12 of 12 March

Amazed, aren't you?

Yeah, me too.

Thanks goes to Chad for the idea. Head on over there to see what other people did today; I am sure it was way more fun than what I did.

All photos were taken in Houston, Texas.

Here you go:

8:42 - coffee


8:44 - good morning!


9:01 - 67? Seriously? Two days ago it was in the high 80s!


9:46 - bad blogger I've been. Faked a post (will be up tomorrow).


10:22 - cry. baby. cry.


11:36 - walmart.


12:51 - 45? Jeepers.

<----------------------->
We had a melt-down upon our return from walmart. As in, crying for a couple of hours. Followed by not sleeping. Followed, finally, by a short nap. Then, since it was cold and rainy, we went to Hobby Lobby. Upon our return...
<----------------------->


18:53 - and...


18:54 - jump!


18:56 - BC painted this fabulous flamenco lady. It just so happens to be one of my favorite colors, too. Ooh, la, la.


18:56 - Mom painted our home in Spain. Love the tiles. Makes me miss it even more.


18:57 - Yarn. On sale. Enough said.

That is it. Hopefully you all were cry baby free. Check back tomorrow for an almost post.

I'm out.

Eight Months

Señorita Clementina,

On January 29th, you turned eight months old. Yup, I'm late again. Welcome to life; things are never perfect.

You spent the first eighteen days of January being sick. One would think this means that I don't have very much to write about this go around, but boy is that far from the truth. You change too much in these early months for me to ever have only a little bit to write about. Plus, I want to remember all of the little things you do from month to month, which makes for a rather long list.

One good result of your illness, besides the fact that you now have some immune defenses built up, is that you became a napper. No worries about that, my dear as you have already begun to worm yourself away from it, but for the month or so that you did it, boy was it great. You would get up in the morning and wear yourself out playing and then into the swing you'd go to have a quick chat with your fishes and a short snooze-a-roo. Then you'd be up for a bite to eat and some more action. Around 1:00 you'd go back down for a longer nap, wake up and eat, then go for a walk with your chompy-lones in the early evening, eat some more, and go to bed!

What's that? A schedule!

As I said, you are quickly ridding yourself of such things, but hey - that's life too I suppose.

You didn't eat too much the first part of the month. I don't blame you; who has time to eat when they are busy trying to breathe? You began to eat more the last part of the month. You quite enjoy the peas and you inhale bananas. Your mouth is open for both before I can get the food up there. This is very encouraging since you took quite awhile warming up to the food-eating process.


We have spoken before about the fact that you were taking your sweet time on the tooth front, and this month you have finally broken through. I mentioned that your teeth were playing the drama queen and were waiting for a special event to reveal themselves; this event just happened to be the Presidential Inauguration. Oh, yes. The day after was your day to shine! You got the bottom center left tooth first, followed one week later by the bottom center right tooth. Two days after that you got an upper right tooth.

We can already tell that you are a non-conformist as that top right tooth is not the center one, but one to the right of that. Oh, yes. And you only have three thus far; so much for teeth coming in pairs.

In order to soothe your gum you chewed on your exer-saucer quite a bit. Usually you chose the apple in the photo above, but occasionally the platform on the bottom was good enough although apparently you do not want to be caught doing so:


Another major development this month is that you reach for things all the time. You finally figured out how to grab the dangling toys on your exer-saucer, you are constantly reaching for and grabbing faces, and then there's your favorite thing to reach for:


That's right, you love your doggy. You haven't quite figured out how to play with him yet, but his movements absolutely delight you:


Speaking of delight, you are a pretty happy little girl. You only fuss when things are wrong these days, and you are starting to entertain yourself, which is a relief for me.


You are becoming more mobile by way of rolling and scooting. The scoot is normally about half a scoot and then you roll. It takes you absolutely forever to get to most things, but you set your sights on them and are a determined little one; you always figure out a way to get there.

