a.rose

When we lived in Brasil, my sister and I had a friend named Becca. I've only seen her once since then I think, when she drove me to the airport like five years ago (thanks!) AND she may not know this, but she introduced me to Michael Buble (thanks!) ANYWAY, I recently found her blog, and I love reading it. I'm not gonna lie, I've cried more than once over things she's written, or the way in which it was written moves me to tears, I'm never quite sure which it is. She is a nursing student, and they are currently in the maternity section or class or something, and what she wrote today definitely had me tearing up. Enough so, that I am putting a link to it here so anyone else can enjoy reading it, and marvel at the miracle that is BABY. (And mom living through it all). So please, enjoy, I don't think she'll mind: Becca's Blog This is why we call her destructobaby. Those we call her "duck lips". She's a duck!

Wow. I just found some stuff from 2005 that I wrote. That was the summer I lived in Maine, and we worked for a landscaping company. It was a pretty awesome summer. We would occasionally "do" (?) some beat poetry. I don't really remember how it got started, or why, although I do remember that it was my friend Jeff's idea, and he "taught" me how to "do" it. I don't know what the correct verbs are when discussing beat poetry. "Speak" it? Anyway, I found two of them. They make me laugh, so maybe you will too. (Just try to picture me trying to sound like a beat poet as you read this.) In a greenhouse full of flowers that are pink and red and sometimes even yellow I work with the dirt and all I see is brown People tell me the flowers smell pretty. But I look down and my hands are dirty. (Even just typing it I can't help laughing as I imagine the voice... the tone... the style. Which is why I was never good at speaking beat poet...

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here is a little something you might not know about lunch and dinner. Lunch Fact: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste better if you eat them like a whopper, and smack your lips. (This is Hallie's first pb & j, and the piece that she is eating is so tiny, it would have been half of a bite to Devin.) (We bought the peanut butter long before the salmonella scare. No worries, mate.) Dinner Fact: As I said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That may be. But are you aware that dinner is the funniest meal of the day? I think we would all be a little healthier if we really made this a part of our lifestyle. It can't be harder than some diets I know of... and look how healthy she looks! It obviously works. I must add, she had already been laughing for at least 2 or 3 minutes before we got the camera out. She gets a little nervous when she sees she's being recorded, but that can't hol...

Hallie got a Fridge Farm for her birthday (thanks, Mom Rose!) She absolutely loves it. It is a little magnetic barn, and five sets of animals that come apart, a front piece and a back piece. These are also magnetic. The barn has a place where you put a front of an animal, and a back of an animal. If you get a match, it sings you a song, "You made a match, look what you found. You made a match, here a (pig, cow, sheep, etc.) sound! Oink Oink!" If you make a mismatch, for example, a horse front with a sheep behind, it sings this song, "You put a horse in front you put a sheep behind. Put them together, and what do you find? A horse sheep?! Neigh, baah... That's silly!" And then it laughs with (at) you. It also has a little chicken sitting up in its roost that you can push and it plays a hoedown song like, "Oh Susanna" or the "Farmer in the Dell". She loves loves loves it. She loves magnets. She loves the songs. She carries it aro...

Here are a few cute pictures of Hallie: I am so happy, I just might burst. Watch out! I protect my turf. Even when I'm sleeping. Who can resist a good snuggle? What are we lookin' at, Dad? I want YOU to put your bum in gear!

She's been avoiding the subject for as long as she thought she could. Three days ago, Jan. 13, 2009 Three days ago, Jan. 13, 2009 Then, yesterday, she had a change of heart. (She put that headband on herself.) Yesterday, Jan. 15, 2009 Again, as if to prove that I am still not smart about technology, I did it sideways. Can you believe it? Who needed proof? So, sorry it's sideways. She took about five additional steps throughout the day yesterday. So, she's not "walking" yet, but she's definitely stepping out!

Well, Hallie and I were really sick on her birthday, so we didn't do much to celebrate. I think we said, "Good job kid. You made it a whole year!" or something like that. We might have sang a song or two also. A few days after her birthday, Hallie saw some of my Christmas chocolate. She loves that stuff. So Daddy found a piece of Dove Milk Chocolate and cut it up into pieces on a plate. What a way to celebrate! I'll translate, for those of you who don't speak chocolatebaby-ese. "Yay! A whole plate of chocolate, just for me!" "Yum. " "I wish I had a bigger mouth." "I can't get it into my mouth fast enough. " "Wait a minute... didn't I have a whole plate of chocolate?"

So, a while ago I wrote about how people love Hallie, and wherever we go they want to talk to her, and touch her, and make her smile at them. It's this crazy phenomenon, and it's great. Yesterday at the grocery store we had one that I thought was really interesting. We're at the checkout, putting our stuff up on the belt and the lady sees Hallie and says, "Oh, mommy!" In a kind of cooing voice that made it obvious she was talking to Hallie, emphasized by the fact that she continued to talk to Hallie as we were doing the entire transaction. Hallie, however, was not in a good mood, she didn't want to play, she wanted to go home and have dinner, so she just sat there and stared at the nice lady. Then we're leaving and getting our hats and boots back on (Hallie always takes them off) and the lady says, "Oh baby girl, you forgot your receipt." In a voice that obviously meant she was talking to me. Anyone see where I'm going here? I went b...

As many of you know, I have widely bizarre dreams sometimes. This one was so vivid, so random, and so fun, that I just can't help sharing it with you all. (You know I love sharing my dreams). It also had many people in it that I just love, and it took place in... CHINA!!! I'm pretty sure it's the mack daddy of strange dreams... (Although, Hannah may disagree. I've had some pretty crazy ones involving Hannah.) Disclaimer: This may be a little confusing. It is to me too. But, it's a dream. And they don't make sense. That's part of the beauty. I admit, it's a little long. So get some popcorn, and enjoy the insanity. Ok. So it started off I was in China. That's all I knew, was that I was in China. Let me describe what I saw. I am hanging on a mountain, barely holding on, and the gravity is pulling me away from the mountain. I must be very high up on this mountain because clouds are flying past me at an alarming rate. It's very exhilar...

Well, Hallie and I are still really sick, so no pictures. But here is a little poem I wrote last week, when I was trying to fall asleep one night. Disclaimer: I realize I am not a poet. So, any criticisms you might have I have certainly already said to myself. So don't worry about that. But this is for my baby. I saw you through the haze of pain you were so fresh, so pink, so new. I held you to me rejoicing in your infant softness and I knew that you were worth every drop of blood and sweat that I had given and will give you have one perfect nose perfect mouth perfect tummy two perfect eyes perfect ears perfect arms perfect legs and the cutest little hands and feet and I know that you are worth every moment of sleep that I have lost and will lose. I see you through the glitter of joy you are so fresh, so pink, so new I hold you to me rejoicing in your baby sweetness. Blow out your big candle Mommy loves you, little girl.