First "real" food, not quite a success

Well, we started Luke on rice cereal today. He was less than thrilled. I don't think he swallowed any at all, and he cried after about 8 spoonfuls, most of which ended up all over his face. ::sigh:: We'll keep trying, and we'll switch to oatmeal in a few days to see if he might like that better. He was also pretty tired when we started (despite having not gotten up from a nap all that long before we tried). I hope things improve. Here, these tell the story better than I can, but here are the three key plot points:

Happy Easter

Luke's first Easter basket, compliments of Nana.

Raz has crossed The Rainbow Bridge

I'm not sure if I have talked much about my cat Raz. I found him as an all but starved to death kitten at the mall 13 years ago. He was (estimated to be) 8 weeks old at the time, and he weighed just 1.2 pounds (should have weighed over 2). After much convincing, my parents let me keep him, on the condition that he be an outdoor kitty (please, no harping on this issue (all current kitties are indoor only); thanks). It was a safe neighborhood, and we had a screened porch where he could stay. On cold nights, he slept in the garage on a heating pad. He survived a dog attack a few years later, and fully recovered. I always intended to bring him to my house after I graduated from college, but he was too much of an "outside kitty," and I couldn't let him run wild in the apartment complex, so I left him at my parents' house. They took excellent care of him. Mom even said that if she'd known he was going to turn out to be such a sweet and well-behaved kitty, she may have let him stay inside.

He was hit by a car on Sunday, not too long after we left Brunswick to return home from our Disney trip. After having such a rough week on vacation and with Luke's shots coming up, they decided to wait for things to settle down a bit around here before telling me. Not like it would change anything, and I seriously would have been a basketcase if they'd told me earlier, so I am grateful for the chance to get it together (more or less) before falling apart again. It's not really the car's (or the driver's) fault. He had recently developed this bad habit of running across the street as cars passed. He did this as a young kitten when he was getting used to the neighborhood, but he had grown out of it. He would also charge cars as they entered the driveway; he was just so happy you were home! Hey, there's a reason he earned the affectionate nickname of "Stupid." I'm sure he charged out right in front of the car, and there was nothing the driver could do. Mom says he didn't linger and/or suffer, and for that I am grateful. He was old (13 years), particularly for an outdoor cat. He lived a good and well-cared-for life, if not the cushiest. All things considered (his bad start, the dog attack, being outside for so many years), it's amazing he lived as long as he did. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to cry the first time I pull into my parents' driveway and he doesn't run out to greet me.

Many of you have read this poem before, but I would like to post it here and dedicate it to my little fluffy gray and white kitty, the king of our yard, Raspberry, better known as Razbo or Raz. I'll tell his whole story a little later, so that you can all know how special he was. If you haven't read this poem before (or even if you have), get the tissue ready. You're going to need them. And give all of your furbabies a hug for me tonight.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

~Author unknown

A fun exercise in "statesmanship"

Snitched from someone else's internet acerage. I did better than I thought; just shy of half. Not bad, I don't think. I'm sure folks have more, but lots of folks have less, too.

Bold the states you've visited; underline the states you've lived in; and italicize where you are living now.

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa/ Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C. /

Your bizarre little-known fact for today

Cradle cap will fluoresce under black light.

Yes, we rode a few dark rides at Disney; why do you ask? ::rolls eyes::

A little perspective, and Luke's 6 month checkup

Amazing what difference a little sleep can make in your perspective on things. When I posted Sunday night about our trip, I was SOOOO tired. Luke hadn't slept more than two consecutive hours since we left on Tuesday, we had done two parks in one day at Disney World and stayed until close (10 PM) despite 12 straight hours of rain, we had been up late the previous night at a 90 minute rain delayed baseball game, and had traveled to see my grandparents on Saturday. Combine that with a baby who doesn't like being in the back seat alone, particularly at night, and I was rather frazzled by the time we got back (understandable, I think). And while I still cannot say that the trip went smoothly, it was not quite the unmitigated disaster I may have led you to believe a few days ago. More details as I have time to write them, but here are the only pictures we managed to take (see note about rain above). Here are my two favorites, just to prove that the entire trip wasn't a failure.


Luke had his 6 month checkup today (despite being only 5.5 months). I'm trying not to be paranoid about his head circumference, but after climbing to the 50+ percentile, he's dropped back to around 25%. This, despite being 50-75% in weight (down from 75+) and 90-95% in length. ::sigh:: I guess I'll just have to chalk it up to the tiny hat-size of my husband and mother. There are worse things in this world, and I don't think he looks disproportional in any way. It's not the size of the head, it's what you do with it, I suppose. Guess we'll have to wait and see. :p Anyway, here are his current stats (and remember, it's been 6 weeks and a day since his last check):
* Length: 27 3/4 inches (+1 5/8 inches)
* Weight: 18 pounds even (+1 lb 5 oz)
Not as much as I thought he may have grown (he's been wearing 6-9 month clothes (which he has almost outgrown) for several weeks now), but still awfully darn big. And officially way too big for his infant car seat/carrier combo thing. Need to get him a convertible, hopefully this weekend. And a high chair (or reclining booster seat; we'll see). My baby will be starting solids very soon, possibly today if I manage to get to the grocery store to buy some. Never fear, pictures will soon be here! LOL

Rollin' Part Deux

He's flipping back to front now. He's been *almost* able to do it for about a month now, but he couldn't clear out his arm so that he was fully on his tummy. Well he just managed without any help. Yay! He rolls tummy to back and back to tummy to his left. Hasn't really tried towards his right yet.

