Thanksgiving with the Bileks.

Getting close to a month without a post, so I guess it's time for an update. When we last checked in with the Bileks, Lauren had just gotten her new big girl bed...

The following week, Grandma and Grandpa Bilek arrived to help us celebrate Thanksgiving. And see their granddaughter, of course! Lauren was so excited to see them. So excited that she decided to get up at 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6, 6:30, and on and on and on, just about the entire time they were here. Each time she'd get up, turn on her bedroom light, and open the bedroom door. Sometimes we'd hear, "Grandma B! Grandpa B!" Cute, but not really that cute when it's 4 in the morning. By the end of their stay, she was doing better, and now she's completely adjusted to the new bed. It really wasn't that bad in the end.

Since the Bileks were in town, that meant I was hosting my first Thanksgiving. I decided to use my own recipe (found on the internet) instead of one from either family, in an attempt to start my own traditions. Overall, I think it all turned out pretty well.


After lots of yummy dinner, I planned my day after Thanksgiving shopping. I just started shopping on Black Friday a couple years ago, and will only venture out for really good deals on something I already need. This year, it was a new flat-screen monitor for our home computer. I let the crazy crowds pass and got to Staples an hour after they opened. No lines, plenty of my monitor in stock, and I was out in 5 minutes. Then on to Target for some Santa shopping. I have to say, Lauren's going to make out this year. Hopefully she won't remember that next year when she doesn't get as much since she has to share with a little brother.

That evening, we decorated our Christmas tree. This was pretty much a first for Lauren. The last couple of years we've done it while she's sleeping since we didn't think she'd be much help. This year she was such a big helper. I got the ornaments organized on the dining room table, and she'd run them over to Chris to actually hang on the tree. I'm not exaggerating when I say she ran.


Other than that, it was a pretty low-key visit. There's not as much to do in Columbus in the winter, so we just spent a lot of quality family time together. Oh, and we started Lauren on the computer. It never hurts to learn how to type early.

The big girl bed has arrived!

Finally, no more crib. Wait, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Lauren's always been perfectly content in her crib. She's never tried any daring escape maneuvers, so we've just left her there. But now, she's just getting too big. And we need to buy a new crib for her little brother with the voucher we'll get (hopefully) from the manufacturer of her crib (see here if you don't remember this whole ordeal).

So, we went to the Bunk and Loft Factory , a store here that specializes in custom made bedroom furniture. Every piece is made to order, so it ends up taking about 2 weeks to get it. We decided early on that we were going to buy Lauren one bed for her entire lifetime, so we settled on a full-size platform bed that should definitely last. We also opted for two rolling storage drawers to go underneath it, given our complete lack of storage in our ever-shrinking home.


The bed arrived on Monday, and Lauren loves it! We were initially nervous about how well she'd sleep there, but so far she's gone to sleep right away at night without getting up or anything. Mornings are a little bit of a different story. Without the crib to keep her confined, she's up and out of bed as soon as she wakes up at 6:30. That's about an hour earlier than we'd like her to get up. We're keeping the baby gate on the outside of her bedroom door for now, which at least keeps her from coming into the bedroom to wake us up. Instead, she stands there, peeking over the gate at our room, saying, "Help, Daddy! I'm awake, Daddy!" Over and over and over again. The kid is persistent!


She also loves playing in her new big girl room. We end up sititng on her bed playing with all her older toys, which seem new now that she hasn't seen them for several months. It's a welcome change from watching Finding Nemo 14 times a day. Of course, Disney/Pixar sucked her in with advertising for WALL-E, so we've now watched that several times. (It's actually a really good movie...go rent it!)

We also switched out her car seat to a booster. It's great because it's easier for her to get in and out, and she can reach her toys, juice, etc. without one of us having to reach around from the front seat.

It does all make me a little sad. My little baby is growing up so fast. When she got on her bed for the first time, I had visions of her sitting there doing homework, chatting on the phone with her high school friends. I know it's still many years away, but I can't help but feel like it'll be here before I know it.

Alright, enough sappiness :) I think the pregnancy hormones are getting to me...

Halloween.

How horrible. I got so preoccupied with this little election thing that I totally forgot to post pictures of my little kitty on Halloween. She looked like such a big girl.


Chris took her out while I stayed home to hand out the candy. As they started walking down the street, she turned around and yelled, "Bye, Mama!" It was one of those moments when I realized how quickly she's growing up. I felt that tinge of sadness that my baby girl isn't a baby anymore, but also happiness that she's such a happy, healthy big girl now.


After an hour of trick or treating, Lauren had enough. Chris and I actually ate the majority of her candy, but you can see the effects of the sugar crash she experienced that night.


Chris and I also became amateur pumpkin carvers. I think we did a pretty good job!

Wow.

I sat on my couch last Tuesday night, glued to the election results, watching with baited breath as each state's results trickled in. I also tracked real-time results on the internet, so I could see the percentages shift within a state in real-time. Pretty cool stuff. Then the moment I'd been waiting for: Obama had won Ohio. I knew this was a good sign...no Republican has won the presidency without taking Ohio. As 11pm approached, I could see the newspeople begin to shift their tone. Something big was about to happen. And then, as the polls closed in California, Washington and Oregon, they made the offical call: Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States of America.

I can't describe the emotions I felt at that moment in time. Relief, awe, joy, and most importantly, pride in my country for showing that we can rise above the negativity and exclusion of the last eight years. I sat on my couch with tears in my eyes, then leapt up and did a happy dance around my living room. I felt like running out into the streets and hugging my neighbors, Obama and McCain supporters alike.


McCain's concession speech was gracious, and proved that he is the man I thought he was. If only he had been that man the entire campaign (and not picked such a horrid running mate), he might have had my support.


I stayed awake for President Obama's speech, and couldn't help but worry whether some catastrophe would take this man down. But on the country's biggest night, in a sea of people in Grant Park, Obama appeared and made one heck of a speech. He set the tone perfectly: we may have won, but the hard work has just begun. I could see the enormity of it all on his face, and I trusted in his ability to motivate others to change.

