Baby Free Friday - Six Word Novels

This idea was totally stolen from another running/mom blog, but I thought it was hilarious.

According to legend, Ernest Hemingway once bet $10 that he could write a novel in six words.
His novel:
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn,” he wrote.

In response to her post, I wrote the following six word novel.

Cookie dough shortage: Wide Spread Panic!

I wrote the following six word novels for my baby mama friends.

Bethany: I will eat your peanut butter.
Heather: Per your recommendation, bought Robeez socks.
Valeria: Please do not move away, ever.
Candy: I want to see your furniture.
Julia: Cannot believe Jackson is crawling already.
Karen: Good house selling vibes to you!
Allison: Please visit us soon, miss you!

Baby Free Friday - BEARS

**Caution, very random and somewhat stupid post below**

OK - I'm starting a new blog tradition - BABY FREE FRIDAY.

This idea is actually stolen (because I can rarely come up with a good idea on my own) from another blog. The lady happens to be pregnant and I guess she didn't want to steal my "Fetus Friday" idea.

So every Friday (until I get pregnant again - don't be alarmed there's no hurry on that one - or until Graby is a toddler, and it becomes Toddler Free Tuesday or Thursday) I'm going to write about something other than Graby. Just as a warning these will probably be very silly or random or just plain dumb posts.

Today's topic - BEARS.

This is in honor of my friend Liz who is very afraid of bears (I think it's #1 on her phobia list). Thankfully we don't have a lot of bears in Texas.

This is my drawing of a bear that I did with the Doodle Buddy app on my iPhone. This bear is at the beach (which is not exactly like real life, but just go with it). You will notice the sharp teeth and claws.


Most bears are dangerous unless they're cartoon bears. Bears sometimes look cute and cuddly, but I'm guessing (I don't actually know from experience) that they don't cuddle as well as say, a dog.

There is a documentary called Grizzly Man that Buttin and I saw a couple of years ago. That guy was nuts. He wanted to be friends with wild bears; he died (via bear). Sadly, his girlfriend died too. Maybe she didn't know that bears were dangerous?

I don't understand why there are so many good, warm and cuddly childhood things associated with bears (like Yogi and Teddy Ruxpin). You don't see a lot of shark, piranha or child molester stuffed animals, do you? What are we teaching our children?

Now baby bears are very cute, but I'm sure they could probably hurt you too. Baby bears are called cubs. The Cubs are my friend Liz's favorite baseball team (actually I'm not sure if she really cares about baseball - she just likes Chicago). This is somewhat surprising because she really is very afraid of bears, but I went to a Cubs game with her and she didn't get scared of anyone's t-shirt or bear cub pictures.

Cub is also the nickname MorMor has given to Cash. Look, I couldn't even go one post without mentioning the kiddo. So this Baby Free Friday was a failure. I'll try again next Friday with what promises to be an equally fascinating post.

Our New Toy

A few days ago I wrote about a new toy we got for the Graby.

Well, last week Buttin and I got new toys too - iPhones!

I feel like we're the last people under the age of 40 to get an iPhone. It only took until the fourth generation for us to hop on the band wagon. I guess we're not early adopters anymore (don't know if I ever was and Buttin has kind of resisted new technology too - took him forever to embrace the mp3 because he LOVED the packaging that came along with a new cd).

Anyway, enough about getting old - back to the toy!

I'm still exploring my new toy, but so far I really love the shutterfly app because I can look at about a million pictures of Graby whenever I want. I also enjoy the "face time" feature. It's the one they show on all the commercials where you can see the person you're talking to (if they also have an iPhone). Buttin is addicted to the game Angry Birds - I'm quite sure I'll be an iPhone widow within the next day or two.

Now, to my picture. Last week I posted about how I wished I was as creative as this other mother who posed her daughter during naps in cute little daydreams and took pictures. Today is attempt #2.

I call it, "Graby dreams of floating on a piece of poo in a huge toilet"

I Wish

I was as creative as the mother from Mila's Daydreams.

The sentiment of this blog is so sweet - she tries to imagine what her daughter is dreaming about and then creates the scene while she is sleeping.

I'm guessing she has access to some kind of fabric store and she obviously has a kiddo that can sleep through anything - these are two things that I am without.

I've decided that Cash has really boring dreams (probably because his life is so exciting while he's awake). Here's a picture where he dreams of being a flooring installer:

I bet you didn't know that hardwood floors are installed with a plastic spoon or that Graby sleeps with his eyes open. (Like I said, I'm not that creative, I don't have that much fabric and there's no way Graby would sleep in those cute little scenes).

Dear Cash - 2 Months

This idea is stolen from my friend Lisa. She had twin girls about a year and a half ago and every month she writes them a letter on her blog. I had meant to write one for Cash's one month, but I just got so busy (lame excuse, I know). So - here goes . . .

Dear baby Cash,

So many things have changed in our lives since your arrival two months ago.

I'm not very surprised that we hardly ever call you just Cash; however, I am surprised that the nickname Lumpy has not stuck (it feels so strange since Lumpy was your name even before you were conceived). We instead have many of new names for you - your dad and I both call you Graby (that's grumpy+baby=Graby), I call you Dungadoobar (I think I got this from a TV clip we saw on The Soup), you dad calls you, Cash Man & Little Man and we both call you baby Cash and Cash baby pretty frequently.

You have grown so much in the last couple of months, but when I see you next to me in the mirror I realize that you're still so very small and totally dependent upon Buttin and me for everything.

During the last month, you've started smiling - A TON! You are especially smiley when you wake up around 5AM ready to eat, play and start your day. I thought you'd be more of a nighttime baby, but as it turns out - you're a morning baby. I think you take after me when it comes to sleeping (at least right now) - early to bed, early to rise and lots of naps in the afternoon.

