After a short,debate with Dave (which was mostly in my head) I decided that we would have a family-only barbeque at my parents' house.

The rules of engagement were thus - we would provide all of the food, decorations and beverages, they would provide a clean house and a full propane tank. (And in the end, they provided ice, beer and a batch of my mom's baked beans, as well as plastic tablecloths and some balloons.)

We invited immediate family - my brother, his wife and their two girls, Izzy and Zoe (who are 6 months older than Claire and 3 months older than Ben, respectively) Dave's sister, husband and their daughter, Maddy (who is 15 months old;) the grandparents, Dave's aunt and cousin, my uncle and lastly, my sister-in-law's parents, who have become close family friends, and an auntie and uncle to Claire (after a fashion) 

The day was overcast and cool, but dry, so we headed out - stopped a Costco, with a tightly edited list - we picked up chicken sausage, hotdogs, ground beef, rolls, potato salad, chips, guacamole, cheese, and crackers. Paper goods were found and we headed back to moms'
My mother-in-law baked a sheet cake and made a carrot and chick-pea salad.
Perfect.
Everyone had a relaxed time - the bigger girls played (Izzy and Claire are best buds) Maddy is still a bit shy and the babies were babies.

Claire was great - she smiled, she blew out the candles and opened presents. And everyone asked what to get, so there were no surprises - the biggest hit was a non-princess specific dressup dress - in fuschia, pink and orange tulle. It's gorgeous and makes me want to be a three-year old again.

I'd like to welcome the newest Kayakbaby, my little boy to the world.

Benjamin Colin
Born 9.11.09 at 5.53 am
9 lbs, 14 oz.

Can't post a picture from my phone, but he's adorable!

Things that Suck this morning
1, Clogged toilet that will not plunge clean. Seriously, should the 36-wk pregnant lady be the one to unclog the can? 
2. Toddler who won't let you get dressed in peace
3. No clean shirts and only one pair of clean shorts to wear.
4. Husband who is unclear on the concept of "Mommy needs a moment"

Things that are made of Win
1. The same toddler quietly playing in her room until nearly 8am
2.. The prospect of a new farmers' market for lunch
3. Seeing my friend B and her little girl O for a picnic and trip to the park.
4. Cute haircut
5. Realizing that B doesn't care what you wear.
6.Husband who will leave you alone once you explain that you "need a moment"

Well, at least the win column is nearly twice as long as the sucky one is!

Ugh, this is just a slow, slow day. Muggy, warm and nothing to do but clean.

Well, a few of you have been asking for it, so here goes. Not the best in terms of profile, but the rest of me looks decent, so I am willing to share this picture of me - taken by my dad last weekend.



( 31 weeks... )

1. Rain again
2. Pregnancy-related soreness leading to bitchiness
3. Had to do laundry
4. Claire has figure out how to climb up her changing table, open her dresser and cause chaos. She ended up napping there this afternoon, and I'm trying to ignore the "she could have fallen off" remorse.

We're having a great weekend, after a rocky patch yesterday. Toddler not napping + cranky mama = emotional breakdown.

However, we're all rested and started the day nicely with a bacon and egg breakfast. Claire liked the bacon! Then it was off to a birthday party where she ate a huge blue-frosted cupcake all by herself. She stained her dress AND face in the process but had a great time.

And to add to the general excitement of the day - we saw THREE FIRE TRUCKS parked outside the building.

Tomorrow will bring another party at the very least. Negotiations are underway for a morning playdate w my bro, SIL and nieces.

So, here's my first mobile post, via the shiny new Android phone!

My dad SWEARS up and down that he knew a kid that knew a kid that was served a Kentucky Fried mouse at some point. Whether that counts as an urban legend or not, I don't know, but it has kept me from eating there my whole life!

This is one of those days where my friends are totally coming through for me.

1. My friend G IMed me on Facebook to make sure I was OK. I hadn't been updating there in a while, and we're mostly online buds, so she was missing me. As were a bunch of other people I haven't been in touch with since the holidays.

2. mercyb cheered me up with a couple of txt messages that reminded me that I'm missed here too. (Um, my last post was back at Christmas, crikey!)

3. A quick phone call to a third friend helped me up the last few steps of this funk I'm in. I'm still not totally there, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4. Sharing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a toddler is pretty darned cool.

There's nothing wrong, per se, but lately the trials and tribulations of staying home full time and running around after C have been dragging me down. And, when I'm down, I don't post, I try to do all my wallowing silently.

So, here I am...trucking along...