Mommy's In Charge For The Weekend

Let's be realistic now. Mom's always in charge. Since Dad is in Seattle, though, she doesn't have to pretend Dad is calling the shots.

Yesterday we actually made it to the Social Security office with all the appropriate documents. While waiting, a lady with a Southern drawl commented on the cute chubbiness of Little Monster's "jowls" and said, "You shore do have your daddy's head, don' cha?" Here's hoping that Miss Fuss grows into her melon. We also made a trip up to Dad's office for low country boil dinner and to see all of Madeleine's adoring fans, also known as Dad's coworkers, and Goblin was in bed by 9:30.

Today Mom and Madeleine went to Target (our favorite store) and spent time with Dad before we dropped him off at the airport in the afternoon. We met Aunt Joddie, Eric and Nicole for dinner at Il Localino, where Little Monster was slightly fussy, but fascinated by the disco ball lights that came on intermittently. Then it was home and bed by 9:30 again for Miss Fuss. Tomorrow we will attempt to ride the train downtown with some friends to see the DragonCon Parade of Storm Troopers and Yodas. We already know who the cutest Goblin there will be.

The Midnight Ride of La Bandita!

I don't know about you people, but around here police have been receiving numerous calls about the nefarious activity of a masked baby bandit. Descriptions list the baby as wee, cute, about 15 pounds, and prone to leaving nothing in her wake for her victims but a wet diaper and some smiles. Let everyone be warned: La Bandita is on the loose.

Yesterday was rough. We were cranky all morning, but then Mom took Little Monster to the movies, and she slept all through it. Then in the afternoon, she was cranky again, and a series of off-again, on-again naps did a little bit to ease the crabbiness. Mom made lasagna for dinner last night, which put Dad on bath duty. The Little Monster was in bed at around 9:00, which is okay, because she needed it.

Today was a different story. We were all smiles this morning, since Little Monster ate early and she woke up before she got too hungry again. We sat with Dad for a little while while Mom was in the shower, and we had a good bit of tummy time. In fact, we were so productive this morning that Little Monster had to change clothes (because we slobbered a lot during all that productivity). She even tried on some very exciting shoes, but they weren't quite working with her feet, so she kept kicking them off.

We attempted to get Mom's social security card changed, but we forgot to bring the marriage certificate. Since we were out anyway and were going to have leftovers for dinner, we stopped for lunch and at the mall for a stroller ride. We had sandwiches for lunch, and Little Monster passed the time by smiling and watching the fans at the deli.

Tragically, the mall trip was off to a difficult start due to a diaper adventure, but once we got that resolved, we had a happy tour through both floors. We got to ride in a glass elevator, which was very exciting. We also took a look at a water fountain, which shot water into the air every few seconds. Little Monster liked to watch it and she enjoyed the sound the water made when it came splashing back to the ground. And, as is Little Monster's wont, she made a new friend at the mall. He was seven months old, and his dad said Madeleine was looking healthy for her age!

Then we came back home, had an afternoon snack, and took a nap. Now Mom is playing Culdcept Saga (a video game) and Dad is working on his trivia questions for the bar tonight. We'll try the Social Security office again tomorrow, and then Dad's off to Seattle on Friday.

The Night That the Lights Went Out in Georgia

We had a storm last night and lost power. Little Monster was already in bed, so she didn't care one bit, but Mom and Dad had a few minutes of dark. When the lights came back on they lit some candles just to be sure and Mom beat Dad at a third straight game of Kingsburg.

Little Monster has had a few cranky days. Mom wanted to go to the movies today, but Madeleine was having such fusses that it wouldn't have been possible to go. As well, it's been kind of rainy, so we can't even go out to the courtyard to watch cars or sit on the grass. Little Monster has been Little Crab in the car and at the house, and she's only happy when she's eating or when she's seeing the blades of the ceiling fan turn slowly.

Little Monster has also been working her tongue a lot lately. Some times she sticks it out and other times she rolls it around her mouth. As well, she's been using her hands more and more. She can grab things, like the blanket or parts of her jungle gym, but she doesn't really know she's holding on to anything in order to use it yet. And when there's nothing to hold, sometimes she just grabs her other hand, which looks like she's being crafty and rubbing her hands together in malevolent anticipation. Excellent.

We had breakfast at Waffle House yesterday, where the waitresses love Little Monster, but where Dad has seen some of the same people as before, so he's worried that he might be perceived as a "regular." Yikes. Then we went to Target to buy a new bathmat because the old one was bigger than the square footage of the bathroom. Finally, we visited the grocery store, but Little Monster cried the whole way there from Target, so her face was all red and flushed at the store (which earned her some sympathy from one of the clerks).

Last night, Mom made some balsamic-soy glazed chicken wings and Dad gave Little Monster her bath. It was a role reversal of epic proportion. Even the cat enjoyed the chicken wings (but don't tell Mom that Dad fed her with scraps).

Today has been a bust. The rain means Dad can't run, so he's spending the day working on his trivia questions and book. Mom has been reading and rocking Little Monster, since she can't risk the movies. We'll leave in a little while for the store, but it'll probably be another quiet evening in, with maybe another sound thrashing at Kingsburg in store for Dad.