I mentioned to several family members that I feel like this election, more than any other, power has shifted: from the baby boomers, to the dreaded Generation X (that's me). We're all grown up now, and it's time that we started setting the policy for this country. I made deliberate choices in the election booth, at the state and local level, to support candidates more in my age demographic. The vast majority of these candidates were in their 30s, not their 50s or 60s. These people are living my life, and will represent me better than someone who went through their 30s in the 1960s or '70s. Interestingly enough, many of these candidates won. I echo Obama's thoughts: the hard work has just begun.

Time to wait and see.

I did my civic duty this morning, voting the old-fashioned way by going to my local polling location on election day. Ohio saw unprecedented numbers of early voters, including almost 3800 yesterday alone. But no, I waited until today. I arrived at my polling place at 6:25 am, the doors opened at 6:30, and I was in my car at 7:30. Not too bad, but still an inconvenience. I didn't see any issues where I was, other than the fact the poll workers are older than dirt and really slow. Every year I say I'm going to take the day off and work the polls, but I never do it. I guess I shouldn't complain.

And really, is having too many people vote a bad thing? I say no. But I think it does point to the fact that there's got to be a better way to vote given today's technology. I still say if the internet is secure enough for me to file my taxes there, I should be able to vote there as well. If I choose to. We're in the era of choice, so let's give that choice to voters.

I'm not planning on watching much political coverage tonight. I get sick of the pundits arguing over top of each other and making speculations based on extremely early polling results. I just hope there aren't any "hanging chads" to worry about, and that some state other than Ohio is the pivotal state. Maybe it's Pennsylvania's turn.

This pretty much sums it up.

"I'm reminded every single day that I am not a perfect man. I will not be a perfect president. But I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree. And, most importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again."
--Barack Obama

I don't think I could explain better why my vote is going for Barack Obama. After the arrogance and closed-door policies of the last eight years, this is a refreshing take on what government is supposed to be: by the people, for the people. I may not agree with all of Obama's policies, but his spirit of openness and inclusion is something that's sorely needed. I also appreciate that his entire 30-minute infomercial focused entirely on his policies and platform, and didn't mention his opponent a single time. Again, what a refreshing change!

That being said, I still respect McCain and would have been much more on the fence had he not chosen someone soooooooo conservative as his running mate. It damages his reputation of standing up to his party, and probably lost him support from many middle-of-the-road voters.

We're down to five days left. Go out and vote on Tuesday, even if it's not for Obama. It's your choice.

Is it over yet?

I'm so glad we're down to a little over 2 weeks before the *^#@& election! Campaigns and candidates stopped saying anything new, relevant or positive long ago, and I'm totally sick of it. My mind's made up, so stop with the freaking ads!

As usual, Ohio is a battleground state, so of course we have the two presidential candidates in town all the time. I just got an email from work saying that Michelle Obama will be in town tomorrow at 11:30am and John McCain/Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in town on Halloween at 5pm (costume party, anyone?). Both of those events are non-ticketed, which means the throngs of people coming to them should make my commute from work just hellish. Not to mention the rolling road closures. Yet another reason to hate election season. Maybe someday Ohio won't be seen as so crucial and everyone can just go away.

I also just finished my annual enrollment at work, yet another annoying, complicated process. Why health care insurance is tied to your employer completely boggles my mind. In any case, we made the big change of going to a high-deductible health plan this year. If my math was right, we'll come out ahead, and get to keep any money we put in our Health Savings Account (HSA). It's a scary change, considering we now have a $2520 deductible before anything is covered, but the cost for the plan is so much lower ($15 vs. $114 per pay) that it still makes sense. I truly believe this is where all health care plans are going...more self-funded, with encouragement to do so by employers. Nationwide is contributing $1100 to my HSA next year, which is a pretty darn good incentive to go to a plan like this. And actually, I like the idea of having my money sitting there, earning more money, and just being used for me instead of everyone else. Check back with me this time next year and we'll see how it actually turns out.

One last update for the week.

It's been a busy week with finding out the sex of the new baby and all, but Lauren also had her 2 year checkup yesterday. She is 38.5" tall and weighs 37 lbs. Still off the charts for her age, but not to quite the degree she's been in the past. Just a flu shot at this checkup, and they don't see her again for a whole year! Woo hoo!

We're all psychic.

Y'all are some pretty smart cookies. Maybe we should all go into the prognosticating business. The doctor confirmed that the new Bilek is in fact a boy. I didn't really need the doctor to point it out. It was extremely obvious on the ultrasound screen. Little Mr. Bilek apparently is not very modest. He looks great, everything is formed right, and he's just the right size. And now I get to go shopping :)

One day to go.

So last night I finally consulted the Chinese Birth Chart to determine the sex of our next child. Everyone and their brother swears by this thing, and according to the site I found, it's accurate 93% of the time. It works by figuring out your age at the time of conception, and the month of conception. Apparently if you put those two together, you get a certain result. Silly me. I thought all along it had to do with whether the father passed on an X chromosome or a Y chromosome. In any case, here's what it shows for a 30 year-old who conceived the child in June (look in the 30 column):


Note the percentages. Those represent the chance of each option happening. Apparently I hit the boy jackpot, since none of the other ages have that kind of ratio of boys to girls. We'll find out tomorrow just how accurate this thing is.

In other news, I'm not watching anymore debates. Last night was just too painful and boring and stereotypically political. Do these things really change anyone's minds, or help them decide if they haven't already? God help us if they do.

Veep debate=somewhat entertaining.

POLITICAL COMMENTARY BELOW. DUH.

