Thursday, November 29, 2007

Yes, Another Entry About My Office

I am happy to report that my new furniture for my office has come in. (I feel like I write “I am happy to report…” a lot) I have talked about my office before, and shown some pictures, remember it is very contemporary. The walls are curved and very brightly painted. As bright an cheery as I am, I am not the least bit contemporary. I like to decorate in warm earth tones, and rich fabrics. Not the cool colors and crisp fabrics that go with contemporary design.

Some of you are wondering why I care at all about how my office is decorated. Well, I figure I spend minimum eight hours a day there, I should be pretty comfortable. My boss agrees to a point. He bought me a fabulous new chair that is super comfortable and much more supportive of my back and neck than my old one. He would not however, have my office repainted.

So cool and contemporary it is, with refreshing purple walls. The new desk compliments the color and is a nice maple with clean lines and silver accents. It looks awesome together, and I’m getting used to the look. I may have missed my calling as an interior decorator.

My desk came from Company H, who, as much as they have totally pissed me off, I will not name here. Not only did we have to wait an extremely long time for the furniture to come in, my hutch came in with no hinges for the doors! We had to steal them from Jeana’s hutch, whose whole set has not come in yet. (I’m terrified the replacement hinges won’t be here on time when the rest of her set comes in, especially since Sheri called me Evil for taking the hinges from her)

The desk came with the usual paperwork-warranty and registration and such. The back of the card was slightly interesting and caught my eye:

“To help us understand our customers’ lifestyles, please indicate the interests and activities in which you or your spouse enjoy participating on a regular basis:

01. Bicycling -am I 12? no, I don't have a bike
02. Golf -no I enjoy dressing well
03. Physical Fitness -I am the least physical person alive
04. Running/Jogging -Cory would say I don't run right
05. Snow Skiing -never done it, but I totally have an outfit to wear
06. Tennis -my elbows!
07. Camping/Hiking -wow, never, ever again
08. Fishing -ditto
09. Hunting/Shooting
10. Powerboating -Blogger says this isn't even a word
11. Sailing -unfortunately no, but again, I have a great outfit I would wear
12. Grandchildren -this is an activity?
13. Needlework/Knitting -I can crochet...does that count?
14. Sewing -I pay someone to do this for me
15. Flower Gardening
16. Vegetable Gardening -this deserves it's own line?
17. Crafts
18. Buy Prerecorded Videos -does this sound dirty to anyone else?
19. Automotive Work -FINALLY, yes my spouse does this
20. Electronics
21. Home Workshop
22. RV’s
23. Listen to Records/Tapes/Cds -they actually wasted ink to print records?
24. Avid Book Reading -Avid? probably not
25. Bible/Devotional Reading
26. Health/Natural Foods
27. Photography
28. Cultural/Arts Events
29. Fashion Clothing -YES! one for me
30. Antiquing
31. Foreign Travel
32. Cruise Ship Vacations -I wish this was an activity I enjoyed
33. Travel in USA
34. Gourmet Cooking -Gourmet? probably not
35. Wines -does Applewine from Gatlinburg count?
36. Stamp/Coin Collecting -Vegetable gardening got it's own line and they combined these?
37. Collectibles
38. Our Nation’s Heritage
39. Real Estate Investments
40. Contests/Sweepstakes
41. Casino Gambling
42. Science Fiction -There is someone out there that checks this one, wonder what they look like?
43. Wildlife/Environmental Issues
44. Dieting/Weight Control
45. Science/New Technology
46. Self Improvement
47. Walking for Health
48. Watching Sports on TV -Ok, my spouse and I do this together!
49. Home Video Recording -see #18
50. Moneymaking Opportunities -I always enjoy money

Maybe they should have named this question, "what sort of junk mail do you wish to receive when we sell your address?"

Apparently I have no hobbies, does anyone want to take up #42 with me?

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Two-Year Check Up!

Moose had his two-year check up at the doctor today. I had to make the very difficult decision to switch doctors (within the same practice). We've been seeing Dr. M since he was born, Cici even brought Dr. M over to see me right after I had given birth, to reassure me and Cory that Moose would be fine, even being so early. I think she brought Dr. F too, but I am so fuzzy those couple days, coming off the magnesium was absolute Hell.

Anyway, Cory and I happily chose Dr. M for Moose to see whenever we visited the doctor. Which was extremely often in the first year due to the ear infections and such. The last couple times we went to the doctor, Moose has screamed uncontrollably each time we went. I think it is mainly because Dr. M chooses to examine Moose on the table. The last time Moose was sick, Dr. M was off, so we came in to see Dr. F instead. She let Moose sit in my lap while she examined him. He was still squirmy, but, much better.

