Voyages in Parenthood

...come back some other day....and, not next week, I think we can schedule you in around the 10th of July, yep, that will work! We have been overrun with rain over the past week, so much so that I think we may be stuck here in Phoenixville, as most of the roads out of town are shut down because of flooding! Worst flooding since Agnes, so they say (I was only 4 then!) Luckily, because of how our house is situated on a hill, we don't have to worry about flooding. We do have a trickle of water in the basement, but that happens, and it didn't damage anything. We are a lot better off than most in the area. Our creek and pond (which was the lowest it had been in a few years now) are running pretty high, so the fish and frogs and snakes and ducks will be plenty happy. We are packing up in anticipation of leaving on Fri night for the shore! WOOO HOOO...so, hopefully this rain stuff will stop for a week and a few days so we can enjoy ourselves at the beach! SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME R...

14 months ago, we had a little baby girl. Today, we have a willful, stubborn, little baby girl. Willful is an understatement. Stubborn is a good description, but there probably is a word out there that describes our child perfectly. These are the only two I could come up with to get close! My goodness this child is a handful. And yes, I am probably paying for all the terrible things I did to my mother when I was a child. But, don't you think it could be spread out over the course of 18 years, and not 18 months???? geez! We have spent the past several nights listening to the blood curdling screams of a child who is trying to, apparently, let us know that we just aren't the parents she expected. She obviously went wrong choosing us! We know she's tired, she seems ready to go to bed, but get her in crib, tucked in with her doll baby, and leave the room, the second your completely out of the room, the screaming starts. And, it's not just bed time, it's nap time, too. Ri...

It's been a busy week...I am learning a new product at work and I am working on a sleep deficit (you'll understand shortly) plus, last night and all of today, I have been fighting a headache...a really strange one - not one of my normal pain in the butt headaches (yeah, I know, wrong end for the pain! ha!) Anyway, as you know, we spent the weekend in Wyoming, NY, this weekend. Wyoming is a small town near where Brock grew up, southwest(ish) of Rochester, NY. It's mostly farmland (actually, it is all farmland - well, except for the salt mines). It's very beautiful, but really, there ain't nothing out there! Which is actually quite nice. Wyoming is where Brock's parents live, with their brood of dogs (a westie, cavalier king charles spaniel, english mastiff and a great dane...a very international mix of dogs!) Brock's Dad was having his "retirement" party - "retirement" because he really isn't retired - it's a long and strange story...

We were up in NY this weekend for Brock's dad's "retirement" party. Leda got to play with Grandpa's toys... We are just so disapointed - she doesn't seem to like them at all! hehehehe Click the picture for more - She really does like the cars. Of course, when Grandpa cranked up the Eliminator, Leda kinda ran out of the garage in a hurry! A bit too loud for her! ;-) She didn't cry though - just kinda gave Grandpa a funny look! Still wanted to pay with the toys though!

...I posted this . Technically, it was the third post on this blog, but it was on the same day I started the blog, so it counts! It described the reason I decided to do this. Some day, I hope I will be able to publish this "diary" for Leda. I hope it tells her all about her first year of life (and then some)...all the things she won't remember. And, wow, how she has changed, as have we all. Her parents are a little more tired than they were a year ago (well, maybe a year and two months ago!) but happier and prouder every day (and, apparently, worser at grammar! ;-) Leda's taller, more mobile, thinner in the face (wow, was she a round faced chubby kid a year ago or what??), and exerting her personality all over our sorry you know whats! What a little pistol that one is (yes, I just used the word pistol to describe my child...apparently I now channel my grandmother and my mother at will - see, we have all changed a little!). Don't get our own way, well, we just sit ...

Leda Laughs See if you don't, too!

Tomorrow will be one year since we put Leda on the Internet. Yep, one whole year of exposing our precious little girl to the Big Bad Internet. It's a darn good thing that no one really comes here (other than friends and family...we already know you guys are weird and we are okay with that! ;-) So, if I am really good and I remember, you guys might be graced with a new picture of Leda. The month of June hasn't seen much use of the camera this year! Okay, now for the rant...what is with these new ads telling new mothers that breast-feeding is best? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the ads come off as indicating that if you don't breast-feed you are a horrible mother...I mean, you wouldn't ride a bull in a honkey-tonk if you were pregnant, now, would you? Come on now. Are you telling me that the government is now going to get on the "boy, if you were a good mother, you would have breast-fed your child until she left for college, tsk, tsk" band wago...

We've been busy around here. So busy, I just haven't thought of updating the blog! To be honest, I am on the computer all day long (and most of last week, every evening) and the thought of doing anything personal on the computer kinda makes me shiver! ;-) Leda's just agrowin'! Hasn't started talking yet, so, of course, I am going nuts! Brock's pretty laid back about it, but I wanna hear her call me "mama." She babbles all the time...like she's speaking a different language (yeah, I know, she IS talking a different language...baby!). But we haven't heard anything that sounds like a real word. So, should I worry? Or just shut up and wait...when she starts talking, I'll never get her to shut up, right? Her Auntie Claire got her some bunny ears for easter (I am pretty sure they came from Auntie Claire!)....she wouldn't have anything to do with them around then, but she found them on the floor of my office the other day (don't ask, I hav...

