O well...

So every once in a while I have one of those moments that makes me feel like every one who sees me can tell this whole adult facade I try so hard to pull off isn't really cutting it.

I've mentioned before that once I finally feel like I know how to be a mom to a 6 mnth old baby, sure enough Eliza turns 7 mnths and all over again, I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing.

Well, that still happens every month.

But it's not just in parenting. Just when I think I've got this marriage thing down, Steve and I argue, just when I think I've got this social work thing down, my group therapy session is a COMPLETE bust and no one shares, talks, responds, I just get a bunch of blank stares.

Or just when I think I've got this whole, 'I'm an independent adult thing' down, the car breaks down, we need to apply for a car loan, buy a new health insurance plan for Eliza and myself, need to re-do our monthly budget, I can't remember the password to our voicemail to correspond with the appropriate people, it's time to start looking for a new rental unit, I get sick, and the cat gets an eye-infection.

Maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking that I can convince those around me that I'm a mature adult who can handle the responsibilities of a mother, wife, pet-owner, etc., but I'd like to think that maybe most days that's relatively true. Today was not one of those days. So the scene is set for this afternoon...

Things were going fairly well besides being sick. Eliza and I took an afternoon nap together, and I asked Steve to call me at 3:40, just in case I didn't wake up on my own for Finnegan's Vet appointment at 4 (Steve's so nice). So Steve calls, we wake up, and Eliza nurses and finishes about five minutes before the appointment time.

I rush around the apartment looking for silly things like matching socks, winter hats, sweatshirts, wallet, and the cat crate (which I still haven't found).

Meanwhile, the dog is panting nervously and pacing right under my feet because he hasn't gone out for a bathroom break for about 5 hours, Eliza is trying to tackle the kitty and rip off the hat I just put on her, and we're late.
I forget all of the cat's records on the computer desk and figure I better just cut my losses and leave. So I swing Eliza onto my hip, my diaper bag over my shoulder and stuff the kitty into my diaper bag (I know, poor Finnegan). I just let the dog dash free out the door, his leash flapping behind him so he doesn't trip me on the way down the stairs to make it to the grass in time to relieve himself.

I make a bee-line for the rental car, buckle the baby in, the cat climbs under the passenger seat to hide, Mika jumps in behind me, and we take off. The vet office is only one block away... which turns out was still too far because I start to smell something bad. Apparently, the dog was too worried/excited about getting left that he didn't poop before jumping in and now I have a squooshy brown surprise in the backseat which the cat intermittently starts sniffing/maybe licking.
I pull into the vet's parking lot and pull the cat away from the poop and back into my diaper bag and scoop Eliza out of her car seat and dash into the Vet's office thirteen minutes late for our appointment.

I waited to be helped when I caught a glimpse of my reflection and realize my hair (which Eliza thought was SO funny to pull) has poked free of my bobby pin in just a way to be sticking straight up on top of my head. O well, my hands are full.I carefully sit the baby and kitty down with me on the bench in the waiting area, pull a few white cat hairs off of Eliza's paci and enjoy a moment in the afternoon sun, sharing some yogurt covered raisins with Eliza.

I'm convincing no one today.

The vet visit went well. The workers were kind, we're back on the bench waiting to check out, and it's my favorite time of the day. I see his shadow through the blinds and he turns the corner and opens the door... my knight in shining armor.

Steve is off of work!

"Look it's Da-da!!" Eliza and I both beam at the most beautiful man in the world.

"You want a cat or a baby?" The cat sneezes.

He took the baby...

... and I'll do better tomorrow.

Discoveries of the Week: Monday after Mania

Eliza's Discoveries of the Week:Steve and I have been very impressed with Eliza's newest "discoveries" or developments as only parents can be. We have been surprised recently when we go into Eliza's room after her nap or in the morning, to find her sitting up in her crib waiting for us!

Eliza cooperated and we finally got some decent footage of some of her new talents!

In the first video Eliza shows off her SKILLS at sitting herself up (and terrorizing the cat)! It's a fun glimpse of what it can be like to play at our house after dinner. If you think it looks fun, you're welcome to come join us!