You have also begun a new sound this month, that of happy squealing. It isn't very loud, and definitely nowhere near a screech, but a little high-pitched squeal it is. You are so very funny when you get excited and make these noises because you are obviously very happy about it:


You began the month with a new face. You would stick your tongue out and curve it up towards your nose and talk. You did it almost exclusively for a couple of weeks, and then you were done.

One activity you are not done with is that of sucking your fingers. You suck them when you are hungry, bored, tired, or just need soothing.


You discovered textures this month. You roll/scoot over to things and proceed to touch them, smack at them, grab them, pull them, and basically see what you can make them do. This includes things like your hat:


You love all of the pieces on the floor of your play mat that flap and crinkle and move. Included in this list is the tag on the play mat and any other toy you can get your hands on. You chew on the tags every chance you get. Also? The straps on your car seat and stroller. Oh, yes. Tags and straps. Who knew?


I started teaching you to drum on things this month, mostly the desk where we talk on the web cam. I am hoping you will soon transfer this to the drum you received at Christmas. You love it when we help you drum the table as quickly as we can. Way fun indeed.

You still put your hands together and squeeze. You've done this since you were born (you came out doing it, in fact) and you delight in it. You do it when you eat, when you're falling asleep, when you wake up and when you're happy.


Basically you'll do it any old time and it is definitely one of my favorites.

Love,
Mom

This Week Just Went from Bad to Worse

Those of you who know Rocket Man are well aware of his athletic...um...shortcomings. Most notable is his lack of coordination when it comes to throwing objects to a desired location. Luckily, these objects are usually Cooperchewlones toys.

Unluckily, for the Cowboy Chicken, this means he gets a rather up-close and personal experience with a unique tanning bed for cowboy chickens:


Just in case you aren't aware, the location of this lovely lamp is quite a dangerous one:


All in all, this makes for a rather crazed Lones:


Fortunately for all involved, things ended well. I was able to use my depleted baby brains to come up with a way to get that thing outta there.

A golf club.

Hey, at least they finally got some use!

Some Photo Choices:

I'm not dead yet, thanks for asking...

I've had a few people comment on my lack of posting. All I can say is that the ideas are there, some posts are even begun and some are full of photos and no words, but I've been lacking a very important factor: motivation.

It is my birthday month, and like last year at this time, it might as well not even exist. We are very busy (doing what, I have no idea, but the days go *poof!*) and life is happening and that is all there is to it. I know that I've waited way too long to post when Brian drops me from his blog log.

Also on his log is Kim, a friend of his whom I have never met. I occasionally check out her site and have found that she tells it how she sees it and doesn't waste her breath...um...fingers, which is nice. This is made more apparent by the title of her blog: Talk Less, Say More. She just restarted her blog again, so there's not much there yet, but in the past Thursdays were meme day. I have no idea if this will continue, but this one I found interesting, so I decided to do it.

Yes, I know this isn't original, but hey - my answers are my own, so that has to count for something.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I had a baby and took care of one and I explored some of Houston that we'd previously ignored.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any, as I was extremely busy being pregnant, moving, and having said child. I want to get into shape this year. I'd love for my child to sleep through the night, but that would be her resolution, would it not?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
In 2008? I don't think so, but I am a walking zombie, so forgive me if I am wrong.

5. What countries did you visit?
I was living in Spain, walked over to Gibraltar, and moved to Houston via France, if that counts.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Time with my husband, time to sleep, time to create some schedules/traditions/family activities, time for me to get some things done, both required and those that I would simply like to do for fun. TIME.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I did not really achieve anything - I've been swamped with the little one. Proof of this is that I don't blog lately. OH, WAIT. I did manage to post every day in November...although only a handful of people read it - does that count as an achievement? I'm guessing not.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Staying on top of things. This is to be expected when one has a baby is my guess, so I don't know that it counts as a failure. I am also really bad at correspondence, and even more so now that, [record skipping] baby, baby, baby.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope on the illness. I had runner's knee when I attempted to begin running in the fall. Go figure.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
We bought a lot when we moved: automobiles, house, baby stuff, furniture...I think the best item we bought were webcams for the grandparents.

