Keeping warm

There is something about babies that brings out the creative side of people. Everyone loves to make things for babies, and most often the object of their creativity is a blanket.

Kate's great grandmother made her three Dr. Seuss blankets with old t-shirts, my good friend Sherri use some Dr. Seuss pajama pants to make her a quilt, and two ladies at church crocheted blankets for her. I already have two crocheted blankets from my infancy, so that brings her total to four.

The other day Kate received a parcel, and guess what was inside?Isn't it pretty? It's from Kate's grandparents in Montana. I love the handmade tag on the backside. I think it will be really special to Kate, as will all the other blankets she has that were made especially for her.I would like to make one tiny request though....Kate's pretty much stocked up on blankets. She doesn't really need clothes either, but we're always accepting cash or check. : )

10,000 kisses

When I was a little kid, my brother and I always dreaded the initial greeting when we'd go see Granny. She was one of those kissers that laid one on you in rapid succession on whatever cheek she caught first. You know the type; I think that God requires every human has at least one aunt or grandmother that kisses you like this. We are talking six or seven kisses, right in a row, all nice and slobbery. I swore as a child that I would never become that grown-up who slobbered all over the cheeks of children who are her relatives.I lied.
I mean come on, how do you look at this face and not want to kiss every little square inch? She's just so darn cute.Kate, I apologize. Although you don't mind it now, and Lord knows you've done your share of slobbering on me, I know that someday you will cringe when mommy tries to lay a dozen kisses on your cheek. "Mo-om" you'll say.Honey, I just can't help it.

Because it's been a while

I haven't felt like blogging much this week after I finished my tribute to Matt, but I know it's time to get back in the groove. Matt's memorial service was difficult to get through, although I had to hold back a giggle during the middle of the service while Amazing Grace was being played. There's nothing wrong with Amazing Grace...but this version began with a normal looking quartet singing and somewhere in the middle it became a total operatic version like the Three Tenors would perform, only the video was still showing the same four men who were obviously lip-synching at this point before reverting back to the normal singing. It was weird, and I had to smile knowing that Matt probably would have thought it was hilarious.

I got to meet his parents. I mentioned before that I always heard Matt on the phone with his mother, who he called Momma, and I often said that I needed to meet his mother since he was often telling her about our daily activities. It was obvious by the reaction of his father and his mother than Matt spoke often of me, as he did many of his co-workers. It felt nice to know that I had a positive impact on his life and he enjoyed being my friend as much as I enjoyed being his.

In all we made it through, and now we can begin to move forward. I guess that's how it goes when you lose someone. Although that person is gone, everyone else is still here and needs you just the same as they always did. So that brings me to some sweetness that needs to be shared.

Today on Cake Wrecks, one of my favorite blogs, they featured Dr. Seuss themed cakes. You know how we love Dr. Seuss in our house, so I thought it only fitting that Kate's photos today had a similar theme.

For Matt

Sometimes when you have a job that might ordinarily drive you crazy and not one that you love, having someone in the office that made you laugh and was a good friend would help you get through the day to day stress. For me, when I was still with Anchor, that person was Matt.

Matt was in the same office as me, a small building with just a handful of us. We were separated from the regular office folk, and I was thankful for that. The environment allowed for us to be a tight-knit group with our own funny stories and inside jokes. We could plan our own cook-outs without having to invite anyone else. We could make a run to Sonic for breakfast and not feel bad that we didn't buy for everyone. We were close.

Matt was the ray of sunshine in the group. Always positive and cheerful, I could count on one hand the number of times I saw him in a bad mood. He had great laughs; one when he was making fun of someone and one when he was truly amused. He had a bright smile to match the personality. Last year, when Matt turned 40, I decorated our entire office with various over the hill signs and gag items that I bought at Party City, along with a cake to commemorate the passing of his youth. Matt was a champ about it and even wore the gag safety vest I bought out on the lot. He later told me he truly felt the love that day and we made his birthday really great.