For once, I actually watched a vice-presidential debate. Usually, I opt out of watching these things because usually, VPs don't really matter that much. Of course that's what I thought before Dick Cheney decided he could change the Constitution's definition of the VP's responsibilities, but that's a whole different story. The real reason I wanted to watch the debate last night was in the hopes of catching a trainwreck in the form of Sarah Palin. You know, collapsing into incoherent sentences and running off the stage at some point. Alas, that didn't happen, but it was still pretty darn good.

I'll admit that I really knew nothing about Joe Biden going in, other than the fact that he's a longtime Democratic senator from Delaware. After watching the debate, I was thoroughly impressed. The guy is smart, calm, and he actually answered the questions posed to him! I'm sure that means he's a bad debater by every definition of the word, but I hate when politicians are asked a direct question and they say everything but what could be construed as an answer. Not Joe. Good for him.

Palin, on the other hand, has just been too entertaining lately. I agree with the pundits that her recent interview performances set the bar so low that she really just had to utter a complete sentence to look competent, and she did manage to do that. My favorite line of the night from Palin: "John McCain is the man we need to leave...uh, lead." I know, honest slip-up, we all do it, but Chris and I were laughing hysterically on the couch. The one thing that grated on my nerves was Palin's passive-aggressive tactic of smiling and making a joke about how she must not know how things are done around here, instead of directly criticizing one of Biden's points. If I heard one more folksy colloquialism come out of her mouth I might have been driven to drink. Our leaders need to be professional, not folksy. That's one of my pet peeves with GWB, too. Heh heh.

In the end, it wasn't all that I'd hoped for, but I did learn a lot about both candidates. And it cemented my view that there is no way in hades I'm voting for McCain with that crazy woman as his VP pick.

Please tell me that at some point my life will return to its normal routine. It seems like since the trip to Myrtle Beach, we haven't had anything resembling normal. Not that it's all bad. Sure, the week without power was bad, but celebrating Lauren's second birthday wasn't. Watch for a post on the birthday festivities later.

The Bileks made the trek down from Minnesota for the birthday party, and spent a whole week having fun with their only grandchild. Chris and I appreciated it because we changed very few diapers and got out to see a Blue Jackets game. My mom also got a week's vacation from providing child care, although I have a sneaking suspicion that she's having some severe Lauren withdrawals at this point.

So what's next? We find out the big news next week: boy or girl! This is really exciting, but it also scares the crap out of me because it means I'm halfway through this pregnancy. What?!?! When did that happen? Did I mention I haven't done anything to prepare for the new baby yet? I'm interested to know what you think. Will it be a boy or a girl? Take the poll on the right to let me know. I'll be sure to let you know whether you're right after our appointment next Thursday (10/9).

Bragging on the Bileks

Check out the article on Chris' Mom, Jan Bilek, featured in the September 2008 issue of Midwest Home Magazine!

1 week, 4 hours.

So it wasn't Friday when the power came back on. Or Saturday. Or even Sunday afternoon. It was 9:15pm on Sunday, and the lead-up to it was quite entertaining. As it turns out, not only was there a tree on the wires, a line was down two houses over that had to be fixed. But that couldn't be completed until the tree was off the lines.

Around 2pm on Sunday I awoke from my nap (what else to do?) to find workers standing in my yard, eating granola bars, and looking up at the power lines. I went outside to see if there was anything I could do and possibly get some information. They said they might need to move some small yard-type equipment into the backyard. I told them to do whatever they needed, including killing all my trees and plants. On their way out of the yard, they eyed the neighbor's three small trees/bushes on the property line. They joked that if they pulled those out, they could get the big truck back there.

Turns out that wasn't a joke. We went to mom's house to do some laundry and eat dinner, and when we returned there was a bucket truck from a tree service in our yard. They pulled the neighbor's trees out, even though she wasn't home and they didn't have her permission (she didn't care). Once the tree was taken out, that bucket truck left and the power bucket truck came in. About 45 minutes later we were watching TV and loading the dishwasher.

I'll update the post with pictures later today!

Light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm cautiously optimistic this morning. As I left my house around 8:20, two AEP trucks were heading down my street. Chris confirmed that there are people milling around our backyard near where the tree is on the lines. One of our neighbors tried to get the AEP employee to say when it would be fixed, but he wisely wouldn't commit to anything. In any case, I'm just really glad there's some sign of something being done to get the power back on.

We bought a couple new board games last night. Monopoly and Phase 10 were starting to get old. Simpsons Sorry! was quite a good time, actually. Now just cross your fingers I don't have to play it again tonight!

Nope.

I guess they weren't lying when they said Sunday. Our trash went this morning, so Chris and I broke down and threw out the remainder of the food that was in the refrigerator. I'm not really sure why we had a whole door full of condiments, but I'm also not looking forward to replacing them. At least we've been able to save our meat, cheese, milk, etc. We've lucked out on the ice front, so we didn't have to throw out any really expensive stuff.

When I got home around 8:30 last night, the other side of the street had power. It went off about an hour later. All the streetlights on my way to work are now restored, and some of the school districts went back today. They say progress is being made, apparently just not in my neighborhood.

The answer is no. You guess the question.

Finally! AEP has released estimated power restoration dates by neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the news for us isn't so good.


We're in that patch of red which means 90% of that area will be restored by Sunday. It could actually be later. I have to say the novelty has definitely worn off, and Chris and I are both getting pretty stressed out by the whole situation. We're doing our best to go with the flow, but it's getting harder now that we've gone 3 nights without power and are looking at another 4 nights before there's any hope of light.

We did see 2 power trucks in our neighborhood last night, which was an encouraging sign. At the same time, I haven't seen any improvement at all in the number of traffic lights that are out. It's really sporadic, and I think people are starting to get less patient with treating them like 4-way stops. Area schools are still closed. Columbus City Schools says over 1/3 of its school buildings are still without power. They have additional concerns because their transportation communication systems (radios, GPS, etc.) are still out, and the traffic light situation makes it more dangerous for kids walking to school.

