I have been on a quest for purses that will hold some baby essentials but don't look like diaper bags. And it turns out that my cute Harrods bag that I bought in London actually fits the bill. Yay! I can fit my personal stuff plus a change of clothes and diaper stuff for Elijah in one little bag. :)

Ugly Sweater Day!

Today I went to Best Buy because we're getting an appliance replaced...it's under warranty, so I just had to talk to someone about getting a new one. But when I walked back toward the appliance department, I couldn't find any employees anywhere. Then I walked to the computer section. Same thing. Where were all of the blue people? I walked all the way to the front of the store, to the customer service desk and asked for help.

He told me there should be someone back there--- but it's ugly sweater day and everyone is wearing an ugly sweater on top of their blue shirt! He pointed me to someone wearing a Cliff Huxtable-type sweater who led me back to the appliance guy in a horrible green sweater. Each person I talked to told me enthusiastically that it's ugly sweater day... apparently one guy is wearing a women's sweater.

I'm glad they're having fun at work. Even though it did make them blend in with all of the customers. :)

The Bucket List

So I've never actually composed a list of things to do before I die, but I have "borrowed" this list from my friend Alysa. The things I've done are in bold. Not quite as many as I'd thought!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not sure if anything I've climbed counts as a mountain, but oh well.)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had malaria
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (I think so...not totally sure though.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset .
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling – both.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - nope; we missed it. Darn!
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (only if working for an attorney counts!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Married the love of your life.

Unspeakable Tragedy

I've been gathering my thoughts about my father-in-law's sudden, unexpected death for the past few weeks; it's a lot to process all at once. Sometimes it still doesn't seem real. It still seems like we're going to see him at Christmas, along with the massive amount of Christmas decorations (mostly nutcrackers, which he collected) that he put up every year.

There are so many things that are tragic about this. He was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, and friend of many. Very many. There were probably 600-700 people at his funeral, and many more who said they wanted to attend but couldn't. But the thing that I keep coming back to is that there's a beautiful little baby boy who will never know firsthand how wonderful his Grandpa was. So here you go, little guy....here's the first of many times I'll tell you about him.

Dear Elijah,

Your grandpa loved you very much. I probably had a hundred people tell me how excited he was about meeting you. And how he showed off pictures of you at every opportunity, in typical proud-grandpa fashion. He saw a picture of you every time he turned on his cell phone, and carried your newborn photo from the hospital in his wallet---the only photo he kept in there. He was so proud. He was all smiles whenever he saw you. I have a picture of all four of your grandparents as they walked into the hospital room to meet you for the very first time. All of them were so excited to meet you!

Your grandpa was a great guy. As your daddy said on the day of his funeral, he was the kind of man who looked after widows and orphans. He was always caring, always visiting, always helping. He was the person we called when we thought we were having car trouble. He helped us fix a few things around the house not long after you were born. He had lots and lots of tools, and was very smart---he could fix anything. And he was happy to help out anyone with anything.

Back when I was first getting to know your daddy's family, he always tried to make me feel welcome. I talked to him a lot, about all sorts of things.

One little thing I will miss is waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking at his house. And the tailgating at Michigan football games! Those were some very early mornings, which would start out with breakfast under the big Michigan tent and end with more food.

I am so sad that you won't get to see his big smiles, or hear his laugh. And that he won't get to toss you up into the air, help you learn to swing a golf club, or take you to a football game. But even though you won't get to know him, always remember that he knew you, and he loved you.

-Mommy

>

Right Now

My wonderful husband, baby strapped to himself, just baked brownies AND walked into the room with the mixing bowl so I could have the little bits of batter that remained.  Does it get any better than this?  Ahhh, I picked the right guy.  :)  

Sometime I will post about the tragic and overwhelming events to hit our family in the last two weeks, but for right now I will revel in what is right with the world.  My family.  I love them more every day, in ways that I couldn't have anticipated even a few years ago.  My friends, who have shown me their love in support in ways that I have never experienced.  My little guy, who brings me so much joy.  I am learning to savor the moments.  All of those little moments that I never used to notice.

Portraits

So I realized that the reason I didn't like a lot of his photos, other than the fact he's not smiling, is that they had him propped up at a weird angle, which I didn't notice at the time.  So he looks a little uncomfortable in most of the leaning-back ones.  Here are just a few!

3 Months Old!

Of course, Mr. Smiley Man decided to not really smile much during his session at the portrait studio today. Not sure what that was about. I think he must be tired. We got there within 45 minutes of him waking up from his nap, and he just ate, but he still wasn't nearly as alert and interactive as usual. Oh, well...the photos were still pretty cute. 

I managed to get some really cute photos of my own 2 days ago---so many shots of him with big smiles that it'll be hard to narrow down the best ones! I'm starting to wonder how much it would cost me to set up my own portrait studio at home---I have a good camera, but I'd need the lights and backdrops. Then at least I could get him when he's happiest, right after waking up and eating!

 

Do I really look that frazzled?

I thought I looked pretty good today. I mean, I showered and everything! And I was wearing clothes that were free of spit-up and drool. But for some reason when I was at Target today with the little guy (we went to the portrait studio) I was getting all kinds of sympathetic comments from people. "You've got your hands full, huh?" Several people offered to help me get him in and out of his car seat. And when I was almost back to the car, and older gentleman walking past said, "Don't worry, they'll grow up soon." Elijah wasn't even screaming, or all of this would have made sense. I didn't think I was stressed out, either (except by the fact that I had to pay full price for the portraits since I forgot my coupon). So the only conclusion I could draw was that I must look really tired or stressed out, by normal people's standards. I guess not sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time for 3 months will do that to a person, I don't know.