Busy Weeks

This was my schedule the last few weeks

Jan 15-17 Church Youth Group Retreat
Jan 17 Volleyball
Jan 18- Awards Banquet
Jan 19- Trish and Richard for Soup
Jan 20- Put together designed baby clothes for store in town
Jan 21- Volunteer art
Jan 22- Surprise Birthday Party in Cedar Falls for Trish
(Link and I drove the 2 hours each direction to the restaurant, waited an hour, ate alone, and came home. Three days later we find out the host moved it and forgot to contact us. I was pretty hurt for a while.)
Jan 23- Old Man River Birthday Lunch and Schera's game night (Taboo)
Jan 24- Volleyball and Church annual meeting
Jan 25- Dishntunes meeting and updates
Jan 26- Hair cuts
Jan 27- Dr. Appointment and Book Club
Jan 28- Volunteer Art
Jan 29-31 Spirations Retreat

6 month report

Cool Pickles, originally uploaded by Shannon Marye.

Link at 6 months only weighs in at 20 lbs. He is dropping from 100% to 95% in height and weight. However, head size is still off the charts. Doc says as long as it curves on the chart and doesn't go straight up it is ok.
As far as skills, Link has figured out how to shake his head in the "no" way although he does not mean "no" he just likes the way it feels. He also likes to stomp his feet and slap his hands on the table and watch them rotate at the wrists and ankles.
He eats an ice cube tray full of food a day. He puckers at strawberries and tomatoes, but can eat a dill pickle without flinching. He loves to put the spoon in his own mouth.
He nurses, sleeps, and diapers 4-5 times a day and sleeps a strong 7 hours. We are no longer co-sleeping as much. We put him on the guest bed. I have been sleeping better since then. We did have one bad night last week were we had to drive around in the car at 2:30 am to stop the screaming.
Link loves singing and snapping and toys.
He LOVES the cats and will smile, laugh, and grab every time they are near. He sits up most of the time to play on his mat. He never really figured out how to roll continually while lying down, but he has figured out how to go from a sit to his belly to reach for a toy too far away. I think I see him trying to figure out how to scoot with his legs, but it hasn't happened yet.
Link has gotten a little scared around others, even grandma and grandpa, but for the most part he is still full of smiles. He loves being tickled in the neck, belly and back.

LInk like and dislike

I dislike that Link thinks the only way to release from nursing is to clamp down and pull. I do like the way his eyes roll back in pure joy the second he latches on.

I dislike that Link is not really a cuddler (maybe it comes with time). I do like that Link is a busy body and loves to watch himself move. His amazement with his ankle rotations are quite entertaining.

I LOVE that Link is a bow full of laughs.

The Good and The Bad

The Bad News- Link and I traveled 2 hours one way for a surprise party that never happened. Have no idea where everyone was.
The Good News- I didn't stress over driving to a new place in the dark, thanks to our gps.

The Bad News- As always the waitress forgot about my order and I didn't get my order for over and hour and a half. I've got a screaming kid, you think you would notice. I finally told her I was waiting, she had it made in 3 min. I didn't leave a tip, even though she was very apologetic. It just happens to me to often for me to be nice anymore.
The Good News- I went to Hobby Lobby and found a boatload of things I was searching the internet for and couldn't find. AND they were all items on sale.

recipezaar

I like to cook. I'm not a person who has ever prepared my family a meal every day. Sometimes Bryce cooks, sometimes we eat frozen pizzas. I'm not big on family recipes or great cookbooks. My favorite thing to do is look in the fridge at random ingredients and try something new. I'm glad recipezaar is there to help me from making complete disasters. They allow you to filter recipes by ingredients, which is perfect for me. On the grill as we speak are Asian burgers. A recipe found when I typed in the ingredients hamburger, peanut butter, and apples.

Smaller footprint

In 2009 we somewhat unintentionally mad eour home a little greener. Here are some things we do now that we didn't do before:

1. Put plastic on the windows to help keep the heat in and bought door drafts stoppers
2. Started using glass jars for storage rather than disposable containers
3. Put a bucket under our leaky faucet and flush the toilet with it when its full
4. Using cloth diapers all the time now, even nights and on the road

Award Show

Photo business award, originally uploaded by Shannon Marye.

