I-RAH-KNEE!!

How's this for ironic:


I was out shopping with SIL and nieces a few weeks ago at a favorite department store that rhymes with "Karshall's" and grabbed a book I'd had on my "Download" list (for my Nook) because "Karshall's" has good prices, and I'll never get around to downloading it...

So we check out (after being assaulted and swindled by all those stands of snacks and chotchkees by the cashiers) and are walking through the parking lot, when I noticed the book.

It's sitting in the child-seat section of the cart, underneath my purse- I think I just stole a book on accident...

What book was it?

No joke:

An unpleasant First...

Well ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies - I doubt any guys are out there reading...)

We have our first ear infection...

But you'd never know it from this face:

E and I got home from work yesterday to find some build-up / wax-crud / pus-y* ear-discharge on poor baby boy...

((**BTW - when I first tried to spell out what you would phonetically say outloud as pus-eee - well..."pussy."))

ANYWAYS - so, ear-discharge. 
it was yucky, and IDENTICAL to the googled "ear infection" photos. 
(and would explain why Ben was screaming bloody murder during the night when he was slightly woken for a diaper change, something very uncharacteristic.)

We called the pediatrician - who, god bless 'em - was all, "can you get here in 10 minutes? We'll stay open til you arrive..."

After a quick inspection and a prescription called in, we're on ear-drops AND antibiotics now for 10 days... and you'd think we're shoving bamboo shoots under his fingernails when he gets his ear drops...


Coming up - SEVEN MONTHS OLD?!?

Tushie Friday...

But first - snow.

snow everywhere.

(Not my house) but these drifts are HUGE... we're running out of spots to put snow, which ain't good - there's a few more inches coming tomorrow morning...

(we made it back from CT Wednesday night - E's uncle, where it took over 3 hours for the viewing, there was so many people there to pay respects... it makes the "WHY" question that much more emphasized...)
But the burial got pushed from Thursday morning to Saturday morning.  I think the family is just ready to finish the process of laying him to rest so they can begin to piece the rest of their lives together...


Anyways - the snow.

This dumbass got behind me this morning, and all the snow he didn't clear from his roof proceeded to slide down onto his windshield while he drove. (Look closely in my rear-view mirror)

Did he stop to clear his windshield? Like any sane, safe human being?
OH NO.

He drove like this for over a mile, with me nervously watching him in my mirror.... And when he got out at a stoplight?
He quickly brushed off another 6" or so, and drove on.

SNOW CRAZIES!



How awesome is baby tush?

 Yes, he's standing unassisted at the ottoman... ACK stop growing so fast!!!

So - here's my Valentine for this year:

Enjoying a day home with Daddy on Thursday

(while Mommy had to trudge through a blizzard to work...)

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Letter...

Speaking of RAKE, I read this letter recently, and it brought me to tears...

My hope, with the monthly RAKEs, is to lift someone's day up in a way that this man did for this mom:

(Article in its entirety can be found here.)


To the woman and child who sat at Table 9,

I did not introduce myself to you. 

My name is Tony Posnanski. I have been a restaurant manager for 15 years now. My day consists of making sure my restaurant runs well. That could mean washing dishes, cooking and sometimes even serving tables. I have also dealt with every guest complaint you can imagine.

A few weeks back you came into my restaurant. 
I was very busy that night. I was running around helping the kitchen cook food. I was asked to talk to a table close to yours. I did and they said your child was being very loud. I heard some yelling while I was talking to that table. I heard a very loud beep from a young girl.

I started to walk to your table. You knew what I was going to ask. You saw the table I just spoke to pointing at you. I got to your table and you looked at me. You wanted the first word. You said...

"Do you know what it is like to have a child with autism?"

You were not rude when you asked the question. In fact, you were quite sincere. Your daughter could not have been more than 5 years old. She was beautiful and looked scared that I was at the table. She looked like she thought she was in trouble.

In 15 years I do not have a lot of memorable moments as a restaurant manager. I remember some guests who were mad that their burgers were not the way they wanted them. I remember a woman who called corporate on me because she said I gave her a regular Coke instead of a Diet Coke. I remember having to cut people off from drinking alcohol and I remember having to tell tables to have their child be quieter.

However, I do remember everything about the day my son was born. How I cried when I heard him cry. How I stood there and told him I would do anything for him and be the best father possible. 
I remember the day I married my wife. How I cried and promised to be the best husband possible. 
I remember the day my daughter was born. I did not cry that day. I was just so relieved because I lost a child two years earlier.

I know what I was supposed to say when I went to your table. I was supposed to politely tell you to please not have your daughter yell. I was supposed to offer to move you to another area. I was supposed to offend you by not offending you...

I did not do any of that.

Instead I just told you I hoped your meal was awesome. I high-fived your daughter and then I told you that your meal was on us tonight. It was only $16. It meant more to me than that. I do not think the other guests I spoke to were happy about it. 
At that moment it did not matter to me.

I do not know how you reacted. I had to leave to go cook because the kitchen was not doing very well that night. When the server asked me why I bought the food I just said you did not enjoy your steak. I did not tell anyone what you said to me. I was thankful you did say it to me, though.

You asked me a question that I did not answer. The truth is I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism. I know what it is like to be a father. I know what it is like to be a husband. I know what it is like to not tell your wife how much you love her enough. I know what it is like to want to spend more time with your children.

You asked me the question right away. You have been through this before in other restaurants. I did not want to be like other managers for one moment. I did not want to tell you what you always heard.

Honestly, I wrote this to you and your beautiful daughter because I wanted to thank you both.

You have given me a great restaurant memory. One that I needed for the last 15 years.