We finally caught Eliza waving on camera in this video:

Eliza has been LOVING stuffed animals lately, which works out well since somehow we already have a TON! Her favorite lately has been her build-a-bear that Aunt Abby made for her that has a recording of her favorite Bumble Bee song on it, sung by her Oma and Aunt Abby.

Whenever we turn it on, Eliza looks all around for the singers and then laughs and hugs the bear!

Eliza has also recently gotten really good at standing up without Steve or my support. She has been partying with her walk-n-ride toy that my mom gave her for Christmas.

My Discoveries of the Week:
So most people look forward to their weekends as a time to relax and get some recreation time in. However, since I work weekends, I have been looking forward to my Monday's recently.

After Eliza and I finish up with the gym in the morning, I excitedly reassure Eliza, "We get to spend ALL day together, just you and me, Baby!"When Eliza was a newer baby and I was a newer Mommy, I would say this to Eliza after Steve would leave for work with a tear and glint of panic in my eye.

But these days, I look forward to our relaxing afternoons where it's just the two of us!

We snuggle under Aunt Joan's quilt and take two hour naps together. We bundle up under four layers of clothing, in the backpack and go for nature "hikes" around the apartment complex with Mika. We stuff our mouths full of juicy, sticky peeled apples and pears and grapes, pureed veggies, and potato bread with the crusts removed, then roll around on the carpet and crawl backwards under couches! Quite the party, right?
So blogging on Monday evening after Eliza's in bed has become a nice release for me! Especially this week since last night when I got home from work, I found a note on our doorstep from our apartment's leasing office saying that they will be showing a potential resident our apartment the next day between 1 and 2 pm, and that they have the right to do so according to clause, blah blah blah in our contract.

Soooo, the house is for once, actually (relatively) clean, Eliza's been asleep since 7:30, both pets are all curled up and snoozing, and Steve's painting.

Yay for me time!

Our update on our car, for any interested parties, is that it would cost an estimated ~$3000 to repair the engine. So say goodbye to the Toyota! :(

Guess it's time to start grazing through Car Max lisitings...

Our New Addition!

Meet Finnegan! The newest addition to our family. We got him at the SPCA this week (for only $20!), and he is SO sweet!

He loves to cuddle and purr and be petted, but also is very playful and will entertain himself with a paper ball for a half hour straight.

We brought Eliza and Mika (our dog) into the "adoption visiting room" at the SPCA to make sure Finnegan would be okay around a crazy baby that loves to grab and an over-anxious dog that doesn't car about cats-- he passed with flying colors! When we're not looking, Eliza has grabbed Finnegan several times and Finnegan just patiently waits for us to free him! He is SO sweet.

He really likes Steve. Steve leaned down for just a sec to help Eliza, and Finnegan hopped up to his new favorite resting spot!

Another beautiful new addition to our home is this amazing quilt that Aunt Joan sewed for Eliza for Christmas! Isn't it gorgeous? Thanks Aunt Joan!

I love using it during our naps and while I'm nursing Eliza to cuddle up to. Unfortunately, Finnegan likes it for the same reason.

Studio Sadness

Here are the pictures from last month of Eliza at the portrait studio. It was an interesting experience. We weren't very thrilled with how they turned out, but we still got a few cute ones out of it.

Here are the ones we purchased:



Here are some other interesting ones that they tried to sell us. Some were cute... others were ranging from weird to just down-right mean:

Steve and I were thinking of trying to make our own home-made studio one of these days and seeing what we can come up with. It can't be that hard, right? Especially with Steve's expertise.

But if you're interested in ordering any of these, we can give you the access code to order them online. Just let us know!

Terminal Car Killers

The little Toyota Tercel that I drove to high school every morning got hit by a tree. That's right. Hit by a tree. During a storm, a tree fell and landed right on top of it, crushing it. I loved that car.
Steve and I raked together our money while we were engaged (it was mostly Steve's $) to purchase our first car, a lemon of a '93 Ford Taurus. It lasted us a super ~5 mnths before it overheated and died. I hated that car, as did Steve.

