This was totally not my idea...

Last year, when I was pregnant with Brigid, but before we knew she was a she, Steve made a trip to Augusta National to watch one of the Masters practice rounds. Beautiful course, cheap egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, moon pies, far away pictures of golfers that I didn’t know, blah, blah, blah. Also, maybe a picture of Tiger Woods’ spit? Or somebody’s spit? I don’t remember. Let’s just say I wasn’t all that interested in the details. I will say that the moon pie was excellent, though. Anyway, Steve, in addition to his bag o’ food, came home with something very similar to this:


Yes, that's right. He had purchased our unborn baby a golf onesie. A golf onesie that, in my very strong opinion, is not meant for a little girl. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a proponent of the whole pink jersey trend. I think you should wear your team colors proudly, male or female. Case in point, she already has a black and orange Carson Palmer jersey, blue and white Colts booties, and a black and red Cincinnati Reds onesie. But in this case, I’m just going to say that the whole look comes off a little too boy-like for my taste. (Also, can I just say it seems a little hypocritical to me that we’re dressing our daughter in an outfit promoting a place where she wouldn’t even be allowed to play? You know, if she could play golf. Or walk. Whatever.) But Steve was very excited about this shirt, and, being the absolutely amazing wife that I am, I let him have his way. This time. But I did my darnedest to girly the kid up some in the process. The result?



Ha! Given what I had to work with, I think I did a fantastic job. Even if she doesn’t quite match.

At least I can tell her to blame her father.

Random Thoughts

Miscellaneous thoughts for Tuesday…

- I got gum in my hair today. Gum. (Bonus best friend points to you if you read that using the voice/inflection Sandra Bullock used in Speed when she faked gum on her seat to get away from the chatty tourist on the bus. Man, that is a seriously underrated movie...) I had to give myself an impromptu hair cut to get it out. When did I become five years old again? Obviously, I can’t be trusted to act like an adult. In other equally shocking news, water is wet…

- The forecast this week calls for 75-80 degree weather with sun through Saturday. Weeks like this make it incredibly hard to be in the office, and I kind of wish I was at home on the back porch with the baby today.

- What would I be doing on the back porch with the baby, if I was at home today? Probably playing peek-a-boo, actually. It’s Brigid’s newest trick, and it’s pretty funny to watch. She’ll hold the burp cloth over her head, then slam it down into her lap, giggling, while I say ‘peek-a-boo!’ (Honestly, where would you be without me to explain the rules of the game to you? I am nothing if not helpful.). It’s a little violent, really, the speed at which she plays, but she seems to find herself hilarious, so we’ll go with it for now. Along with a self-developed game where she holds her hands above her head while we ask her ‘How big is Brigid? Soooo big!’, Brigid is learning to keep us all entertained. I’m actually a little surprised at how quickly babies start to pick up on things, truth be told. I think I expected her to remain a lump of baby for a little longer, but I guess that’s not the way it works. Damn.

-Steve is leaving tomorrow for another business trip, this time to Chicago. Apparently, this trip calls for some store visits in the Wrigleyville area. Tomorrow afternoon. Around 2:20pm. About the same time the Cubs are playing a day game. Interesting timing, if you ask me…coughBULLSHITcough.

-I may or may not be going to the Georgia Renaissance fair this weekend. I am way too excited about this possibility. I also may have already decided we’re buying pretty headbands with ribbons to wear around while we’re there. My child is going to be ridiculously embarrassed by me when she’s older, isn’t she?

Hey, at least I know enough to draw the line at renting costumes…

Late...AGAIN!

Yeah. So. Easter.

Easter was over a week ago, and we took some really cute pictures. And much like St. Patrick’s Day, I’m obviously a little behind the times in sharing these really cute pictures. And this time, I can’t use the excuse that I didn’t know that the pictures existed, because I was there when they were taken. I know, I’m just as shocked as you are that my attempts at a baby book failed miserably. Is it alright to blame my family in this case? I mean, they were in town last week, and it did distract me from getting the pictures uploaded to the computer. So I think that’s what I’ll go with. Anyway, commence the cuteness…



I thought this holiday was about chocolate? What’s with all of the eggs? Oh well, food is food…


I’m looking down, I’m looking down…


…and POSE! Now that’s how you take a natural looking picture, people.