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My Mom - she came to help with the baby and aside from being Guga, she cleaned the house and cooked. And she really hates to clean. Seriously hates it. Like me.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Um, my own when frustrated and defeated and tired from, once again: la bambina. Again, though - I am pretty sure everyone to an extent acts like a crazy person after baby arrives because hello - no sleep.

13. Where did most of your money go?
Towards all of the new things from this year: bills, house, cars, baby, education plan, retirement plan, etc. etc. etc.

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Nada. No, wait. I was really excited to travel for a long weekend with my husband to Sevilla and Ubrique in Spain. We also took a day trip to Cordoba that had me pretty excited.

15. What song will always remind you of 2008?
(I love you) A Bushel and a Peck, as sung by Doris Day. LMIB loves it, and it was used in a slide-show for my Granny's 80th birthday.

16. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
(a)I wouldn't say happier, but I definitely wouldn't say sadder either, so neither and/or mixed bag.
(b)I'm not fat. I am post-baby and I've got some more weight/inches to lose, hence the resolution.
(c)Richer in so many ways, poorer in a few as well.

17. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I'd had more time with my husband; all of us as a family.

18. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Less stressing/worrying about silly things that I have no control of. For example: when baby sleeps in first couple of months, and whether or not she sucks her thumb; they are what they are.

19. How did you spend Christmas?
My parents, Guga and Papa Jim, came here for the week leading up to Christmas Day, then left to see my brother's family. We then traveled the weekend after Christmas to southern Virginia to see my Dad's extended family, whom we had not seen in three years. Good times.

20. Did you fall in love in 2008?
If having a child and loving her counts, then yes. Also, if finding a new TV show that I missed while in Spain counts, yes.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
I started watching Bones and it is my new favorite. Still love me some NCIS, though.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Seriously? This is one of the questions? Who has time for that?

23. What was the best book you read?
Oh, how I miss reading. OH HOW I MISS READING! I am pretty sure I read the new J.D.Robb book from her "in death" series. Mindless fun.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Simply for the calming effect it has on Rootin' Tootin' Cowgirl, A Bushel and a Peck.

25. What did you want and get?
I wanted a healthy baby and that is what we've got.

26. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to do a little more traveling before we left Europe and we so did not get that. Also, see above question regarding wanting more time for things - all of those things.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
Oh, jeepers. I only saw a couple of them...The Dark Knight was good as was Mama Mia.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29. I did nothing. We were in the middle of moving and acquiring everything we needed to live here, so no time for the birthday...and those of you who know me realize what a total bummer this was as I normally enjoy celebrating my birthday month. I think that little tradition has pretty much been shot down for the foreseeable future.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh, I dunno. Many things could have been different. We were so busy that we didn't have time to enjoy anything really, so maybe that could have been different. Then again, maybe not.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Maternity clothes and comfortable shoes followed by maternity clothes and/or whatever fits and sneakers.

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy? I dunno.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?
My answer isn't really an issue as much as it is the way that the country responded to voting this year. People who in the past didn't take action got up of their tuckus and made their voice heard. The fact that the younger, previously more apathetic generation got so involved is especially encouraging.

33. Who did you miss?
People I met in Spain.

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I don't know that they are life lessons, but here you go:
Babies make you stoopid.
My life is not about me ever.

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I'm talkin' in my sleep
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

A doodle-oodle-ooh-doo
A-doodle-oodle-oodle-ooh-doo

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck though you make my heart a wreck
Make my heart a wreck and you make my life a mess
Make my life a mess, yes a mess of happiness
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

A doodle-oodle-ooh-doo
A-doodle-oodle-oodle-ooh-doo

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and it beats me all to heck
It beats me all to heck, how I'll ever tend the farm
Ever tend the farm when I wanna keep my arm
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

A doodle-oodle-ooh-doo
A-doodle-oodle-oodle-ooh-doo
A-doodle-oodle-oodle-ooh-doo
A-doodle-oodle-ooh-doo-doo