Tuesday, March 28

The Nursery Is Painted!

Daddy Dave has been busy, busy, busy for the past three days with his little pet project. 43 hours, eight marker pens, two overhead projector lightbulbs, 1-1/2 temper tantrums and a carpal tunnel nightmare later, we now have the Greatest Nursery in the Known Universe!
The north wall is where we're putting the changing table. These fish will be above it ... just hangin' out ... bein' dudes.

One fish.

Two fish.


Red fish.

Blue fish.

The Star-Bellied Sneetches are on the south wall above the chest of drawers.

The whole-wall mural of the climactic scene on page 47 of "Green Eggs & Ham!" If you click on the pic, you can see it close up.

The train.


The fox and some cap'n dude.

Sam I Am and that unnamed dude who doesn't like Green Eggs N Ham.


The boat.

Goat, Sam I Am, car and mouse.

Friday, March 24

An Open Letter From Baby V

Hey all.
While you've all been freezing cold and digging out from your tundra freeze, I just thought I'd let you know I'm keeping toasty warm here in my mama's uterus. It's getting a bit cramped in here, but ... eh ... babies can't be choosers. And it's only temporary until I get a space of my own.
I can hear a lot from in here. Here are the things I've picked up on in the past week:
1. My awesomely awesome dad is getting ready to paint some Seuss characters all over the walls of my first room. I hate to tell him, but I won't be able to see any of them with any clarity for several months. He's relieved there will be no big move, and has picked out the characters he's using for the walls: Horton the Elephant; the Star-Bellied Sneetches; Thing 1 & Thing 2; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish and Blue Fish; and a huge mural of the climax of Green Eggs & Ham when they crash in the water. Cool, huh? (My dad has great ideas, but you should also know he has editorial license over anything posted on this site. Keep that in mind!)
2. My mom and dad love nachos. They had this wild prego party the other night (and I use the term "wild" very, very loosely since half the party was with child) and they ate nachos like nobody's business. I was happy about my mother's liberal servings of the stuff. Yum yum yum.
3. The snow is melting quickly, and hopefully my daddy-o will get over his obsession with posting pictures of that and get back to talking about more important things. (That would be me, if you're wondering.)
4. Mom had another check-up with her doctor on Wednesday. He gave us a clean bill of health. Seems like everything's going well. My mommy smiles a lot when she hears my heartbeat. I can feel the adrenaline rush when she hears it.
5. Dexter is being a little bit obsessive about my mom, which needs to change soon if he's going to allow me into this family. He literally follows my ma and I around the house. If we go into the bathroom, he follows. If we sit on the couch, he sits on my bump. If we lie down for a napster, he's right up in my mom's grill. I think the jig is up.
That's all I have for now, Aunties and Uncles Cracker. I'm looking forward to meeting you all one day. Make sure you eat a breath mint before you get all up in my bidness, because good breath makes a great impression.
Welp, gotta kick about in utero. See ya on the outside, Suckers!
Baby Vrbi

The Last of the Snow Pix

The fence on the south side of the garage. The lilacs on the left side of the fence are usually several feet taller than me.
Piles and piles and piles of the white stuff.

I gave names to two of my cedar trees the other day. Ladies and lads, meet Eileen and Euleen.

The creepy leprechaun snowman in the yard across the street. Gives me the heebs.


This is our neighborhood. Pretty, eh? (Sorry 'bout that. With all this snow, I think I'm turning Canadian!)

Monday, March 20

Baby Room, Part 1

My extra day off allowed me to do some furniture construction. I got the chest of drawers, crib and changing table all three put together today. The drawers were annoyingly complicated. I'm going to paint the walls this next weekend! I want to have them partly done by the time my sisters visit in April. We decided to stay put in our house, so I'm feeling a great sense of relief there.