So, I decided to see how Moose and Dr. F got along during a wellness-checkup. Both did really well, and I must say Moose seems calmer with her. I really think it has to do with her letting him sit in my lap while she looks in his ears, nose, and mouth. We did have two shots, the Hep and Flu, so he did cry right after that. But as soon as the nurse walked out the door he heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and collapsed in my arms like, "shew! thank goodness she's gone"

Here's the stats: (cause you all totally care about this, right?)
Height: 33.5" which is 25th percentile
Weight: 26 lb. 6.5 oz. which is 25-50th percentile
Head: 20" which is 95th percentile (still raising a bobble head)

Also this visit was the first time we have been able to check "yes" on all of the developmental questionnaire sheet. ALL OF THEM! That's right people, we have officially "caught up" with a term baby. I cannot express how much this means to me, most of you know that I harbor great feelings of guilt that my body got sick and made him come early. This has been a huge concern of mine ever since I realized he was going to be "behind" other kids. Well... no more!

Moose has totally mastered his colors. He can name them all, and pick them out. He has a vocabulary so large, I can't even count it, plus he will repeat whatever we say. Occasionally he will say a three to four word sentence. Moose loves to sing, and will try to sing along with the classics, favorites including "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "ABCs". I will try to get a video, but it is hard to sing and video, plus I sound like a moron, so that may not happen. We were watching Mickey Mouse (cause Disney is how we roll 'round here) and he counted along with Mickey and Minnie all the way to 20. That was a big surprise, so they must be working on that at daycare. He has gone in the potty several times now, and once he told me he needed to go with no prompting. That skill is not predictable yet, I am just coasting and seeing when he wants to go, I only ask if he wants to go when I change his diaper, and when I go too. He knows all the well-known animals and can make the sounds they make too. When you read a repetition book (think "Brown Bear, Brown Bear") he will sometimes repeat it with you. We are working on the ABCs, but he can't identify those yet.

We are so proud of him, he has come so far. We were talking the other day about he is a source of endless joy. I find myself gazing at him and smiling a lot. He has been more frustrating recently, since he has developed a temper and an attitude. We've been trying to show him who's boss, so hopefully that will continue to improve. I'll keep you updated!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Memeology Meme!

OK. A new meme from Mrs. Who.

FOODOLOGY
Q. What is your salad dressing choice?
A. Blue Cheese

Q. What is your favorite Fast Food Restaurant?
A. Blimpies

Q. What is your favorite sit down restaurant?
A. At the moment? Carino’s

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. It depends on the service we receive. (my aunt Cici is keeling over reading that)

Q. What food could you eat for two weeks and not get sick of?
A. I don’t think I could eat something for two weeks and not get sick of it.

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. I don’t like gum very much, it hurts my jaw.


TECHNOLOGY
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. The new Mac OS X space background for Leopard. Because it ROCKS. Leopard is one badd kitty.

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. Three, but we only watch one of them.


BIOLOGY
Q. What’s your best feature?
A. My bottom.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. A lot of things actually-gall bladder, Moose, and a few moles.


Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Touch.


Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. This Summer! Totally the kiddo’s fault, never had teeth problems before.


Q. What is the heaviest thing you’ve lifted?
A. Our bed.


Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. Yes several times.


BULLSHITOLOGY
Q. If it were possible would you want to know the day you are going to die?
A. No way.


Q. Is love for real?
A. Of course


Q. If you would change your first name what would you change it to?
A. Joanna so I could go by Jo or JoJo.


Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Magenta


Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. No


Q. Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. Not to my knowledge.


Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. Yes.


DAREOLOGY
Q. Would you walk naked for a half a mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. Oh yes. I am not shy of my body at all.


Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. I guess.


Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. No!

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000.00?
A. Sure!


Q. Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000.00?
A. Might be fun! As long as my Dad did not see it. Or my Father-in-law. Or my brother.


Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A. Yea!


Q. Would you, without fear of punishment take a human life for $1,000,000.00?
A. No I would never do that.


Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000.00?
A. Yes, no problem, lots of romance novels in the world.


Q. Give up myspace for $30,000.00?
A. Absolutely. Never use it!


DUMBOLOGY
Q. What is in your left pocket?
A. Nothing - I have on pjs.


Q. Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. We loved it.


Q. Do you have hardwood floors or carpet in your house?
A. Only hardwood and tile.


Q. Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. Stand. Who sits in the shower??