Most weekday mornings, you and I go into work to see your dad and all your misfit friends. You fight taking a nap at work so much that by the time we get home in the afternoon you're a super tired Graby. At work, you are entranced by the lights in you aunt Patty's office. Actually, you're mesmerized by all lights and fans.

In the afternoons you and I come home, cuddle and sleep on the couch and play. This is usually the time of day when I take your picture about 500 times. To you dad and I (and probably a couple other people), you are the cutest baby in the entire world.

You really are a wonderful and (for the most part) calm baby. I've loved watching you sleep since the first hour you were born and now, as you get older, I love watching you look around as you discover another fan (or light) or something else that captures your attention. However, I love nothing better than when you meet my eyes and smile. Your toothless grin makes us so happy.

I love every little thing about you, Cash - the way you scrunch up your face right before you're about to cry, how you fart when you eat, how you love your bath, the smiles you give me, the noises you make, your curiosity with all things relating to lights and fans and how you look when you sleep.

I had no idea what this type of love would feel like - but it's amazing. I now completely understand how my parents feel about me.

Please be sweet to your dad and me and please don't grow up to quickly.

Love,
Your Mom

I couldn't post just one picture for today, so here are a few of my favorites from the last couple of days.

Picture A Day

I actually got this idea from a fellow running blogger. In 2005 she made the New Year's Resolution to take at least one picture a day. I love taking pictures (and now videos - if you hear a scream right now, that's Liz yelling at herself for buying me a video camera for Christmas).

I have three cameras (one at work and two at home) and one video camera, so I figure I've got plenty of equipment. I don't plan to post every single picture that I take (or have taken of me - I figure that counts too), but I thought it would be a nice way to document 2010 (I have great feelings about 2010).

To all misfits, Buttin, Liz and anyone else I encounter frequently - I will more than likely always have a camera with me - consider yourself warned.

Here are the last couple of days - nothing too inspiring (except for my 1/1/2010 video)

January 2, 2010
Buttin actually took this picture, but I cut myself out - it's pretty blurry, but we're still experimenting with my new camera.


January 3, 2010
Molly with my new camera.

January 4, 2010
We didn't get ultrasound pics on CD, so I took a picture of the pictures they printed out for us.


So - the Lumpy picture is pretty good and the January 1 video is awesome, but I promise not to just take 361 pictures of Molly in the backyard. I'm sure once Lumpy gets here - it'll be mostly "Picture A Day of Lumpy".

Veteran's Day & Nutrition

First of all, Happy Veteran's Day! My dad is a veteran - yeah dad!

When I was growing up, I think his dream was for me to go into the Air Force. Ha - can you imagine me, in the Air Force? I guess I'd be good at the part where you wake up early and go to bed early (I think it's that way in prison too), but that's about the only thing.

In other, totally unrelated news - I tried a new morning drink today (usually I drink a combo of milk, weak coffee and a carnation instant breakfast). One of my fellow running/blogging/mommies posted this shake on her blog the other day. I've never thought to add spinach to a drink before - but I thought I would try it this morning. It was pretty tasty although the spinach doesn't quite liquefy, so it's kind of like drinking something with itty-bitty chunks. Oh well, it's probably a good way to get some of those greens that I'm lacking.

Which brings me to my next nutrition related topic - I eat some weird stuff for someone trying to run a marathon. I'm wondering if I would be a better runner with better nutrition (although I feel strongly that Cadbury Creme Eggs and Taco Bell make excellent fuel). I really am an everything in moderation kind of girl - and a couple of things in excess (like the aforementioned fuel). I'm now going to demonstrate my moderation philosophy by eating a Texadelphia Bacon Cheeseburger with fries, the moderation part is that I'm sharing an order of fries with Barbie.

P.S. I can no longer button my favorite shorts - I'm having to use a rubber band to keep them closed.

She Said What?

OK - from time to time, I will steal another bloggers' post or idea.

In this case, I'm pretty much going to copy Heather's Post (by just posting it) because she says how I feel, but more eloquently.

Bottom line, her post is a reaction to the article "Plodders Have A Place, But Is It In A Marathon?"

The article includes arguments from some (mean people) saying that those of us (yes, I am a "plodder" - especially at 19 weeks pregnant) who take 6 or more hours to finish a marathon, really have no business running a marathon. Phooey on you running snobs! The article also includes arguments from others (like me) saying that many races are funded by all the slow pokes out there and that many of us run for the activity and enjoyment, even if we aren't world class athletes.

Like I said, Heather is much more eloquent and doesn't use phrases like "phooey" and "slow pokes".

When my mom and I run our very first marathon on November 15th our goal is to do it in 6 hours or less (which would be a huge accomplishment considering I'll probably be spending one of those hours in the bathroom), but we'll be proud of each other no matter what the time. We've put in so many months of training, spent so much money on gadgets and sweat rags and clothes and endured all the strange looks from our husbands and friends. Come November 15th, my mom and I will cross that finish line together (no matter what the time) and no one is going to tell me that I haven't accomplished something great!

My Emo Band

So, now that I've begun blogging - I've started looking at other blogs. I found the Wordle just the other day and today I found this fun game.

You put these three elements together to make a new Emo band's first album.

To Do This (from a Facebook game)

1 - Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to “Random quotations” or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. Allow the poor to be corrupt, too.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar (or even something like MS Paint) to put it all together!

Here's mine:
To me, this is the creepiest picture ever - dolls freak me out and this one looks hungry. If you make one - show me yours!!

My Wordle