Then my parents were VERY generous and after my brother left on his mission, they let us have their Nissan Quest Mini-van which we LOVED until one cold Provo morning, a guy decided to race his friend down a neighborhood street and run a stop sign and slam into me, totalling the van.

We used the insurance money from the van to buy our '98 Toyota Camry which we've really been grateful for-- smooth driving and no car loans and gas mileage that would get us all the way from Virginia to SC without having to make one stop!

But when we got back from SC a few weeks ago, the Camry started making a strange noise. We took it in to Meineke to get the oil changed and have them check out the sad noise coming from the motor, and that's when they gave us the news....

... it's terminal.

They told us it still might last us another 6 mnths to a year-- or 4 days.

We think one of the pistons must have broke off and started to whirl around in the motor because Friday after I dropped Steve off at work, I was on my way to the gym when the car suddenly started clattering like crazy and it wouldn't go over 15 mph.

Thank you to Katy who came to our rescue!!

She was kind enough to trail behind Steve going 15 mph in morning traffic with the emergency lights on through the rain while listening to a screaming baby! Thank you!

Ironically, Kate and I both said we had actually been looking for an excuse to get some time together to talk... sometimes you get what you want in ways you'd never expect, I suppose.

So I don't know what is up with our terrible luck with cars. This has all happened within a few years time. ::sigh:: It's not like we don't do our research. We check lots of cars, take them to the mechanic before buying, haggle a bit... and yet... it's terminal.

Steve and I, we kill cars.

By the way, does anyone in the Charlottesville area know a good mechanic?

... Or have a car they wouldn't mind donating? ;)

Women Are Never Front-Runners

Check out this article
by Gloria Steinem for the New York Times


It put into words what I have felt and tried to express (less eloquently) about this presidential race and specifically why I feel Hillary Clinton should be given more of a chance. However, I still plan to vote for Obama.

"Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House. This country is way down the list of countries electing women and, according to one study, it polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy.

"So why is the sex barrier not taken as seriously as the racial one? The reasons are as pervasive as the air we breathe: because sexism is still confused with nature as racism once was; because anything that affects males is seen as more serious than anything that affects “only” the female half of the human race; because children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman; because racism stereotyped black men as more “masculine” for so long that some white men find their presence to be masculinity-affirming (as long as there aren’t too many of them); and because there is still no “right” way to be a woman in public power without being considered a you-know-what.

"But what worries me is that he is seen as unifying by his race while she is seen as divisive by her sex.

"What worries me is that she is accused of “playing the gender card” when citing the old boys’ club, while he is seen as unifying by citing civil rights confrontations.

"What worries me is that male Iowa voters were seen as gender-free when supporting their own, while female voters were seen as biased if they did and disloyal if they didn’t.

"What worries me is that reporters ignore Mr. Obama’s dependence on the old — for instance, the frequent campaign comparisons to John F. Kennedy — while not challenging the slander that her progressive policies are part of the Washington status quo.

"This country can no longer afford to choose our leaders from a talent pool limited by sex, race, money, powerful fathers and paper degrees. It’s time to take equal pride in breaking all the barriers."

December Decadence

We had a really wonderful Christmas holiday. We were crazy enough to attempt to split our time between Utah, South Carolina, Virginia and a few airports in between! Whew!

Steve and I loved being able to spend time with our family, and Eliza did too! I can tell because now instead of being scared of absolute strangers at the store, she laughs, smiles and WAVES at them from her seat in the front of the shopping cart.

So she now loves ALL strangers and thinks they all should be overwhelmingly interested in every little sniffle, giggle, and sigh she might let out... that's her luck for being the first grandchild on both sides! She drew quite the crowd at both the Morrison and Meldau homes.

Utah Christmas

Eliza's favorite napping buddy, Grandpa Morrison!

We flew out to Utah on Dec. 19th, Steve's mom's bday! Steve and I were really worried about being stuck on an airplane with Eliza for 5 hours, but she was AMAZING. Quite the pro at flying! Even our seat-mate and one of the flight attendants commented on how well she did. As we were de-boarding the stewardess said, "Wow, she was great! I didn't hear her make even one peep." Way to go, Baby!Tim and Davey (Steve's father and brother) met us at the airport and drove us straight to a little elementary school in Springville (I think it was Springville-- I was zonked out in the backseat- we had to wake up at 4am) where Mrs. Morrison's fourth grade class ooo'd and aww'd over Mrs. Morrison's grandbaby.