Kickin' It Real


Yesterday, as Amy and I were driving home from Blockbuster, we were talking about whether or not the baby will come early. When we talked to our doctor last time, he was heavier than a normal 22-week baby. A lot heavier. So, we drove along talking about all the birthdays he could land on in June. We talked about Uncle Dan and whether or not he could end up on that day. Then we mentioned Great Grandma Edna's birthday, June 18, and the baby kicked Amy really hard. Amy asked her belly again, "Are you going to be born on Grandma's birthday?" and he kicked her again. Just to push the envelope a little further, we asked the baby bump again whether or not the little one inside wanted to aim for June 18. He kicked very hard a third time and mama was howling in the passenger seat. Time will tell, I guess...

Snowstorm Stuff

This is the view from our living room window earlier today.
And now. It's supposed to snow all night. Amy has the day off tomorrow too. I'm going to try to dig myself out if the snow subsides. That sounds like something Amy's aunt and uncle would say. (They live in Minnesota though!)

I got halfway down our enormous drive and ended up paying a neighbor $30 to finish the rest with his tractor because I was destroying my back. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I stand corrected. Dexy do likey.

Snow Going Anywhere Today...


Check out the snow. Prego Fabulous is soooo happy to have a day of from teaching today's youth/tomorrow's leaders how to talk good!

Let's play a little game of "Where's Dexter?" Somewhere in the picture above is a small white dog. See if you can find him.

I'm going to be such a great dad, because I set a shining example of the proper clothing to wear whilst scooping snow and doggy doopy off the front stoop. (Sing it with me now: "Whatcha gonna do with all that junk ..."

Again ... Dexy looky.

And again ... Dexy no likey.

Good Quote for Mums Everywhere

"Making the decision to have a child -- it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

Elizabeth Stone

Sunday, March 19

Prego Party

Last night, we had what can only be described as a "prego party". In fact, that's what the e-mail invite read. Four pregnant women, their husbands and a smorgasbord of great food. We had a nacho bar, tortilla wraps, fruit and dip and a big fat 12" cookie. It was a blast.

Yummy monster cookie--designed especially for the pregos.

Snowy Day


The other day.

Today.

Artsy Fartsy snow picture.

Do do do...lookin' out my front door.

Thursday, March 16

Bassinet Messinet

Since we don't know if we'll be in the same house when Jack's born (long story; I'm not getting into it), this is as much as I've accomplished with his room. Nice, huh? Do you see why I'm a stress case?

If I'd Only Known Then What I Know Now


Time is precious. I've learned that over and over these past couple years.
We live three hours from our parents and my brothers and sisters, which is why the time we spend with them is increasingly more precious as it becomes less and less frequent. Sometimes I feel guilty because I only met my niece twice during the two months she was alive.
Maya died in her crib to SIDS on December 14 of last year and it's been a rough few months for my sister. You've seen the little girl's pictures on this site and it still shocks me to think that my sister had something so precious taken away. She lost Maya while Amy was nearing the end of her first trimester, and at that point, her loss seemed indescribably horrific to me.
I love my son in such a strong, bizarre way that I can't imagine having him in my arms one day and burying him a few days later.
We are doing a check presentation Friday for the rescue squad in my hometown. I'll be damned if I miss it. They tried so hard to revive Maya the night she died, and were so emotionally affected by her death that I feel I have to be present. Plus, it's going to be a crappy day for my sister, and I'd be a schmuck if I weren't there to let her know her daughter was important to me. She was. And I'll be there to prove it once again.
I try to understand what it must feel like, but I can't imagine. Since I don't know and hopefully NEVER will know, the most I can do is offer my support. Plus, I can't wait to hold Matthew and Peyton and to tease Tori and Luke.
I'm closing this post with a poem my mother wrote about Maya's death. I have a bajillion poems by my mom and I'm going to post them occasionally, since many are about my family. Here's the poem:
If I'd Known Then What I Know Now
I would count each hair on your head and
memorize each nuance of light
dancing on each gossamer strand.
I would store your fresh baby smell in a
bottle for days of drought without you,
when my memory grows dim; future
faith blinded my present with you.