Yesterday, Leda, Brock and I headed up to NYC for the day. Brock's friend and roommate from LA was in NYC for work, and, as we hadn't seen her in some years, we decided that we would head up to the city to have dinner with her. Since Jennifer was working most of the day, we figured we'd spend some time at the the Met and do some lunch and tour the museum (I've never been there, so we thought it would be a fun thing to do) until the later afternoon when Jennifer was free. Before we left for NYC though, I hopped online around 10am to see if I could score us some Dixie Chick tickets...by 10:03, we had two seats in not such a bad section! What a surprise! I have NEVER gotten tickets that quickly before! Woo Hoo! So off to NYC. Leda slept most of the ride up. Brock got us into the city, we headed straight from the Lincoln Tunnel over to 1st Ave - saw the United Nations building! Headed up 1st to 81st and then over toward 5th, where the Met was. Found the parking garage, park...

Like it? I really wish I was sitting RIGHT THERE on that lounge chair! (Picture taken Spring 2001 at the Marriott (I think) beach on St. Lucia...only beach we wouldn't have to pay to sit on in St. Lucia, if I remember correctly!)

Click here!

What a beautiful weekend we had here! It was sunny and warm-to-hot this weekend, perfect for spending most of our time outside! We went to a bbq on Sunday (thanks to the Durhams) and spent today playing outside in our NEW sand box! Yep, Mama went out and bought the kid a sand box (don't worry, it's got a lid...no kitty litter box in the back yard for us!) This is the second time we were in the sandbox...the first time we were in our little skort outfit that Daddy dressed us in this morning. Then Mama realized that it would be easier to hose her off if she was in her bathing suit! We did a LOT of hosing off today! Leda was loving it! It really was a great weekend. Leda's doing a lot of neat things now...she climbed up on the couch tonight without our help...the first time she's done that! Of course, her Mama and Daddy sat on the other couch and laughed at her as she got frustrated (hey, it was funny! Besides, it just made her try harder!) I'll have to find some time ...

I found a video of Leda from Christmas Day that I just thought was too cute to not post to the video blog, so it's there now. And yes, that would be the dog in the background, watching TV...how we got a dog that watches TV and a kid that doesn't is beyond me! Flashback: Christmas Day 2005

The video is up! Leda and Daddy play with the hose Leda drinks from the fountain

Here's my finished project - my "buddha garden." It's a big hit with the kid and dog! I am a little unhappy with the big empty space behind the fountain. I think I am going to be looking for something to hang there. The "trellis" idea didn't turn out the way I expected. Of course, it's early in the season! I guess we can always hope the ivy and the black eyed susan viney thing might grow fast enough to take up that area. Ha! Anyway, as I said, it's a hit with the kid and the dog. Duff has already partaken of a nice cool drink on a hot day. Apparently, the kid thought it was a good idea... Don't worry, no chemicals were added. She then decided it was time to drink out of the hose...she ended up getting mostly soakin wet! Oh, and there are videos! Will probably be a day or two before they are up!

What a boring blog this has become! I've been too darn tired to update it in the past week. Chasing a one year old is tiring, especially on your own! As of this afternoon, however, I am no longer a single parent, YAHOO! One Lap is over and Brock is home. Of course, he goes off to do poll watching all day tomorrow into the evening, so, again, tomorrow evening, I am a single parent...actually, tonight, I was too (although Brock did make dinner before he headed out to his meeting!) But Wednesday! Woo Hoo... I think I might go out shopping and leave baby home with daddy! ;-) I did finish my fountain project this weekend. Barely in time for the torrential downpours we have had in the past couple of days, so I didn't get any finished pictures...will have to post that later in the week when it is nice out enough to take some pics. So, really, sorry for the boring site, but being tired and busy doesn't give me much time for being creative! I promise, I will post something fun soon!

I can't believe I am wasting this hour of my life watching David Blaine try to drowned himself. Dude, this guy's got a death wish. And, that music they are playing in the background...dude, so cheesy. I seriously can't believe I have been sucked into this...okay, he's out, it's fine, he's alive...he has just waved to the crowd! I think this is probably the worst waste of my time since watching Barry Manilow on Dancing with the Stars on a Friday night ! And, yet, I feel good that he didn't die. But, dude, enough with the stunts that could get you killed. Geez.

Half from Mama and Daddy, the other half from 'Uncle' Chris! (Thanks, Chris!)... Notice, she's already drooled on it! She is loving the chair... And Mama likes it better than the folding chair that she was playing with since she got it for her birthday...it's a lovely chair, but a little unstable for inside...much better for outside in the nice soft grass! This one she can climb into all on her own, she can sit there and drink her juice, and as you could see in the first photo, her little people can rest in the corners! Show Off!

I remember visiting Lucy when I was a kid when we would go to the shore with my Nani and Poppie...I can't wait to take Leda to see her...hopefully she can make it until then... I just heard she was hit by lightening over the weekend and it caused $35,000 damage! And, I think I heard last week that there is some dispute about some money (duh!) and that there was a threat to take Lucy "on the road?" Can you imagine? A six-story elephant rolling on down the highway?? Talk about seeing pink elephants!

Two years ago, when I quit smoking, I started "gardening." I started a patio pond, with fish and a water lily , and I started planting containers (hanging baskets mostly). I did plant some in the "garden" we have around the patio, but I tend to leave that up to Brock (I gotta have someone to blame if it looks bad! ;-) Well, last year, I didn't add fish to my patio pond, and, in all honesty, it really didn't get enough attention as I was dealing more with the infant we had in the house at the time than the outdoor beautification of the house. This year, with a toddler (it kinda scares me a little to call my BARELY ONE YEAR OLD a toddler, but, basically, that's what she is!) I decided a patio pond wouldn't be prudent - with the possibilities of drowning and all (not to mention all the wonderful things that might make it into the water other than the kid, like toys, rocks, sippy cups, etc!). But, I really liked the sound of flowing water out on our pati...