That evening we got to celebrate Carol's bday. We were all very exhausted but Eliza just sat really solemnly on Grandma Morrison's lap taking it all in.
Eliza's sleep schedule was CRAZY and erratic basically the whole vacation. But she was so fun and well-behaved when she was awake that it evened things out. She did still stay on her regular schedule in one way-- she woke up every morning at 6 am eastern time. Unfortunately that was 4am Utah time, though. She's slept through the night every single day since we've come home, though! Yay!

We had a lot of fun in good 'ole Provo going out to eat at great spots like Tucano's, Los Hermanos, Cafe Rio, Noodles and Co., and of course getting plenty of great Morrison "gourmet" cuisine too! Yum! (pick up on our theme of favorite activities??)

It was also great fun to have Eliza's first Christmas be a white one! There was all kinds of snow while we were there, ranging from scary hail-like snow to beautiful big fluffy snowflakes. We made Eliza a baby snowman friend.Here's a sleepy Eliza in the Morrison's living room.

Crazy, funny Uncle Davey was such a blast to play with!

While we were near a JCPenny's with a portrait studio (Charlottesville's doesn't have one) and a great coupon, we decided to try to get some updated shots of Eliza. However, after waiting for hours and hours at the mall and then having to be set down on the ground in front of a crazy over-stimulating stranger, Eliza was NOT interested in smiling.

So we didn't buy too many to say the least. Let us know if you want a wallet picture of her! Thanks to Carol for the cute outfit!

South Carolina Christmas

We visited SC before and after Utah. Mom (and Dad and Abby) were nice enough to watch the dog for us while we were gone, so they had quite a pack to look after!

We had a blast in the warm SC weather. Gosh, how I miss it! So we had a blast taking long walks with the dogs and baby backpack on the lion's trail, seeing the Golden Compass with Abby, going to Books-A-Million with Abby and Mom, buying several pounds of boiled pnuts, playing games, eating mom's AWESOME baking, and OF COURSE, eating some of the best BBQ EVER!!!!!
So then we had to get another shot of Eliza on the pig...
Here she is just4 mnths ago in August the last time we visited.
Amazing to see how much she's grown!!....
Here's Eliza in toy heaven at her "second Christmas" on the 26th at the Meldau's. She was so exhausted but SO didn't want to stop playing!!
Virginia Anniversary and New Year

We drove all night on the 28th and got back to Charlottesville around 6am on the 29th. I had to work that weekend and on our anniversary, but I still bought Steve flowers and made him breakfast in bed on Sunday. Then we played some games after I got back from work and stayed up late talking about our dreams and goals for this 2008 year.

So we took it easy on New Years eve and New years day. We made some collards so we can have "cash in our pocket this year" and also made the fancy lil' smokeys in grape jelly and mustard sauce like I always had at the Marsh's southern fireworks New Years extravaganza. Delicious!We also tried out my new Creme brulee set that Steve gave me for Christmas! I only burnt myself once... but it was so tasty!

Can you believe Steve and I have been married for 2 years now?

I think it's really funny how creepy mika looks peering into the side of this picture! Also note the black book resting on the couch behind Steve's head-- It's Eclipse, the 3rd book of Stephanie Meyer's vampire sequels that Mom and Abby got me addicted to over the holiday. But the fact that I'm playing with Steve instead of avidly devouring it is a mark of my real love for Steve!

Our family is all sporting new hair-do's. Steve grew a beard over vacation, I got my hair cut, and Eliza has awesome hat hair:

Peace out, yo!

Eliza LOVES these puzzles that my mom got for her for Christmas. Apparently she's able to derive great joy from just pulling all the pieces out and then chewing on them. Consequently, Steve and I now LOVE putting the puzzle pieces together.

Here are some images that haunt Mika's dreams... Eliza's SO close to crawling!
Have a great week! We love you!