If I’d known then what I know now, nothing
could distract me from watching you
nestle safe in my arms close to my heart,
sweet visions skipping on your eyelids,
sparkly diamonds in morning dew and
pixie dust reserved just for you.
Order the mundane be silent - no
desire for caution this last day!

If I’d known then what I know now,
I would beg God for just a little
more time, for one last kiss on your velvety
cheek, one more lingering look, one
more breathtaking smile before you go,
long enough for my solemn promise:
this is not good-bye, my love, it is,
“See you later, my little Sweetpea.”

Maya Michelle

How Do You Love Someone You've Never Met?

That subject line is so very complex for me. From the moment we knew we were going to be parents, I've been in love with this child growing inside the love of my life. It's really a bizarre process you go through as a future daddy. If you're like me, you think about it everyday and can't wait for the moment you'll meet your little one face to face.
I was at work the other day, and asked the ladies in the office (who inform me all the time that I'm going to be an awesome dad), "What if my baby hates me?"
How idiotic is that?
We've not arrived at the point where we're counting days instead of weeks ... yet. I can't imagine what the anticipation will be like once we're closer to that new birthday. What will he look like? Will everything be okay? Will mama break daddy's nose during delivery?
It's all too much to sit around here and wait for.

Nieces and Nephs, Part 7

Tori Rae keeps the zoo crew under control.
(Peyton, Maya, Tori, Matthew and Luke)

An Addendum To The Previous Post

You probably think we're a little weird in our pet-naming world, and it's true. Here are some names we've come up with for pets.
Spanky Bojangles (beta fish; death by suicide: leapt from bowl)
Nugget McSnuggles (beta fish)
Reverend Dudley Dandelion (if we were to get another dog)
We have too much fun naming animals. Thankfully, and I think our families will agree, we are less creative with naming our children.

Meet Professor Dexter Beansprout

This is our little Fluffer Nugget. His official name is Professor Dexter Beansprout, but he goes by several different names:
Mr. Beans
Stinkcheese
Frinks
Chickenlicker
Dexy
Nuggetlover
Dinky Deedles
Flex Armstrong
Those are just the names I can think of right now. We consider Dex our firstborn. Now, I know that sounds absurd, but he has been the object of our affection and the apple of our eyes for the past year and a half. He has a very rough adjustment coming up in June.
Right now, he pretty much runs the house, which makes me think I'm a bad pet owner. He gets his way 9 times out of 10, sleeps in the bed with us, eats about 75 jerky treats (aka doggie heroine) per day. His favorite new thing is to snuggle with me in the morning after mama's up and getting showered.
I know. I'm a schlub for sleeping while Preggo Fabulous is up and facing another day of hauling around another human being. I need my beauty rest...desperately.
So, about Dex's adjustment. They say to only pay attention to the dog when the baby's around at first. That way, the dog doesn't associate the baby with stealing his thunder. He'll actually view Jack as the dude that gets Ma and Pa to pay attention to him... That's the theory, but I'm not sold on it.
Thankfully, Amy's grandma Edna sent us some information on how to get your pet into the baby experience so that all is well on the homefront. We'll see if it works. He's pretty ... how do you say it? ... ah, yes ... needy.
If Grandma Edna's pointers don't work, Grandma Janet or Aunt Susan may be adopting a spoiled brat dog. And that would break my heart. I have room in the my heart for my best friend, wife, son, family and friends.
(I've got a giant heart.)

Monday, March 13

Nieces and Nephs, Part 6


Tori Rae. Oh, wait, Tori Rae ... AND her headband.

Luke's ma, my sister, told me the other day about the superhero glasses. Luke got these little numbers a couple months ago and insists on wearing them everywhere. She took him to "Curious George" the other day and he wore them into the theatre and to Arby's and Wal-Mart afterward. Needless to say, folks got a kick out of him and his goggles.

Work that body, work that body, make sure you don't hurt nobody.

Matthew works on the whole mobility thing.

I wuf you.

20 Favorite Dr. Seuss Books

This article is from
http://raisingboys.allinfoabout.com/features/508drseuss.html Her website is full of cool stuff about raising boys and kid stuff.