Just hanging out, minding my own business…


…Oh look, a pretty flower. I wonder if this will freak Grandma out…


…Well, now. That didn’t take long at all…


…Man, she is quick…



…Think she’d be as quick the second time around?

And now, the rest of the pictures. Without my witty (maybe?) commentary. Notice how she’s refusing to look at the camera in any of these pictures? Easter Sunday was a crabby day for little miss Brigid, and the only reason she’s not crying in these pictures is because I am standing off camera making crazy noises. I swear, we took a zillion pictures, and this is what we came out with. I imagine life before digital cameras was insanely expensive with the film budget.

Also, please note the baby toes. I mean, are you kidding me with all of that cuteness? Honestly, I think that’s my favorite part of this kid. And yes, I realize I have become one of those people, but who am I to stand strong in the face of such cute toes? Sorry.













Happy belated Easter!

Six Months

Um, hi. My baby is six months old today. Six. Months. Old.

That, my friends, seems really old to me. I imagine that when she turns one, I may have a nervous breakdown. There has to be some way to stop time, right? Or at least slow it down? Some way to stop this whole baby-hood thing from going by too fast? No? You’re sure there’s not? I just have to try to enjoy it as much as I can right now while it’s happening? That doesn’t seem like enough to me, but I’ll try my best…

So, Brigid, you’re sitting up now, all by yourself. Granted, you’re still likely to keel over with no regard for your personal safety the moment you get tired of holding yourself upright, but I’m always there to catch you. You’ve started pulling your knees up under you when you’re laying on your stomach, and you can inchworm and roll your way all over the place. If you could just figure out what those arm things are for, you’d officially be on the move, but thankfully (for my sanity), you haven’t gotten that far yet.

You love food. I mean, you really love food. You love sweet potatoes and squash and green beans and apples and pears and OH MY GAH CARROTS!!! GIVE ME MY CARROTS, WOMAN! About the only thing we’ve come across so far that you absolutely refused to eat were peas, but the dogs enjoyed them, so they didn’t go to waste. I imagine you’re about ready to start on something (a very little) more substantial, judging by the laser-like focus you have on anything that anyone around you is trying to eat, but I don’t know that I’m ready to go that far yet. We tried the sippy cup with some water in it, but that went over about as well as the peas. I don’t know if it was disgust at the plain water I was trying to give you, or if the water just came out too fast for you, but we’re going to put that one aside for a couple of weeks.

You are a talker. Oh boy, are you a talker. Most of the time, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you are bound and determined to get your point across. And sometimes, you actually do succeed. I know what the hungry scream means, so we at least have that. You love to sing along when mommy sings to you. Patty-cake has become one of your favorite games. When the bouncy swing tells you to jump, you jump. Because the bouncy swing is, like, the most awesome thing, like, ever. At least that’s what I translate the giggles and squeals coming out of you when you’re in the swing to mean.

The weather is finally starting to warm up, so you’ve spent a lot of time outside this past week, and you seem to love it. You’re just so much more alert now, and all of the colors and lights and sounds of the outside world fascinate you. One of the few times someone can actually sit down while holding you is when you’re sitting outside. Otherwise, if you’re being held, you need to be walking around because you have places to go and people to see and things to do. None of this lolly-gagging for you! We’ve started taking you into public more, and you’ve been a pretty well-behaved kid so far. You’ve been to the mall, and Kohl’s, and out to eat a couple of times, and for the most part, there haven’t been any public meltdowns. Of course, I have to knock on wood as I acknowledge this, because I’m sure the next time we go out will result in a full-on baby fit, but there you have it. You are a happy baby most of the time, as long as I stick to your schedule.

Oh, the schedule. We’ve finally got this nap thing sort of figured out, and I think you’re a less grumpy baby for it. And you’re so, so happy when you wake up. It’s by far my favorite part of the day when I’m at home with you, and getting to experience it in the morning and after both naps is amazing. You smile, and coo, and wiggle all over the place, and I love it.