We're back; don't ask

A few of you know where we went this past week. I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Let's just say that very little, if anything, went even vaguely according to plan, and I'm not sure anyone had any fun (though they keep insisting they did). I'm rather upset about the whole thing, plus a few "extra" things that have gone wrong since we left. Maybe if I can ever get around to typing about it without tearing up (some good, but mostly bad), I'll post. And I'll definitely give a link when Mom gets the pictures uploaded (as she's the only one who took any). I'll just leave it at this: I've never been so happy to be home from my favorite place on earth, and I'm threatening not to ever leave the house again, at least not until Luke is about 20.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Luke rolled over! He was on his tummy, enjoying tummy time, and then decided he didn't want to be on his tummy anymore. He started pushing with his feet, then moved his arms, and over he went! Such a big boy! ::sniff sniff:: He's growing up.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

I cannot believe I forgot! I missed the Episode III full trailer tonight. And when did I remember? At 9 PM, just as the show it was supposed to debut during was going off. And my brother who was supposed to tape it while he watched Survivor? Yeah, he forgot too. GGRRR

Wil Wheaton on CSI this Thursday (March 10)

For any WWDN and or TNG fans, I thought you might like to know that Wil Wheaton will be on CSI this coming Thursday, March 10. I liked him "then," I really enjoy his site, and I can't wait to see what he does with this character. Sounds quite interesting, and nothing like a semi-annoying little ensign. :-p

Wal-Mart's Husband Store (funny)

Okay, so this one is probably going around in email. That's how I got it. But it's still funny! And it's not husband-bashing, I promise. Even when reading it the very first time, I decided that I would have stopped at the fourth floor (knowing there was some kind of catch coming). The ironic thing, though, is that I did indeed pick a guy from the fourth floor, and I didn't even know about the housework part until later! Am I lucky or what? :-)

Wal-Mart's Husband Store

A Wall-Mart store that sells husbands has just opened in Dallas, TX where a woman may go to choose a husband from among many men. Among the instructions at the entrance, is a description of how the store operates. There are only 6 floors. It states that the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.

There is, however, a catch.... As you open the door to any floor you may choose any man from that floor, but if you go up a floor, you cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So, a woman goes to the Wal-Mart Husband Store to find a husband......

On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs.

The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.

The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking. "Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads: Floor 4 - These men have jobs,love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads: Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 3,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping Wall-Mart's Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building - and have a nice day !

It is March, correct?

Forgot to post this yesterday. It is March, right? And I do still live in Georgia, right? I didn't get transported to Norway in my sleep or anything? Then who would like to explain to me why it *snowed* here yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly, Atlanta had a snow shower in March. (Actually, most of you who read this blog already know that, but I still felt like posting. I'm trying to post more.) I guess Luke just wanted to wear his snow suit again, since the last time he wore it, it was technically in the sleet, not the snow. This, however, was honest to goodness flakes. Naturally, I have pictures. Not many, but you can see the snow on the leaves behind him, and some flakes on his outfit in the third photo. Sorry he doesn't look any happier. It was just about nap time.

Three quick Oscar notes

I've seen these same questions/comments made over and over again, so I thought I would address them real quick while I was thinking about it.

* Melanie Griffith shouldn't have worn a dress with a back like that. Okay, granted, the woman is no longer ravishing (if you ever thought she was in the first place). And no, it really wasn't the best dress for her. But for everyone freaking out about the back of it, it has flesh-tone fabric covering her entire back up to her neck, so there was no risk of her showing anything she shouldn't have. Hilary Swank, OTOH, was completely backless. However, with a body (including lats) like that, she could totally pull it off. But here's my confusion: does anyone know why Melanie had a cane with her?
* Why did Johnny Depp have his facial hair done like that? It looked terrible. Well, with Mr. Depp, you never know. He has had a propensity for wearing various styles of facial hair in recent years, no matter what the occasion. *However,* Oscar night 2005 specifically, he was in Jack Sparrow mode (excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow mode). I believe principle filming is to begin this week on the Pirates sequel. *Yay!*
* What the heck was Prince doing presenting an Oscar?! Very simple: he's an Academy Award winner. That's right! Apparently, in 1985, there was a category called "Best Original Song Score." Note, I did not say Best Original Song, or Best Original Score. Those were also categories that year. It was best overall score composed of original songs written specifically for the film. And yes, hard as it may be to imagine (and I can't speak to it, as I've never seen the film), Prince won for his song score to Purple Rain. So for everyone who was rude about him being on stage (though he should have learned how to pronounce the Spanish!), he was an Oscar winner, like it or not.