Dr. Seuss is my children's favorite author of children's books. Dr. Seuss' books have been around since my grandparents were kids. Amazingly, Dr. Seuss books have stood the test of time by still being popular after all these many decades. What's my favorite Dr. Seuss book? It's hard to say. There are so many good Dr. Seuss books.
My youngest son is addicted to Dr. Seuss books. Every week we go to the library and get a couple more Dr. Seuss books. He memorizes the Dr. Seuss books that are read to him. He can't read yet but he sits with his Dr. Seuss books on his lap, turns the pages and recites them.
I learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. When I was a little girl I was very sickly. I spent a lot of time at the doctor's office. Every time we went there were Dr. Seuss books and Highlights magazines at a small table of the waiting room. I would sit and read all the Dr. Suess books and Highlights magazines while I waited my turn. Thanks to Dr. Seuss and his fun children's books I learned to read and learned to love reading.
I want to introduce you to Dr. Seuss books. Below is a listing of Dr. Seuss books that I am familiar with and a short description of each. I hope you an your children enjoy these Dr. Seuss books as much as my children and I do.
These are just a few of the books by Dr. Seuss. It seems that there are quite a few Dr. Seuss books I've never read. With my son's love for reading I will keep getting him new Dr. Seuss books until we have read them all. This could take a long, long time. I'm really looking forward to it.
The Cat in the HatThis Dr. Seuss book is probably one of the most popular Dr. Seuss books of all time. There have been movies made from this Dr. Seuss story. I started reading this Dr. Seuss book when I was little and have always loved it. My sons love this Dr. Seuss book too.
There are these two kids and they're really bored because their mother is out for the day and it's raining. Then this giant cat shows up with his magical cat and makes a mess. Then there are these two things that he has with him. They're called Thing One and Thing Two, they're like small people or something. They help make a mess. Mom's on her say home. Well, I can't tell you the rest of it'll ruin the surprise.
Daisy-Head Mayzie This Dr. Seuss story is one I just recently saw on DVD. I rented it for my son. He loves it and goes around chanting 'Daisy head, daisy head, daisy head Maisy'.
In this story Dr. Seuss writes about a little girl who grows a daisy on her head while sitting in class. Poor thing is heckled by her classmates. Then the principal calls in all sorts of experts and the little girl runs away with an agent who promises to make her rich. I guess you'll have to read it to find out the rest.
Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!"Big A, little A, what begins with A, Aunt Annie's Alligator, A a a." You're kids will love this Dr. Seuss book and learn the alphabet at the same time. This is such a fun way to learn. There are weird Dr. Seuss creatures and fun word combinations.
The Foot Book : Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of OppositesThis has been the favorite Dr. Seuss books of all my boys. When my oldest was little he used to have me read it to him over and over. Now my youngest reads it. Actually he has it memorized. He sits and flips through the pages and recites it.
As you read through this Dr. Seuss book your child will learn opposites in a fun way, so fun that he won't even know he's learning anything at all. He'll just think it's a fun book to read. The best thing about it, from my point of view, is that my kids learned left from right while I read it to them.
Fox in SocksThis is a book of tongue twisters done the Dr. Seuss way. It's so funny to try to read and the characters are funny too. My favorite part is the part about Tweetle Beetles. Try to read this Dr. Seuss book one out loud and see how well you do with the Dr. Seuss flavored tongue twisters.
Great Day for Up!Everyone is getting up. The whole world wakes up in this Dr. Seuss book. From the smallest bug to the biggest creature, everyone gets up. Except one person.
Green Eggs and HamThis is my favorite book by Dr. Seuss, always has been. In this Dr. Seuss book there's this one guy who wants this other guy to try eating green eggs and ham. The second guy doesn't want to try this strange food. The first guy follows the second guy around everywhere trying to get him to eat green eggs and ham. Everything rhymes too. This is great for your little one who likes rhyming or is going into kindergarten and needs to learn how to rhyme things. There's a surprise ending too.