New Business

Tonight I received an award from the city today for starting a new business in Elkader in 2009. In case you are wondering WHAT business, since I have my hand in several things, it was for my photography.
While there I ran into people who, as one person put it "haven't seen in many Sundays." Several wanted to talk to me and tell me that they miss the newspaper in my hands because it was more community based. That always makes my day. I can't believe it has been a year since the paper was my baby and not in someone else's hands. I miss it, but not the hours or the people I ended up with. The newspaper changed a lot for me. It brought me to Elkader, it made me known in the community and me to know others in the community. What a blessing.
On the way back from the banquet I started reflecting on work again. I know I do a ton of stuff, some works, some doesn't. I am trying to think of ways where I can pool my energy into one event or so a month and reap rewards similar to a month of work. I have wanted to be an event planner ever since I learned what one was. My idea, be my own event planner. Plan a baby or wedding expo or battle of the bands, etc. Another thing I like is writing curriculum. It was my favorite part of teaching. My idea, writing a curriculum program "An artist a day" and reaping the rewards through sales of the program.

Big Head Syndrome

Not only was the size of Link's head a problem in coming out into the world. It is also a problem with being clothed in the world. Some 18 month clothes we have to put aside due to head size. Bummer.

I love my mom

I have never really admitted this before, but when I was in middle school I was so depressed and full of rage I not only had suicidal thoughts, but homicidal thoughts. At that time most of my angst was directed at my mother so she feel prey to my hysteria. I would secretly go into her closet and cut slices in her clothing, although I always choose outfits she never wore and were too small so she wouldn't find them (I don't think she ever did) and I once hid her wedding ring before she went on a trip so she wouldn't have it the whole time and then placed it somewhere she would have looked to make her feel like she overlooked it. The list could continue. Of course she was not completely innocent of doing hurtful things to me as well. I was the first child and got all the experimentation. However, what I feel most guilty about is the times I wished her dead. When I say I had homicidal thoughts I wasn't planning her death nor did I do anything that may cause her to have an accident, but I did often wish for a car wreck or something that would rid her from my life. As I think about this I think about what would have happened to me if she actually had perished during that time in my life. I actually think I might have been happy, but how horrid to think of that now. If she had died then would I still think she was evil or would I have realized that a lot of the issues were just inability to communicate and feel immense pain in feeling those emotions as a child. I think I would be in another depression just realizing my mother perished with the last thing she heard from me was "I hate you" or something of the sort.
Today I do complain about my mother from time to time. She still has the ability to make me feel like shit once in a while. I still take whatever she says to me with a grain of salt, knowing she is prone to exaggeration. She still has a flare for the dramatic in life (even when none exists). She still favors her only son. However, I love her beyond a doubt. I think about what life would be like if she had not been here after Link was born to help me move around or the joy in sharing a grandchild with her. I think about how I would be if I didn't have her to give me advice when I was needing it most in my career. My mom is there when I need her, she loves being my mom and I love being her daughter. I wish I could erase all the evil thoughts I thought and the evil actions I did, but instead I can only send my apology out into the world. I love my mom. Without her I would not be who am. Two things which I enjoy are the ability to tell a great story and a high tolerance to pain. My mom rocks. I love you mom.

Volunteering

Church Council
Youth Group
Art on a Cart

Cabin Fever Relief

Cabin Fever Relief, originally uploaded by Shannon Marye.