About 30 area grocery stores are still closed or selling only non-perishable items, and I have yet to see ice available anywhere. Thank goodness we have resources to get some elsewhere. My latest gripe, well, more jealousy I guess, is that 2 of my neighbors have generators powering their homes. It's so frustrating to look out my window at 2 other houses with real lights and TVs going while we're trying to keep ourselves entertained by playing Monopoly by candlelight.

Alright, enough complaining for a Wednesday morning. Have a great day!

36 hours and counting.

Sunday afternoon started out as a pleasant day. We all went to the zoo and had a great time. Then, we observed the traditional Sunday Bilek Family Nap time and woke up to 80 mph winds. According to AEP Ohio, our power went out around 5:12 pm Sunday while we were at the grocery store stocking up on food, including a bunch of perishable stuff. My guess is that it went out when the neighbor's 3-story tree fell on the power lines behind our house. I'd post a picture, but my laptop doesn't have a memory card slot and I don't have power. The tree's still sitting there. AEP Ohio estimates that 90% of Columbus area customers will have power restored by midnight Sunday.

The good news:
--we have a gas range, so we can still cook.
--we have a gas water heater, so we can still take hot showers.
--we have a roof.
--it's not 20 degrees.
--it's not 100 degrees.

I'll keep you posted.

I think we're in the clear.

Thanks for the anti-rain dances!

Two days makes a difference.

As of 8am this morning, Fay is looking to head more inland. Of course two more days could change things completely. Still crossing my fingers for no rain! And thank goodness for the folks in Florida that it wasn't a hurricane when it made landfall.

Fay is not invited to my vacation.

Several months ago we accepted a generous invitation from the Thornburgs to join them for a week in Myrtle Beach at the end of August. I've been saying all along, "I hope a hurricane doesn't hit. It is in the middle of hurricane season, you know." So now what's brewing?


Yep, Tropical Storm, soon to be Hurricane, Fay. If all goes as planned we should just be looking at a few days of rain, which is better than I can say for folks on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Still, if I have to be stuck in a 2-bedroom condo with 4 adults and 2 two-year olds for 4 days, I might lose my mind. Break out your anti-rain dance, please!

When I was pregnant with Lauren I didn't gain an exorbitant amount of weight, just around 30 lbs., which is well within the normal rane. Problem is, I carried all of that really low, which means I now have a lovely patterns of stretch marks all over my lower abdomen and thighs. Not quite sure why the thighs gained weight, but I'm blaming it on pregnancy. Anyways, I figured with #2 I wouldn't get anymore stretch marks...I already stretched once and can prove it, so why would I get new ones? Well, I now have new stretch marks. Found them last night, along with some freakishly visible veins all along the sides of my belly. Good thing I gave up on the bikini long ago.

In non-pregnancy news, we have more family in town this week. Chris' sister Brea took a quick side to trip to see us while visiting her in-laws in Illinois. It's been pretty low key, just hanging out and playing with Lauren. They ventured to the Columbus Zoo yesterday, which is quickly becoming a Wednesday ritual for us. (Hint: a great gift for Lauren's birthday or Christmas would be a family membership to the zoo.) Then we went on to Red Robin for dinner, which is by far one of the most kid-friendly restaurants around. Except for the carousel horses used as decoration. Try to explain to a 2 year-old that she can't "ride horse". Not so much fun. After dinner, it was on to the mall, where Brea bought Lauren the cutest giraffe print hat. Great for those trips to the zoo.

We're looking forward to our vacation that starts next week. I'll post later about that, but let's just say that a 2 year old + 12 hours in the car=frightening.

Planning for #2.

You'd think since we've done this baby thing once already, we'd be all set when it comes to supplies. Not quite the case. You see, the first time around we had to get so much stuff that we didn't get any "nice to haves." We got the basics, and added onto that as needed as Lauren got older. This time, we don't need to buy the swing, car seat, Baby Bjorn, crib mattress, etc., etc., so we can splurge a little bit. The new crib will also be paid for by Jardine and their crappy voucher program, so we don't need to shell out cash there, either. We also learned some things that we'd do a little bit differently the second time around, so now's our chance.

I've finally broken down and set up a registry at Babies R Us, just to keep track of it all. Right now there are only 6 items on it. I think back to Lauren's registry and I think there were about 100 times that many items listed. Expect to see that number go up if it turns out we're having a boy. I have crates and crates of girl clothes, but nothing for a boy. Secretly, I'm hoping for a boy just so I get to buy a bunch of cute little baby clothes.

We're also starting to figure out how to get the office/nursery in order. With only 3 bedrooms, the former office/guest room will now become the new nursery and the office will go...well, we haven't completely figured that out. Right now it's looking like the "office" will become a small desk with a computer on it at the top of the stairs. The guest room will no longer exist, unless you count the couch in the living room.

We finally turned the Willy Wonka door to our storage room into a real, adult-sized door over the weekend. Since our house has no basement, it has an 8'x10' storage room off of the 3rd bedroom. Great, except it also had a 24"x36" access door. Not exactly the most practical; we couldn't even fit our Rubbermaid crates through it. Thanks to some great handiwork by my cousin Aric , it now has a real door. No door handle and it's not completely painted, but the bulk of the work is done. We're also going to finish insulating the storage room since the builders only halfway did that for some reason. The goal is to have all the hard stuff done by the time we find out what we're having so then we just have to empty out the room, paint and set up the new furniture.

Final update: as of this morning I'm back up to the weight I was at when I found out I was prego. Definitely showing, although I can still hide it if I don't mind being uncomfortable for awhile.

Really, I'm pregnant.

I now have pictures to prove it. Today was my first ultrasound appointment, and man was I nervous. I don't remember being this nervous the last time around, but my heart was racing while I was waiting there. Maybe it's because everyone had me freaked out that I was having twins because I'm showing already. But nope, just one little Bilek in there, thank goodness.


