Gee, I wonder why won't he sleep in his crib?

This post is dedicated to single mothers everywhere. I salute you.

Yesterday went better - it helped (or not, depending how you view it) that Cousin J was feeling better and was able to come and sit with Arun (she has been out sick most of the week - nothing contagious, though). I promptly got the hell out of there, ran some errands, and settled down in a nearby local coffeehouse to knit awhile. I came home and Cousin J was snuggling Arun in her arms and announced he had slept the whole time - a time slot OUTSIDE his usual naptime and she had held him the entire time. sigh

So, I present some odds n’ ends to round out the week. I am as tired talking about infant sleeping habits as people are hearing about them.

Taxation Vexation: I finished our taxes last weekend. I always try to be stoic when looking at the final numbers, but DAMN it’s hard when Uncle Sam is in the background jeering “Bend over, babycakes." (I also thought I heard a "Who's Your Daddy?", but that was just X questioning the kid). Anyway, X was pretty pissed too when we saw the final amount until I suggested that he start being a little more supportive of BeelzeBush and his cronies. That quickly shut him up and he started to hem and haw about the “greater good of taxation”. Bill Maher would be proud.

Vacation Elation: Okay - even though we are broker than a Ming vase left in a toddler’s grasp, I am going to San Francisco next week. Why? Because I can do it on the cheap - the VERY cheap, to be exact. X is going there for a conference and I can fly free with him (we have a hard-earned Companion Pass on Southwest). I have never been to San Francisco and welcome all advice on what to do out there that is also FREE.

Being a Bottomless Pit is the Pits: I am a hungry, hungry hippo - most likely due to the fact that I am truly eating for two and only one of us is gaining weight. It's really getting old, though. I wake up nearly every morning now around 4-5am HUNGRY. Losing sleep over food? That's Maslowe's Hierarchy of Needs gone wrong, wrong, WRONG.

Rancid Reads:
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood -- I finished this book last night and was blown away - it’s one of the very best books I have read in a long, LONG time. I laid there for a good 30 minutes just thinking about it. I woke up still thinking about it. In fact, I am thinking about it RIGHT NOW.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood -- This book was downright chilling in its exacting descriptions of what the future could hold for us. Much of it is already happening, which made the book that much scarier. This is speculative fiction at its very best. In fact, my experience with this book led me to immediately pick up The Blind Assassin.

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg -- This thought-provoking book was a little hard to get into, but once the ball got rolling, it was a quick read. This is one book where I do want to see the movie because there is a scene description that I want to actually SEE. I will definitely be following this author around - I really enjoyed her writing style and am looking forward to picking up her newest release Wickett’s Remedy.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd -- Okay, I really enjoy this author’s style, but I am tired of all the weird mysticism. I would have enjoyed this book far more without it. The story was catching and I found myself wanting to know what would happen, but the weirdo religious overtones wore thin. I will give her credit, she handled the subject of marriage in a very real fashion - she was able to capture those “small moments” that really make a marriage and I was impressed.

My Name is Cagey: Speaking of reading, One of my life’s goal is to read every book on the Orange Prize for Fiction list of 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors . I have a softcopy of this list and anal retentive* that I am, I update it periodically. I am not making the progress I had hoped when I started the list 2 years ago (I had hoped to finish it next year), but Karma intervened and I got a job that required travel, acquired new hobbies and oh yeah, gave birth to a teeny, tiny human. I highly recommend this list - I can report that every single book I have read so far has touched me in some way. In fact, this morning I picked up High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - so far, so good. If only I could get my kid to take proper naps...... Benedryl, anyone?

*Google Juice THAT!


SIMIAN SNAPS

I love this picture because he just recently discovered “mouth breathing” and I took this picture of him where he is literally panting like a dog. Who knew that babies had to learn/discover how to breathe through their mouths? Why don't they tell you this shit in those childbirthing classes? I thought something was WRONG at first, but no, it was just more rung in the evolutionary ladder, I suppose. Now, whenever he does it, I laugh - which only makes him do it some more. Notice X in the background? Arun is going to grown up thinking every Daddy has a laptop as an extra appendage.

These shoes are ridiculous and I totally fell for what I like to call the Robeez Rip Off. I forked over more cash on these silly shoes than I spend on MY OWN shoes. I am still flabbergasted at myself because I am NOT a Shoe Girl. In fact, all of my shoes fit in our downstairs hall closet! I am a Purse Girl (yes, my diaper bag breaks my heart. BREAKS it, I tell ya). Anyway, I guess the only saving grace is that these are the only pair of shoes I have bought for him so far and I have no intentions of buying him anymore until he outgrows them. Of course, then he will need THESE. Good grief.

The kid LOVES to sit. He has recently discovered that there are OTHER teeny, tiny humans like HIM, but they know how to SIT. Therefore, HE must sit, ALSO. Hey, WAIT. Those other teeny, tiny humans can CRAWL, too. Oh, shit.