Matt sat along the same wall as me, facing the same direction, but we were separated by a large closet. That meant we had to lean forward to see around the coats and vests hanging on the closet door to see each other when we needed to share a look or make a face at something that was going on in the office. Sometimes when some of the other guys were in an argument, Matt and I would actually pick up the phone and call each other to discuss the situation, even though we were only 20 feet apart and it was unnecessary. I often heard him on his phone, calling his momma to check in and see what was going on.

Matt was quite the chef, and I often joked that he was going to make someone a great wife someday. He made me a pumpkin cheesecake on my last day at work, and even though it was his first attempt it was divine. He brought in a carrot cake one day that literally melted in your mouth, and I don't even like carrot cake all that much. His was excellent. Sometimes he would bring in a strawberry soda cake or some other dessert he had whipped up just because he was bored.

When I needed to stand for a little bit because I was tired from sitting at my desk for so long, I would always walk over to Matt's counter to chit chat. I helped him with a lot of his paperwork because Matt was doing the work of about three people, although he never really complained about it. He did it because it needed to be done, so I was happy to help him where ever I could. I felt really bad after I left to have Kate because all of the slack I had been picking up for him was going to be dumped right back on his plate, and despite my extensive efforts the company just didn't see the value in replacing me. They opted for cost savings instead, to the detriment of Matt and others in my department.

I have only spoken to Matt a couple of times since I left Anchor in October, but I could tell that he was more stressed than ever as I knew he would be. It was just too much for one person to have to handle alone, especially when the company made some more lay-offs involving another person in our small office. I felt almost guilty for leaving, even though I left for something so much greater than any paying job.

I wish I had called or stopped by to check in on Matt more often. Friday morning I have to go to his funeral and say goodbye to my best office friend. I really don't know how I will handle it. It still seems surreal that he's gone since I was accustomed to not seeing him daily anymore. Anchor has lost one of its finest, and I have lost a friend.

A sound like no other

There is nothing quite like the wail of my daughter when she is unhappy. She begins with a cry that quickly escalates into a high-pitched scream if she's not made happy pretty quickly.
It's like she has no patience, although I have no idea where she might get that from.
Typically the problem is simply that she's not being held at the present moment. 99% of the time, the wail can be calmed simply by picking her up. It usually doesn't even take her a minute to calm down...usually it's an instant cessation of all crying activities. It's like she's got an on/off button.

She's still cute though.

Winter Wonderland

This morning I couldn't wait to get out of bed to see just how much snow fell on us last night while we slept. It was still coming down pretty good when we went to bed. In all, the DFW Airport received 12.5" of snow, the largest amount in any one 24 hour period. We are only 2" of snow away from the snowiest winter here in North Texas, so I will keep my fingers crossed that we break that record of 17.6".

These are some of the breath-taking views that greeted us this morning. Nick measured the snow on top of the Versa:
You can compare these next photos to the ones I took yesterday:This is my crepe myrtle that normally stands about 12' tall.No snow day is complete without a snowman. I built this one all by myself while Nick hung out with Kate inside. I gave him green hair.

Holy Snow Day Batman!

I am in shock at the amount of snow we've received today. As I'm typing this it's still coming down outside and it isn't supped to stop for another couple of hours. We never get snow quite like this. In fact I just read that so far this has been the snowiest winter in 32 years. I can't wait to see what the final tally for snow fall is after this storm stops dumping the white stuff on us. Not that I'm complaining...if you know me at all you know that I adore snow. It helps that I am not expected to drive anywhere in it though.

This was my car at 9:14 this morning. It had already been snowing for six hours at this point.This is the same view at 1:06 pm. You will notice that some small little avalanche caused all the snow to fall off the hood of my car. I think probably the crepe myrtle did this when it laid over onto the car. Look at how much more snow is on the ground.
This is the roof of our storage shed at 9:15. Note that you cannot see the huge bush that sits next to it in this photo.
Here is the same view at 3:50 this afternoon. The huge shrub has now made an appearance because it cannot remain upright with the weight of the snow.
This last one is just for beauty purposes. I just love snow covered trees.