I still can't get over how surreal it is to see that little bit of life moving around on the screen. Even though it's grainy and black and white, I could see the little heart beating away and those little legs kicking. It never seems real until you have some sort of tangible evidence, and at this point, I couldn't ask for more. Now I just have to wait 10 more weeks for my next ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or a girl.

And baby makes 4.

It may be a little early to make the official announcement, but since we've already told our family and closest friends, and if you saw me you'd probably wonder, I guess it's safe for the internet: We're having another baby! I haven't figured out yet if we're absolutely insane or just really like a challenge.

Let's get the basic questions out of the way:
1. Was it planned? Yes, although we planned for it to take a little longer to actually happen.

2. When are you due? Early estimates from the doctor have March 2 as the due date. I go for my first early ultrasound July 29, and they'll confirm it then.

3. How pregnant are you? 100%. I don't think there are many options here...you either are or you aren't. I'm about 7 1/2 weeks along at this point. Like I said, it's pretty early, but I'm already in maternity clothes. Yikes! They weren't lying when they said you start showing earlier the second time around.

4. Do you want a boy or a girl? Either one's fine with me. We have all the girl stuff, but it would be nice to have a boy to carry on the Bilek family name. I asked Lauren which one she wanted, and she said she wanted either an elephant or a tiger. She had been at the zoo that day.

So that's it in a nutshell. I'm feeling pretty good, but I think that's because I'm going to bed when it's still light outside and making sure I eat every few hours. No morning sickness yet, and according to my doctor I'd have it now if I was going to (please, find some wood to knock on). We're really excited, and started looking through the baby name book over the weekend. I've started trying to explain to Lauren that I have a baby in my belly, and she can even say "baby in belly." The problem is she thinks she has a baby in her belly, too, even though I've tried to explain that in her case it's probably just pancakes.

I'll try to keep this updated, but don't expect many pregnant belly pictures. It's not a pretty sight.

Update on the crib recall

Remember my rant about the crib recall? Well, it's now nearly a month later and I still haven't gotten my recall kit. Must not be that big of a deal...just the potential for my kid to choke to death when their piece of junk crib breaks.

After a little checking on the web, it looks like others haven't waited this long to get their kits. Guess I'll have to follow-up with them to see what the deal is.

UPDATE: Just called the hotline. The answer I got was that they're processing these in Canada and aren't well-staffed. Wow. Great answer. Supposedly they're "expediting" my request. We'll see how that goes.

Worst recall plan ever

Put yourself in this situation: You work for a company that manufactures cribs. You start getting reports that the spindles and wooden slats in your cribs are breaking, causing children to get hurt. You decide to issue a voluntary recall before word gets out and you get too much negative press. How would you work the recall?

Jardine Enterprises has decided to handle it in the most illogical fashion I've ever seen. We purchased Lauren's crib from Babies'R'Us shortly before she was born, without really looking at the brand. Turns out it's a crib that is now being recalled. I registered our information online to get the voucher, and this is how they're handling it:
--Enter info online and wait for a package to arrive from UPS with instructions on how to get the voucher. Keep in mind that Jardine advises to stop using the crib immediately.
--When that package arrives, it will include a return mail package. I'm supposed to take apart the crib and mail back the mattress support plates, bolts and identification label. Wait, it's not mail, it's UPS so I have to go to a UPS store or drop box, or schedule a pickup.
--Wait 1-2 weeks after sending the hardware back for the voucher to arrive, at which point I can go to Babies'R'Us and buy a new crib.

See any problems here? Where's my kid supposed to sleep?!?!?!? My plan: go to Babies'R'Us and buy a new crib now, and when I finally go through all the rigamarole, return the crib and repurchase it with the voucher. That's all fine in my situation, but not everyone has an extra $200 lying around to buy a new crib (the vouchers won't give you any money back if you buy a crib less than the voucher's value, so you better make sure you buy one that's expensive enough!). Those families will end up with children sleeping in a crib their parents now know to be dangerous. I also haven't confirmed yet that Babies'R'Us will go along with my plan since they're not open yet. I tried calling the Jardine recall hotline, which is supposed to be open, but no one answered after 10 rings!!!

Bottom line: don't buy anything from Jardine Enterprises.

Guitar Hero--what have I gotten myself into?

I've never considered myself much of a gamer. Yes, I owned an original Nintendo when I was in 4th grade, but that was about the extent of it. I never got into any of the online, multiplayer games, or even really into PlayStation 2. We only bought that one because it worked as a DVD player, too. But for some strange reason, this year I bought a Nintento DS. It's a great little handheld game system, and there's a great range of games available for young kids to old people (I'm in the middle there, I think).

This weekend Guitar Hero was released for DS. I've seen it played before, but never actually played it myself. But I couldn't resist picking it up. It's pretty cool...there's a guitar grip that slides into one of the slots, and it comes with a stylus shaped like a guitar pick to "strum" the strings. Now, the little time I have left in the evenings ends up in screams of, "For the love of God, I'm not Stevie Ray Vaughan...why am I playing his guitar solo?!?" And that's in Easy mode. I do kick Chris' butt, though :) So please, don't bother calling between the hours of 8 and 10pm. I'll be doing my best Santana impersonation.

You know what's good for waking you up in the morning? Riding an elevator that drops several floors twice on your way up. It may leave you shaking and in tears, but hey, you'll be awake.

I didn't do one of these last year?

Father's Day #2 is now officially under the belt. I went back through the blog to see what I wrote last year, and apparently I wrote nothing. I'm a horrible wife. Now I feel this horrible pressure to make this Father's Day thank you incredibly deep and sappy. Unfortunately, I don't really live in that zone. I'll do my best.

Before having Lauren, Chris and I were both a little scared of what kind of dad he would be, mostly because he wasn't completely sold on the idea of having kids to begin with. Then she arrived. And it was still a little rocky for a few weeks. Now that I'm no longer sleep-deprived or hooked up to a milking machine, I completely understand why. Feeding a baby is one of the most intimate things you can do, and breastfeeding completely cuts Dad out of the picture. Then the magical day: Chris was the only one that could get Lauren to stop crying. Everything changed in that instant. He went from a scared, hesitant procreator to a true father.