Draft Day

One thing's for certain: Mom knows how to work the camera, even if Dad doesn't. Our video today features slobbers, a single tear, and a smile near the end.


Today was draft day for Dad's fantasy football league, so we left for the office around 11 o'clock to meet Matt and get the place ready. (We had the draft at Dad's office.) It was nice to meet all of the people in the league. Jess and Tim joked about absconding with Little Monster because she's so cute! Mom also brought cookies, which immediately endeared her to everyone who Dad usually yells at.

Little Monster also made a friend at the draft whose name is Olivia. Olivia is 17 months old, and she and Little Monster played with toys like Moo Cow, Dragonfly, and the car seat. (Almost all of Little Monster's toys have names.) It was really hot upstairs and Mom was uncomfortable, but Little Monster eventually fell asleep for maybe a half an hour.

Little Monster expressly disapproves of Dad's draft. In particular, Dad ended up with one sketchy quarterback, one crappy quarterback, and a morally dubious Defense/ Special Teams. But Dad did manage to bring home the best kicker in the league, so provided Nick Folk kicks 10 60-yard-plus field goals every game, baby will indeed get a new pair of shoes.

We also picked up a few board games that Dad brought home from his trip last weekend. Little Monster really enjoyed helping Mom punch some of the pieces out of the cardboard, and no doubt the colorful pieces will eventually end up in her mouth by the fistful. Little Monster's, that, is, not Mom's. But you never can tell.

When we got home, Dad made salad while Mom reheated some leftovers. The miserable Cleveland-Detroit game was on, and Little Monster was having none of it. She happily "burritoed up" and was in bed by 7:30. We'll see how long that lasts....

Dad Cannot Work a Camera

Today was an adventure. We woke up late and then couldn't get back to sleep! While Dad tried to rock us back to sleep and Mom stole an extra half-hour in bed, we knew that there was no breakfast to be had in the house. So once Mom woke up, we decided to go to Java Jive for breakfast. Dad had a Greek omelet and Mom had a Mediterranean omelet. Dad particularly likes Java Jive's coffee and home fries. After Java Jive, we went to Petsmart to pick up food for El Gato Malodoro, where we also saw birds and lizards! Snakes are gross. Then we went to the bookstore, but Dad already has about a thousand books in his queue and the book Mom wanted wasn't in paperback. So phooey.

Then we fussed on the way to the grocery store. You know how that goes.

When we got home Dad went for his run and Mom fed Little Monster. After that, both Mom and Little Monster took a nap. Madeleine's nap went on and on -- we think she went Where the Wild Things Are and came back only because she got a little hungry.

This afternoon, Dad was supposed to be working on his book, but instead he horsed around and played video games while Mom gave Little Monster her afternoon feeding and read a book. By early evening, we decided to go to Taco Mac for dinner before the game. We finished in time for a bath and Jeopardy!

This morning, Dad also got some video of Little Monster, but he did it with the camera held incorrectly and he's trying to get it posted to the web before the game. Little Monster wants you to enjoy her music video for Roxy Music, and she ensures you that next time the production will be handled far more professionally. So, without further ado:

Sorry We're Late

A long day today, even though Dad never left the house. He's working like sixty on the book to get it ready for digital publication.

Today, Little Monster and Mom went over to Joddie's house to visit her and Lindsey. Back when Mom was working at UrbanTrans, she made friends with some of the crew at the H&M clothing store, and today they all brought her a bunch of baby clothes, on the house! Joddie took them from the office to her place, and Mom and Little Monster went to pick them up today.

Aside from that, it was busy but quiet at the house. We did a lot of laundry, since towels seem to be a hot commodity these days. We also spent about half an hour or so in the courtyard, watching the cars go by like Little Monster just loves to do. The weather was downright cool today, and a bit overcast, which was welcome after yesterday's return to the Georgia heat.

Tomorrow is another Cowboy game, which we may go see at Taco Mac. Grandma Raye makes fun and says that Maddie Jo is the "nightlife baby," but that's okay. Little Monster loves to be the life of the party... until she's ready to go, of course.

A Visit from Snarla

Good heavens, it is time for a bath. We are so covered with slobbers and the aftermath of our last digestive efforts, the Coast Guard might have to be called in. Luckily, it's Little Monster's scheduled bath day, so there's no wasted splashing or scaly skin.

We had a good, long nap this afternoon before dinner, which is important because we were acting a little cranky. We went to the post office and the grocery store, but we had to stop off at home without going to the library because fussing was the name of the game. We met three nice ladies at the grocery store, two who worked there and one just doing her shopping, who told us what a little darling Little Monster is. We agreed with them, of course! After a good lunch, we dozed off, which was fortunate, because it was a little too hot to go out to the courtyard this afternoon.

We got up a little early this morning and hung out with Dad because Mom was still a little sleepy from our early morning feeding. Dad is really stinky when he comes back from his jog through downtown Decatur -- almost as stinky as Little Monster can be when she's worked up "a full head of steam," to use Dad's terminology.

We also played a little bit in our jungle gym today, as you can see. It has a lion-shaped reflective surface attached to it, so Little Monster can see what she'd look like as the Queen of the Jungle. Mom says the jungle gym is the best nine bucks we ever spent.