Snowbaby

Normally we don't get a lot of snow in Texas, but since Kate has been alive I think it has snowed three times, including today. It's currently still snowing and the weathermen are saying we could get as much as 7 inches!
I don't think she knew what to think of the white stuff. Maybe next winter we'll get more and she can actually run around in the snow and play.

Just some cuteness

Nothing new to report today. My days are pretty much the same. Kate and I typically watch a movie at some point during the day (Today we watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.) and I try to accomplish as much housework as she will allow. As she gets older and less clingy, this amount should increase. But having little to tell you about isn't going to stop me from sharing some extreme cuteness. Besides, I know Pop will be checking for updates on his little granddaughter.

She's getting stronger every day. We are still waiting for her to roll from her tummy to her back. She has the other direction down pretty good.Look at the striped baby legs. Oh my.Drool is the word of the day.Sometimes she can get an object in her mouth, if you place it in her hands.She's a little bit cuter each day, and giggling more every day.

I like big butts...

...and I cannot lie.

The List

-at the hospital
-at my mom's house
-at Logan's Roadhouse
-at my Dad's house
-at my brother's house
-at my church
-at my brother's church
-at my aunt's house
-at my grandma's house
-at Kaycee's house
-in the backseat of the Pathfinder in the parking lot of a motel in Mesquite
-at my mother-in-law's house
-in an empty room at a funeral home
-at Kristeen's house
-in the backseat of the Versa at a Shell station somewhere along I-20
-in my home office
-at the Hampton Inn in Mt. Pleasant, Texas room 209
-in my bedroom
-in my living room

These are all the places I've breastfed my daughter so far. I vote the funeral home as the most unusual, would you agree?

A few random things

1- Peter Pan Whipped Creamy Peanut Butter is the BEST peanut butter on the planet. It's extremely light and fluffy. When you scoop out a spoonful for snacking purposes, it doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth! It's divine. It also has less sugar than the regular kind. You really need to try it.

2- Herbal Essences Drama Clean conditioner smells horrible. I have to hold my breath when I use it. No kidding. I can't wait for this bottle to run out. Berry tea and orange flower do not go together.

3- Kate and I are eagerly awaiting the Winter Olympics. We have big plans to sit and watch all day long until the closing ceremony. I love the Olympics. I am determined to figure out the purpose of curling.

4- Lansinoh Nipple Cream makes the best lip balm. I have never had to use it for its intended purpose, thankfully, but it works wonders on your dry lips and skin. Nick has been using it on his hands. They get so dry in the winter that the skin on his fingertips sometimes cracks.

5- Being home all the time now has me itching to do some spring cleaning. We have so much junk everywhere. I don't know where it all came from, but I'm thinking about going through the house and getting rid of every other thing, no matter what it is. That should reduce the mess by half, right? Goodwill is going to owe me big time.

6- It's lunch time and I really, really want some fried rice. I crave the stuff. Oooh, and some orange chicken.

7- Kate and I have watched the Pirates trilogy three times since she was born. We've also watched the entire Friends series once through. We get bored with HGTV. It's really quite sad when an episode if House Hunters or Designed to Sell comes on and I've already seen it.

8- Today my little girl is 3 months old.

Drool, a Beginning

We've arrived at a very special time in Kate's life, the stage where drool has taken over. If she's not asleep or eating, her hands (or yours) are in her mouth. I used to rely on her eating her hands as a hunger cue, but that has become unrealistic. I know this is just a beginning and as soon as she gets control of her fingers and grasping abilities she will begin to chew on anything and everything she can get in there.This kid produces an insane amount of drool, and I've owned two basset hounds. They had nothing on Kate. I am told that the drool level is only going to increase as other milestones like teething come along. Who knew kids were so soggy?Her poor little hands stay cold all the time because they stay wet all the time. She doesn't seem to mind, so I don't worry with it. I do have to use precautions when kissing her on the face these days, because I've come away with some pretty wet kisses. It's a good thing she's so cute.