That all bumped up a notch once I went back to work and he went part-time. Now I was the one asking him what to do with Lauren, instead of the other way around. He started taking her to doctors appointments and shopping for baby food, although he never really caught the bug for buying baby clothes. That must be a purely female genetic thing.

Fast forward to now and he's a much different man than before Lauren arrived. Not that he wasn't a good guy, but he has a much more serious sense of purpose and is willing to do anything for his little girl. I still think there's nothing better than seeing a father and his daughter hugging, laughing, dancing and generally having a good time.

So Chris, thank you for giving me the best gift I could ever wish for.

The new baby

We finally broke down and bought Chris a new car: a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, dubbed "The Wolf" by James. His old 2000 Jetta was falling apart, and we either needed to sink some money into it or just get a new one. So, Chris got an early Father's Day present.

I finally voted for a winner!

**POLITICAL COMMENTARY BELOW**

I can't tell you how good it feels to know that I don't pick losers all the time. Ever since I've started voting, anyone and anything I've voted for has lost. I was starting to get a complex. But now that Barack Obama has secured enough delegates to get the Democratic nomination, I can officially say I've voted for a winner, even if it is a preliminary race.


I'm looking forward to the election in November. I feel like it's going to be a good race, and both candidates have their strengths and weaknesses. In past elections, I've actually been a McCain supporter. He's a straight shooter, has a lot of experience, and is respected on both sides of the aisle. That's important in a President...someone who can work with others to get things done. My biggest concern with McCain is his age. Not because it means he's out of touch, although that is a legitimate concern. It's more that I'm worried he won't make it through in good health.


With all that being said, I'm still leaning toward Obama. I know he doesn't have McCain's experience, but that means he's not jaded and skeptical and tied into "how things are done" in Washington. I do wish he had waited another four or eight years to run to get more experience, but I realize that a lot of things can happen in that amount of time that could potentially jeopardize the opportunity.

I mostly hope that this will be a clean race without a lot of mudslinging. Happy campaigning!

Just a quickie...

Not much going on, but Lauren and Tenzin had fun playing together over the weekend (until Tenzin fell off the slide).

Lauren found the scale in the bathroom, and now thinks it's really fun to weigh herself. Little does she know that in about 15 years her new toy may be one of her least favorite things. At this point, it's more about standing on top of something, not understanding what that "something" is for. Anyways, since we're down to annual doctor's appointments, we haven't really kept track of her weight or height. I looked at the scale when she was on it yesterday and it said somewhere between 34 and 35 lbs. Not horrible, even if it is still completely off the charts, until you realize that the super-cool tricycle we bought her a week ago has a weight limit of 37 lbs. Two more pounds and we're going to have to buy a new bike. I was really ticked off at Radio Flyer until I looked at the growth charts. A 3 year old weighing 37 lbs. is in the 95th percentile. Yep, the kid is big.

If I can get her to stand still long enough, it might be time to start the pencil marks on the door jamb to measure height over the years. I remember my Grandma Turnipseed had one of these door frames, and it had pencil marks for all of her grandkids. Every year at Christmas we had to get measured and see how much we had grown. Sure, there are probably much more high-tech ways to keep track of this stuff. I could start a MySpace page or Facebook profile for Lauren and put it out there for all the world to see. Oh wait, that's kind of what this is, isn't it? Still, I like the idea of doing some things the old-fashioned way. Maybe if I duct tape her to the frame she'll stay put...I think she's probably 3 feet tall now.

No big weekend plans...the weather's supposed to be crappy, so I'll probably spend most of my time listening to Lauren whine and keeping her from getting into things she's not supposed to.

A bunch of unconnected commentary

Lauren is 19 months old and wears a size 4 bathing suit. Seriously. The size 3 was too small. My kid is a freak. A freak who likes to swim, apparently. From what Chris says, she's taking to it like a fish to water. She's not scared at all, even when he dunks her, and she really likes the big slide. No pictures of the swimming adventures since the lessons are during the day, during the week. Eventually I'll actually get to see her in the water and take some pics.

I'm still recovering from my trip to San Diego. It was a great conference and I met some wonderful people, but I'm still too wiped out to figure out what to do next. The Red Bull Air Race was also ramping up right next door to the hotel. It was so cool to see the planes practicing, even if it was a little loud. And the crew likes to party.

Spring has officially arrived. Usually this isn't all that exciting, but with Lauren around, it is. I thought we were over all the "firsts": tooth, word, step, etc. We are over all the major ones, except hair cut and using the potty, but here are some other recent firsts:

1. First popsicle. Orange, all fruit. Lauren says "orange," too, only it sounds more like "oween."


2. First tricycle. Yep, we bought her a trike. She picked it out, after trying out about 4 different models. Despite our best efforts to keep her from being a girly-girl, you can see what she landed on.


3. First ear of corn. She was a little confused about the corn at first, but her first reaction was "Mmm. Num num." Then I didn't have an ear of corn anymore. Next time, she gets her own.



4. First boy kiss on the lips. I thought I had a lot longer to worry about this one, but Tenzin and Lauren had different ideas. Tenzin was over playing this week, and one of us said, "Give Lauren a kiss." Usually that only halfway works. This time, they both went for it. It was cute, but now I'm having nightmares about her teenage years.