Happy Birthday to You! There's a wondrous, Dr. Seuss place where everyone is taken on their birthday and given many presents and anything they want. A bird comes into your room in the morning and takes you away to this wonderful fantasy world where you are treated to all sorts of things all day long.
Hop on PopThere is a page in this Dr. Seuss book where the children hop on pop. My youngest son loves this and tries to hop on mom and dad and brothers. The rest of the book has all sorts of things that rhyme and is very funny. This is one of my youngest son's favorite Dr. Seuss books.
Horton Hatches the EggHorton the elephant is talked into sitting on an egg for a whole year until it hatches while the mother bird goes on vacation. He has a terrible year with all sorts of calamities. There's a surprise when the egg hatches that could only happen in Dr. Seuss' world.
Horton Hears a Who!Horton hears a small voice. He believes that it is a small creature. The voice tells him there is a whole community on a speck of dust. Horton decides to protect this community. The problem is that all the other animals are against him and don't believe that there can possibly be a community of people on the speck of dust and they try to destroy it.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!The Grinch is my favorite Christmas character. This Dr. Seuss book is great. The movie For this Dr. Suess book is played every year during the Christmas season and my kids love it. We have it recorded and my youngest watches it at least once a week.
This character, the Grinch, is angry at the town below for celebrating Christmas and decides to put a stop to it once and for all. He dresses up like Santa and puts antlers on his dog and they hop on the sleigh and sled down the mountain to the town below. He steals all the Christmas presents, decorations, ornaments, everything and takes them back to the top of the mountain. Then there's a surprise ending.
I Am Not Going To Get Up TodayNo matter what you do to this boy, he is not going to get up. they try just about everything and he just stays in bed. This is fun reading for little boys.
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!This Dr. Seuss book gets boys to want to read. It tells them how much fun stories are and it does it in a fun way. By the time your son is finished reading this Dr. Seuss book they will have a love for reading, if not for the fun of the story but because the Cat in the Hat tells them to.
The LoraxThis is a Dr. Seuss book about how people take over the land they move onto and ruin it. It's a great story and lots of fun. The Lorax is trying very hard to keep the Onceler from destroying the land as he creates his Sneeds. It's sort of a sad story but there is an idea at the end about how it can all be made better, if only someone tries.
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!Marvin K. Mooney needs to go somewhere but doesn't seem to want to listen and do what he's told. He is given many choices on ways that he can leave and they are all very funny.
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can YouMr. Brown can make all sorts of noises, not just animal noises either. You won't be able to believe all the sounds Mr. Brown can do. Your child will be trying to make these sounds too.
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! This Dr. Seuss book gives your child ideas about what they can think about. This is great for a child who needs some help using their imagination.
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue FishDr. Seuss teaches basic skills in this book. Counting, colors and other things. It's fun to read and full of silly things.
The Sneetches and Other StoriesThis Dr. Seuss book was made into a movie. The movie was wonderful, I remember seeing it when I was a child and loved it.
There are these Sneetches you see. Some have stars on their bellies and some don't. The ones with stars think they're better than the ones without stars and won't let them join in any games or anything. Then comes along this little man with this machine that can put stars on there bellies. Now they all have stars. Well, the star belly Sneetches won't have this so they have their stars taken off. Soon you can't tell who was who. There's a happy ending.

The Dawg

Dexy looky.

Dexy no likey.

Dr. Seuss Stuff, Part 3


A collection of the assorted Seuss character plushes I've discovered on ebay. Yertle the Turtle, Thing 1, Horton the Elephant, a pink fish (hmm...), and three naughty cats.

This bobblehead was another great ebay find. Okay, actually all of them in this post will be ebuys, so I'm not going to tell you every time, k?

Lightswitch cover. Neato torpedo.

Tissue box cover.

A string of Seuss lights. I'll post each of them in the next three pix.

Da Cat in Da Hat.

Horton. (He's the one who heard the Who.)

A red fish with presents. After looking at these, I see we have a holiday theme going on...