Hot Wings

Last night after Bryce went to work I went upstairs to put Link down for a nap and looked at my facebook. There was an invitation from Annette, a new friend of mine, to join her and some friends (Paula, Bobbi, Jenny, and Kandi) for a movie in Elkader and dinner at Fennelly's afterward. So I quickly thought of someone I could call to take care of Link (John and Sue Gnagy) and arranged for them to take care of him for a few hours. When Link went to sleep I quickly went and shoveled out the driveway and dug out the car. I got Link to the Gnagy's and myself to the movie theater at 6:45 for the 7:30 show. Ten minutes later they sold out of tickets while I was in line. Because I did not have any of the girl's phone numbers I thought they might already be inside. So I went to Fennelly's to see if they were there and they were. They also didn't get tickets. So we ate, talked and filled the place with laughter. I had so much fun. Then we went to the bowling alley for more laughter, drinks, and bowling. It was my first time away from Link so long and I needed it. It was great to come back to him and my husband.
Funniest story from the night: A few years ago her daughter's kindergarten class all drew pictures of their mom's for mother's day and had them hanging in the hall. When Kandi went to a teacher conference she had her daughter point out her picture. There was her drawing of her mom with her beautiful black hair flowing and her beautiful black pubic hair. I couldn't stop laughing at how funny it would be to see that my child drew that, but on top of that had it hanging in the school hall.
This morning to use up leftovers I made hotwing omelettes, with hot wings, celery and cheese.

firsts

Last night was my first church council meeting. I am replacing the person who formerly did missions and treasury. I'm not so excited about the treasury, but I like the missions.
Today was to be my first day bringing art on a cart to the elementary at Central. Last night I kept having dreams that I was in the classroom and I would look down and not realize that I kept exposing my breasts so they could get air for the yeast infection. Today when I woke up school was canceled do to heavy snowfall last night.
As I sit here typing Link has just rolled from back to tummy for the first time (Yipee) and is complaining about being on his tummy. Other new things (some in the book, some not) are Link's pounding of his hand up and down when excited. Ususaly right, so I am assuming he did not follow his dad. He also is leaning from side to side more deeply. He like it when people bend that way too when talking to him. It is a bit challenging to hold him when he does this. He also is protesting anything in his mouth besides a breast. No fingers, no pacifiers, no bottles. He hadn't had a bottle in over a month so when we gave him one we were surprised he could hold it completely by himself, take it out and put it in, but will he suck the milk out? No way. Oh, I guess he also likes to suck on his toes now, so that must be replacing the fingers. He also has developed a whiny cry and a hysterical laugh. One of them I like, the other I don't. Can you guess which?

Health Insurance

Yesterday we met with our health insurance rep. She cut out premium in half and our deductible is practically the same. The only thing is we no longer have maternity coverage, but it doesn't even matter because I didn't even use it during Link's pregnancy and the total cost was still under the deductible. We should have done this a long time ago.

Up and Away

Upstairs I think I can hear my husband beatboxing to our laughing child. Today Link was laughing at Bryce saying chex mix. Not twix, max, chix, etc, only chex mix.

We just rented and watched away we go. I really enjoyed it except for the charicatured attachment parents. All other characters seemed normal with quirks but the baby wearing, bed sharing, breast feeding family were all together weird. I was surprised they didn't throw in red raspberry leaves and nettles in their meal and make that seem bad. Nonetheless, people of all walks of life can be arrogant and self-righteous.

It's kind of like how I like the website people of Walmart, but get upset when they so easily target fat people simply because they don't look good in an outfit.

Put er there

Put er there, originally uploaded by Shannon Marye.

Up and Down Again

Yesterday we went to Larry and Andrea's for a family get together. We ate and played Marbles and Jokers. That night Liz and my family went to Dani's and watched the Hangover. Then we went to my parents to sleep at 1:30 am. When we got to mom and dad's Link woke up and starting laughing almost uncontrollably. Every move we made he thought was hilarious. After about an hour I finally got him to eat to sleep. I thought this meant his illness was gone, but today at church he projectile vomited all over my pants. (Vomit not spit up). I went to the bathroom to change him and wipe me off and he did it again all over my shirt. So we went home. Link is having another sleeping day.

My New Years

Consisted of going down to Schera's to bring meds to my husband. Bryce connecting me with my buddy Jason, who was rejected and flying solo this evening, for the fancy meal. Hearing a few songs by Katie, Mari, and Molly. Finding my husband lying on the floor in the back room due to the pain of his cold. Bringing Link and Bryce home and putting them to bed at 11. Hearing a muffled surge of noise at midnight from the town and the pop of a few fireworks. Happy 2010.