Lauren is talking up a storm. I was shocked when I got back from my conference and I was met with a steady stream of words I could mostly understand. I was only gone 4 days! A brief Lauren glossary:
Cat=Meow
Dog=Woof woof
Juice=Ju...she uses this for anything in a cup, so milk and water are also Ju
Yogurt=Yo yo
Crackers=Crack
House=how
Backpack=Ba pa
Shoulder=sho hee
Elbow=Bo bo
Flower=Pow (she's working on this one...she's just figured out how to make an "F" sound, but she hasn't put it with anything else yet)
Pretty=Pee
Car=Cah (think Boston accent)
Shoe=Shoe
Slide=Wee
Ow=Ow
Yes=Yah (she almost whispers it when she's really excited and wants something)
No=No...with a Minnesota accent
Mom=Mama (it almost has a British accent to it...more accent on the second syllable than the first)
Dad=Da
Nap/Sleep=Nigh nigh
More=Mo

I'm sure there are more, and probably lots that we haven't picked up on yet. It's so much fun to actually interact with her. She's at the point where she learns words so quickly. We were working on body parts in the bath one night, and the next morning she had learned all the new words, like shoulder, neck, etc. I think she also knows her colors. A park 2 blocks away has a mini-climbing wall as part of its playground apparatus, and it has different colored hand holds. Lauren pointed to all the blue ones, saying "Boo. Boo."

Grandma Darke says she's learning letters from watching Sesame Street, too. She's always loved books, like her mom and Grandma, so that doesn't come as too much of a surprise. I actually taught myself to read when I was 3. My parents pretty much freaked out when I picked up one of my sister's books one day and started reading on my own. They think I learned it from watching Sesame Street and Electric Company. Who says TV is all bad? I have a feeling Lauren might take this route, too.

One last item. This weekend was Mother's Day, and we went to Cameron's for their Mother's Day brunch. Chris, Lauren and Grandma Darke surprised me with a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. Nothing says, "Thanks, Mom!" like something sparkly :)



Thanks to our moms for all they do! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Get a quote and help fight cancer!

Shameless plug alert!

Nationwide is sponsoring Frosted Pink with a Twist, an event broadcasting on ABC in October to promote awarenesss of women's cancers. In addition, Nationwide will donate $10 for every insurance quote we provide online or or over the phone (one per customer) from now until August 31. Even if you don't buy the policy. So get clicking or dialing! You can get a quote online here, or call 1-888-490-1562.

End of shameless plug :)

Quick update

My life is officially a roller coaster. I haven't decided yet if it's a good one or not, only time will tell. The last two weeks have been a little bit insane, mostly because of work. My boss took a new position at Nationwide, leaving her responsibilities open. Those responsibilities included managing 3 people (including myself). Due to some really boring "state of the insurance market" stuff, Nationwide is being extremely judicious in hiring and staffing open positions. So what happened? I got all my boss' old responsibilities. So, now I manage 2 people, do all my old work, plus the additional work that my boss used to do. I didn't officially get her old job title, but I did get a little bit of a promotion and the opportunity to prove myself in a managerial capacity. Frightening, I know.

I also signed myself up to attend a Women's Leadership Conference in San Diego. One of the great things about Nationwide (or at least the people I've worked for here) is that they really care about personal development. Since having Lauren, I've really struggled with being a full-time working mom. Nobody else makes me feel guilty, but every once in awhile I feel like I'm letting her down. But at the same time, I know I couldn't be a stay at home mom. It's hard work and it's rewarding in its own way, but I need other kinds of challenges and rewards. So, I'm hoping this conference will help me network with other women from across the country and learn some strategies for really being successful as a woman in the business world. That, and it's on Coronado Island in San Diego Bay.

One last tidbit: we signed Lauren up for swim lessons. Chris is taking her on Thursday mornings for the next 6 weeks. I'll post more tomorrow, since today is her first class.

2 down, 48 to go.

Congratulations to my sister, Dorie, on passing the state bar exam in Oklahoma. That means she's now licensed to practice law in Ohio and Oklahoma. I know, the Os are a weird place to start, but our family is funny that way.

Way to go, sis!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Warm weather has finally arrived in Columbus. The high temperatures have been in the 60s or 70s since Saturday, so we're now being blinded by all the pasty Ohio legs that have peeked their way out of shorts. We spent the weekend doing some yard work, and had a nice fire in our fire pit to burn all the sticks.

When the weather is warm, I really love the area we live in. There are two nice parks within walking distance, along with a video store, Tim Horton's, liquor store and gas station/ice cream shop. For those of you not in Ohio, United Dairy Farmers is an odd combination. They started in 1940 as a dairy store, and have evolved into full-fledged convenience store. But they still make their own ice cream and scoop it in all their stores. So, we made the walk down there last night and Lauren had her first, very own, ice cream cone. Here's the result:


The level of mess was a little more than I anticipated. We prepared ourselves before leaving and were ready for a pretty big mess, but I actually think she was messier than eating her first birthday cake.


In hindsight, chocolate probably wasn't the best option. I was in no way allowed to touch that ice cream cone. Any attempt resulted in, "No, no, no!" By the way, you have to hear the way this kid says "no." You can tell there's some Minnesotan heritage in there. Anyways, there was a lovely sticky film of chocolate completely covering her belly, after the shirt was removed. Needless to say she went straight into the bathtub.

That's about all that's going in our neck of the woods. Chris was able to golf for the first time this season, and Lauren's thrilled to be outside. The forsythia has finally bloomed, so hopefully that last snowfall happens and we get on with spring and summer!

RIP, Skybus

The days of $20 roundtrip airfares are officially over. Skybus announced their closure on Friday evening, effective on Saturday. (See this post for more info on Skybus)

Skybus has chalked up the failure to rising fuel prices and the general state of the economy. Some experts think the business model was flawed from the beginning. The lack of customer service department and lots of cancelled flights in the winter may have played a part as well. Still, I think the industry can probably learn some lessons from Skybus:
1. People want cheaper airfare.
2. Columbus is not a good hub.
3. Do something different and you'll get attention for it.

Despite their failure, I applaud Skybus for at least attempting to meet consumer desires and buck the traditional air travel conventions. Now if they just could have done it without stranding their customers...

Note that the reading level of my blog continues to decline. Give it a couple months and we'll all be reading like Lauren, pointing at pictures and making animal sounds.

I don't want to be environmentally conscious if it means my desk smells like ass.