You get a little excited to see mommy and daddy when we get home in the evenings. And heaven help me if I forget to take my jewelry off before I hold you. You grab and pull and act like I am the meanest mom in the world if I try to hold your hands away from my necklace. If I’m wearing it, it’s free game, and you’re darn well entitled to put it in your mouth! See, also: hair.

This month, you celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. You colored eggs and you took your first (extremely short) boat ride. You’ve moved on from the pacifier. You learned how to put your own foot in your mouth. You’ve started reaching for people to hold you. It only happens every once in awhile, and it may be by complete accident, but I’m still happy when you hold your arms out to me. You remain toothless, but I feel like we have to be close with all of the gumming and drooling that you do. When you take a bath, you get mesmerized by the water that comes out of sprayer on your bathtub. You stare at it, and grab for it, and just generally look like you can’t figure out what exactly is going on. You love mirrors, and you really love the pretty baby that you see in mirrors.

And you know what? I really love that pretty baby, too.

Happy six month birthday, Bug!

Words With Friends

So. I have a confession to make…

My name is Tara, and I’m addicted to my iPhone.

Yes, it’s a shameful admission, but I don’t think I’m alone in this, and I definitely don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. I have family staying with me this week, and I think my mother is now concerned about the household her grandchild is growing up in because on more than one occasion, she has looked at me, shaken her head, and asked ‘What are you doing on your phone now?’ And I’ve usually answered with a noncommittal (and slightly defensive) 'stuff'.

Because that’s what you do on an iPhone, right? Stuff. I check Twitter and Facebook and my email accounts. I check the blogs that I follow. I feed my pet fish, and I play solitaire and boggle and mahjong. I track my grocery list and my budget and the traffic and the weather. I follow the news, and I shop. And as of last night? I started playing Words With Friends.

Oh boy.

For those of you who haven’t given in to the siren song of Apple (Or maybe it’s also available online and not just through the iPhone app? I don’t know the specifics.), WWF is basically an online version of Scrabble. But it’s better than Scrabble, because you can just make up words, and the game will tell you whether they’re real or not. It’s actually kind of educational. For example, did you know japed is a real word? I do now. And all because I had a ‘J’ tile worth 10pts that I wanted to use on an extra point square. When the game accepted the word, I was intrigued enough to go to the Dictionary.com application (also on my phone) to find out what it meant. Apparently, it is of Japanese origin and can be used as a verb or a noun:

Japed: To jest, joke, gibe. To mock or make fun of. A jest, trick, or practical joke.

And there is your fun fact of the day. Courtesy of me and my iPhone.

Anyway, I think my mother is now even more worried about my state of mind because last night, while watching American Idol with the fam, Steve and I were playing WWF against each other. That’s right. Instead of actually talking to my husband, he was firmly trouncing me in an online vocabulary game from the other couch. Him and his stupid 75pt word. And every once in awhile, one of us would just randomly start laughing. I think I would be concerned about us, too, if I didn’t know what was going on. Heck, I do know what’s going on, and I’m still concerned.

But not enough to stop playing, of course.


**I currently have games going with Steve, his brother, and his sister, because they are all awesome people and also because those are the only people I know who are playing. If you’re playing, too, let me know! My screen name is Tara100, and I’m actually pretty easy to beat. Just ask Steve, who just dropped a 61pt word on me to basically double my score. Bastard.

Baby's first boat ride...

...was basically a disaster.

Turns out, six month old babies don't like spending time like this:



Go figure.

We were on the boat for all of 2 1/2 minutes before I had my father-in-law turn around so he could drop Brigid and I off back at the dock.

So, strike one against operation water baby, I guess. Maybe we won't quite have her doing backflips on the wakeboard by the time she's two. That's ok.

I can wait until she's three.

Blue skies

This?





This sucked. A lot.

This, though?












This is change I can get behind!

I'm so happy it's finally spring.

Oh, and there's this, of course...







Happy Easter weekend to all!