Q. Could you live with roommates?
A. No, not anymore.


Q. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
A. Just one.


Q. Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. Probably a few years ago when I was underage, okay maybe that was more than a few years ago…


Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. Archeologist (a la Lara Croft).


LASTOLOGY
Q. Last friend you talked to?
A. Jeana.

Q. Last person you called?
A. Sarah.


RANDOMOLOGY
Q. First place you went this morning?
A. To daycare.

Q. What can you not wait to do?
A. Go to bed, I’m tired and Moose was up several times last night, I think we’re working on an ear infection.

Q. What’s the last movie you saw?
A. I watched the Santa Clause on Disney, never seen it before!

Q. Are you a friendly person?
A. Not really. Only after you get to know me.



Sunday, November 25, 2007

Four-Day Weekend Is...Over

And not a whole lot to show for it! Our Christmas decorations are up, but I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at the house with Moose.

I did manage to sneak out for a quick haircut on Saturday.

We broke out the Playdoh this afternoon. And it was awesome.Daddy's hard work:



Here are the outside decorations. You can sorta see the green garland.
It turned out cute. I might do the bushes next year.


Make sure to stop by Everything's Better With Gravy to see the wonderful Pecan Pie recipe I made for Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Picture Friday!

Cory worked today, so it was just me and Moose all day. And due to a Thanksgiving Day-injury, we did not go shopping at all. (I lightly twisted my ankle, it's much better now) We just hung out all day, and put out the Christmas decorations.


This was his favorite ornament.
This is mine.
Here is some of the new garland I bought last year at a After-Christmas Sale. They were like, giving it away. I bought 150 feet, and I used every inch. More pictures of the outside to come.


Supportin' the home team...
Everyone in the family is enjoying the table...
The easel also doubles as a fort.



A special video treat for all the good boys and girls:
This is Doggie. Doggie is Moose's new best friend. He sleeps with him, and would carry him under his arm all the time if we let him. He is very soft and cuddly. He actually prefers Doggie's tag on his bottom, he rubs it with his fingers, and rubs it on his lips (just like I used to do with my Care Bear, and just like Cory used to do with his Blanket)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of your with Blog Readers, make sure to check out
the new Xmas template!


I am so thankful for my little Indian...The outfit they made in daycare, the T-2s were the pilgrims.
The corn shaker.
The tie-dye turkey.
The Two's Room does a lot more crafts, which Moose seems to love. He is so happy to show me them when I pick him up.

The new table...before with kiddo.
What kiddo? Awesomeness.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Our Weekend Highlight

Last night we were lucky enough to go see the Trans Siberian Orchestra at Rupp. It was wonderful! I had never seen them in concert before, Cory does have several of their CDs. (yes, the man that hates gifts and the general Christmas season loves Christmas music) (I don't know)

Anyway, I first heard of the band last year when they came here. Cory mentioned that we had several of their CDs, and we listened to them on the way to Nana's for Christmas eve. We weren't able to see them in concert because of timing, but this year, I got an email from Ticketmaster the second they were available, and I snatched up the best available tickets for part of Cory's Christmas gifts.

The concert was absolutely wonderful and amazing. Ordinary Christmas carols made extraordinary with blues, rock & roll, and jazz. The show they put on was great-fireworks, fireballs of flames, and of course a laser light show. And of course, all of the perfectly timed lights complimented each and every song. I couldn't help but watch from an artists view, seeing which colors they chose, and why. I loved it. Both Cory and I were extremely entertained the entire time.

Here is a video from YouTube, it is one of the traditional carols, with a rock edge:



Here is another video from YouTube, this one is one of their original songs, you may have heard the song on commercials and things. This video does not do it justice, it is amazing live:


When they come back next year, we are totally going again! I will say that the show was a bit long for kids, it was about 2.5 to 3 hours. Too long for Moose for sure. But maybe next year, we'll see. We actually may have started a new family tradition!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

People... We Have Pee-Pee!

After the first intitial asking for the potty incident, we haven't had too much news on that front. I went and bought a potty at Meijer, and he has sat on it a few times. But... nothing much. He hasn't asked for it or anything.

So I figured he wasn't ready, and I wouldn't push. He would ask when he was ready. In the meantime, both Cory and I have been bringing him to the bathroom with us to sit on his potty too. Cory refuses to sit on the big potty, so he stands as usual, and he has reported that Moose stands beside him and watches in awe.

With me, Moose will sit on his potty, with his pants on usually, until I am done, then I let him flush the big toilet, and we are done.