A couple weeks ago Nationwide announced they were switching janitorial services. I know, earth-shattering news. Part of the deal is that they'll be emptying trash less frequently, thus sending fewer plastic liners to landfills and reducing our carbon footprint. No seriously, that's what the release said. And it's saving us over $1 million a year.

My work group has discovered what this actually means: trash cans at our desks get emptied twice a week now instead of every night. Did I mention that we all eat lunch, and some of us breakfast, at our desks? Guess where the takeout containers go? Guess what my desk smells like!!!!!!

If we're really trying to do something good for the environment, why did the cafeteria switch to all styrofoam containers? Saving money is a good thing, but not when it breeds bacteria and invites insects and rodents. Gross.

Bug

This was Lauren's source of entertainment for about an hour yesterday. Yes, a Japanese Ladybug. She watched it and watched it and watched it, which really wasn't very interesting since it was just coming out of hibernation or something. She kept saying, "Bug!" over and over and over again. But she most definitely did not want it touching her in any way. That brought on a bunch of wriggling and "No! No! No!" which was pretty funny for us so we kept doing it. That's not child abuse, right?

You know what else she hates? When you put Mr. Potato Head pieces on the actual Mr. Potato Head. The Easter Bunny brought this bunny verion of the classic spud toy:


Lauren loves playing with the ears and hands, but don't you dare actually put them on the potato.

Ah, the quirks of an 18-month old.

One of these things is not like the other.

Last night I had the good fortune of seeing Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management speak at a private gathering of the Yale Club of Central Ohio. The lecture was held at the beautiful and historic Columbus Club, a by-invitation-only men's club that's been around Columbus since the 1800s (men's club as in stogies and cognac, not as in stripper poles).

So how did I end up there? In my work at Nationwide I've done some work with Young Isaac. The re-founder and chief strategist of Young Isaac is Artie Isaac. Artie Isaac is also an officer of the Yale Club of Central Ohio. Barry Nalebuff is a professor at Yale and is also on Nationwide's Board of Directors. So Artie asked Professor Nalebuff to speak to the Yale Club and then invited me and my boss. I think I just invented a new game: "six degrees of Barry Nalebuff."

Anyways, Professor Nalebuff lectured on his book Why Not? How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small. In true collegiate form, I spent yesterday afternoon cramming to finish reading the book, which I checked out from the Nationwide library 3 weeks ago. Some things never change. This, of course, made me look like a smarty pants when he covered all the case studies and I knew all the tricky little answers.

The room full of Yale alumni was very engaging and intellectual, and I did feel a little out of my league. Apparently some people spent their college years in the classroom learning about important things instead of spending them in bed recovering from a hangover 5 mornings a week. I also felt very young and female. Approximately 45 people attended the lecture, and I counted about 7 women, including myself. I would also estimate that 85% of the people present were at least twice my age. Despite all this, I did have some lovely conversations with some fairly influential people in Columbus. Overall the evening was entirely intellectually stimulating, although he did lose me at the "maternity MBA" program.

Check this out for more info on Why Not?.

Happy St. Easter Spring!

Wow, I didn't realize how much had happened since the last time I posted. St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring and Easter, all in a two week period of time. I suppose a recap is in order.

St. Patrick's Day
I vaguely remember St. Patrick's Day gatherings pre-Lauren. I think there was Guinness, maybe some corned beef, some goofy hats, and that's about all I can recollect. Probably too much Guinness. This year, we went a little more low key. I made corned beef and cabbage, which left a lovely smell in the house for nearly a week. The whole Thornburg clan came over, and we had a nice, relaxing dinner. There was still some Guinness involved, but nowhere near the quantities consumed in the past. Next year I'm going to try out a recipe for Guinness cupcakes I found. Yum!

First day of spring
It snowed. I shouldn't be surprised. Our weather guy always says it snows at least once after the forsythia blooms. It still hasn't bloomed yet, and it's March 27. I have a feeling I'll be posting snow pictures into May at the rate we're going. Grow, forsythia, grow!

Easter
Let's do a comparison, shall we?
Easter 2007

Note the lack of neck, scarcity of hair on her very round head, and the propped-up pose. She wasn't crawling yet, and she was at the heigh of her rotund-ness.

Easter 2008

Now she's eating ham and being a ham. This is her "so pretty" pose that Grandma Darke taught her, complete with hair all in her face. The girl hates hair clips. Or maybe it's that she likes them so much she wants to eat them. I haven't figured it out yet, but regardless, we end up pushing the mop of hair out of her face on a regular basis.


She also discovered the fun of putting olives on your fingers. Let's just say she ate a few too many olives and leave it at that.

We had a nice Easter dinner with Grandma, and that was about it. The Easter Bunny came and brought a few toys, but nothing over the top.

So that's about it. We're chugging right along, waiting for some nice weather...

UPDATE: Chris has mastered the ponytail!

Digging Out

As you probably heard, Columbus did end up getting over a foot of snow on Friday and Saturday. The final two-day total was 20.5", the largest single-storm snowfall in Ohio since 1863. As in the Civil War. I didn't realize that the Blizzard of 1978 only had about 4" of snow with it. It's the wind that really makes a blizzard. I learned more about snowstorms this weekend than I ever needed to know because all the local news stations pre-empted normal coverage on Saturday to talk over and over and over and over and over again about the weather. For about 8 hours. It was fun.

Here are some pics from outside out house at about 11:30 Saturday morning. We got about another 6" on top of this.




Needless to say I was glad I have a husband to shovel my driveway :) I'm an indepedent, liberated woman and all, but it's still nice to have a guy to do the heavy lifting. Literally. Chris shoveled on Friday night after about 6" fell, but then had another 14" to shovel once it all ended on Sunday morning. We ended up with some nice piles of snow which Lauren kind of slid down when we went out to play.



So what did we do while we were snowed in? We made Lauren's hair static-y.


And she rode her scooter.


Smooches!