...[info]gryphonwing is stopping by on her trek across country to her new school, [info]ladyperegrine may be coming in for a weekend in September, and we're supposed to meet up with [info]cherokeeangel also in September. Trying to get all that sorted and pinned down today.

Dreary day. Tonight at 5, I go get a temporary crown put on. Tips/advice from those of you that have had this done? I think it's two weeks or something like that till the permanent one arrives?

Making my taco salad twice this week and my guacamole once. Tom is happy. :P

Today, gotta do as much cleaning as I can...I need to sweep in the kitchen and vacuum the living room and I'm running the overloaded dishwasher at the moment which I'll have to unload later. And I need to put away a small last load of laundry.

And, you know, take care of and keep busy two little maniacs. Finn has added "done" to his list of words, btw. He got clapping confused with the "all done" sign, which is a tad awkward, but we'll manage. :P

The maniacs demand my attention.
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