Last night, I asked him if he wanted to go pee-pee with mommy. He said, "Pee-Pee! Potty Pee-Pee!". So off we went. However this time, he tried to pull his pants off when we got there. So being the fabulous parent that I am, I helped and let him sit on the potty bare-bottomed while I peed. (is this TMI?) Anyhoo... I finished, and he hopped up to "flush" his potty and mine, and I saw it.

Pee-Pee!

In. The. POTTY!!

Yea! I yelped and called for Daddy, and maybe I startled Moose a bit, but we all did a victory dance in the bathroom for Moose's first Pee-Pee In The Potty. Yes, I took a picture, but Cory forbade me to post it on the internet. He was muttering something about me probably showing the pictures to Moose's first girlfriend, and I called out that "No I have much more class than that... I won't show it to anyone except maybe his spouse."

And, it seems this was not a one-time thing. Later in the evening, I was putting him in his PJs and he asked to go potty when I changed his diaper. So we went. And he pee-peed.

Same thing this morning. My Dad kept him for a few hours while Mom and I shopped but he said that Moose did not show any interest in pee-peeing.

But as soon as we got home, I was changing him before his nap, and he asked to go again! So we are definitely progressing! I'll keep you as updated!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Picture Friday is BACK!









Thursday, November 15, 2007

Two!

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!We had a lovely birthday dinner that the birthday boy requested, star-shaped pancakes, links and eggs.
Here is his big toy from Mommy and Daddy. He loves it already.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Back Online

I am extremely happy to report that I now have full-time internet at work again. Unfortunately, the network is not set up yet. But beggars can't be choosers, and we are relishing our internet connections fully.

My boss bought a wireless card that is actually supposed to be for laptops, but has a simple USB connection. So we are just sticking them into our USB ports and connecting to the internet wirelessly. (it's faster than you think)

I had become very dependent on my internet connection at work. Not only does my "job" require me to constantly email proofs to my clients, and upload ads to publications, I have become very used to checking my personal email throughout the day, and my blogs.

I have about 20 blogs that are on my blog reader, and let me tell you-if you don't check them one at a time, as they post, periodically during the day-that is a LOT OF READING. So much so, that I became a skimmer as of late, which I hate. And I also was not able to comment very much. So, there is my excuse for not commenting for about two weeks!

But, I am back... online. And I am feeling very good about that.

Tomorrow is a very big day-Moose's official 2nd birthday!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Starting To Catch Up With Me

I am exhausted.

I think it is a combination of the daylight savings time change, and just maybe the time of year. Because no matter what time I go to bed, I am still tired by mid-day. I even got some new multi-vitamins after my friend Sheri recommended them. They have not helped yet. I am not sure if I expected a sudden burst of energy, or what, but I feel the exact same.

Another reason I'm tired may be that we have "something" every weekend all the way through New Year's. And that is just the time of year, because we normally have a little breathing time between events. Now that Moose's party is over, we have tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra, then my birthday, then Xmas parties... the list just keeps going.

Work used to be a bit of a breather, but recently we've been absolutely slammed with new jobs and there is a new division that has sort of created itself, just adding to my and the other designer's workloads. We've handled it fine, and not really working too much overtime, but I'm honestly used to a little bit of downtime where I can plan, research, and really think about the job I am designing. Instead, we're rushing through, trying to shove jobs out the door. It's not a happy way to work.

On a good note, we are finally all moved in to our new office space. Which is... awesome. We don't however, have the network set up, which means, you guessed it, no internet or office phone. So we've been using a work around which includes a shared wireless card and our cell phones. And when do they think they will have our network up? Mid-December. When will my furniture come in? Not until next week-maybe the next one. I am currently in my fabulous new office with the awesome windows that open... on a plastic folding table.

Moose is doing extremely well, however he is still occasionally biting at daycare. We've been trying to enforce the time-out chair for other tantrum-related woes:
Obviously he is terrified of the time-out chair, right?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Moose's 2nd Birthday Celebration Weekend!

Wow this weekend almost drove me crazy! On the heels of my work-move, Moose's 2nd Birthday has been extremely hectic. Luckily, several months ago I decided to have the party hosted at our local baby gym. The took care of everything, and it was worth every penny! I had over 200 pictures to sort through, and they are not in order, which is annoying. Here is my best attempt to put the best ones together!
























*Special thanks to Alice and Carissa for the pictures from the birthday party, obviously I didn't take any pics because I was running around with Moose. So sorry to everyone who wasn't pictured!*