You also taught me a valuable lesson...

Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy -- just the people who need it the most.

Sincerely,

Tony Posnanski

Remember to RAKE?

So - a quick update on a shaky start to RAKEing...

Last week, I picked up a co-worker who was "stuck" at home during the snow-storm-aftermath (in mah NEW MOM-MOBILE! ((Kia Sorento - blue tooth, AWD, remote start)) it's freaking awesome, and I was all, "WHAT SNOW?!")

Anyways - we stopped at DD and got a dozen donuts, a box of munchkins, and coffee for as many of the managers that I knew their tastes (I considered a BoxOJoe but felt like it was slightly a waste of money - our kitchen here can make pot after pot of free coffee! and we already have all kinds of flavored creamers...)

So I walked into the front office and was greeted by "So which one is my coffee?"

uummm.... I didnt get that guy one... CRAP.  But there's like, 10 managers! I didn't know who all even DRANK coffee!

And DAMN son, way to make my RAKE feel just 2 inches tall.... booooo..


And a quick BuggyList weight-loss update:
I got off to a great start after a few days of working out and not letting myself NOM everything after work, and dropped from XX5 lbs to XX1.5 - 3.5 lbs lost! GO ME!!

And then Superbowl  happened.
As did 3 lbs back on....

 (Get it? SAD PANDA?!)


And then, over the next week, I slowly got it back down to XX1.7 - not bad, but somewhat hard to upkeep.

Just this morning it was back up to XX2.2.  I'm hoping that it's just some muscle I'm putting on, because I've been focusing on some pushups and ab-work, inspired by this lady and her month of Fab-Abs (Fab-ruary?!)

Each time I am lazing on the couch after work thinking, But I don't feel like working out right now...
I just remind myself of the conversation E and I had about the mud-run I'm getting ready for (in June) and the obstacles that he told me of, like the one that is all upper-body strength (holding onto a swinging rope - hence all my pushups and tricep dips and bicep curls)

and "that [he] knows [I] won't be able to do, it's hard - it's ok, you just skip it and go around."

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Come June?

 I WILL make that obstacle.

Prayers Needed

A sad start to the weekend - we just found out E's uncle (apparently) intentionally asphyxiated in his garage - I am still in shock and wonder what could have happened that made suicide seem like the best option...
My heart is breaking for his family - please pray for them - a wife and two teenage daughters...

and prayers for safe travel - E and his dad are driving to CT now (from NJ) to be with them...

RAKE it out!

So, Monday evening after that crap-ton of snow we got, I looked out the window while working...
(a little set up - our detached garage is at the back of our house, with our driveway coming alongside the house and making an L shape in front of the garage - all downhill...)

I looked out the window, and noticed headlights on our garage, which meant someone was probably turning around at the top of the driveway, no biggie.

Then I noticed a yellow PLOW.


Our neighbors across the street have a son, who's cousin or coworker or some relation had a truck with a plow.

And they were plowing our driveway for us.

Just because.

Three guys, they plowed (and shoveled) and cleaned off my car (remind me to tell you about why it was outside our garage!) - it was so nice!!!

(And then the truck got stuck trying to back up our driveway - I told you it was bad!)

But - what a random act of kindness!  Without any payment (except the beer we sent them on their way with!) they had done this for us...



I read an article recently about a drive-thru somewhere, can't remember the restaurant, but some long chain of customers kept paying for each others' orders...

There's good and kind people out there!


And so here's a New Year's Resolution... or Buggy List item, or whatever.

At least once a month, I want to commit a random act of kindness. (This morning I was all, "Gonna go through Starbucks drive-thru and pay for the car behind me!" and then I remembered my receptionist picks up coffee for me every morning... does that negate the random act of kindness? lol)

Anyways - I will start tomorrow morning, with the above-mentioned Starbucks gig (because I just lurrrrve me a green-tea-latte!).

And I challenge each of you to commit one random act of kindness.

It can be as easy as holding the door for a few extra people, or as complex as a surprise thank you gift to your postal delivery guy (I mean come ON - have you seen the winter storm forecasts for this coming week?!)

and if you're wondering where the hell RAKE-ing comes into play from the title - I made up a cute little acronym for this little movement I hope to help bolster, but is already in action:
R andom
A cts of
K indness
E verywhere

(awwww, cute right? lol)

Tell me about some of your RAKE's!

Only One Nap Already?!

Some quick updates on things I think I missed in the past few days/weeks -

Freezer/Slow-Cooker Meal #1 was a roaring success! (Except with E's adopted sister, who is in her second attempt at vegetarianism and won't eat chicken...)
But the rest of us enjoyed some yummy Maple Dijon Chicken over pasta with balsamic-soaked zuccini (something E's other adopted sister did NOT like - picky girls...)

And I'm not sure I ever posted about Ben's 6 month stats (mostly for posterity...):
At 16 lbs, Big Ben is riding in the 25th percentile for weight (which is AWESOME when he was around the 5th percentile for the first month or so!) (And when we ran to the doctors for them to listen to his cough two weeks after his 6 month appt, he was up to 16lbs11oz! a relief, as his appetite hadn't been the greatest while he was sick...)

His 27 inches of length puts him in the 75th percentile - My tall lanky boy will make a great hockey player!

And I KNOW, right?! that HAIR?
Check out the faux-hawk he got at Grandma's house last Friday (she babysits once a week for us) when all of his aunts came over to play:

We've been getting a lot a shit-ton* of snow lately, with more expected tonight and this weekend, and Ben loves to slap the glass doors and rest his forehead while gazing out at the back deck:

(We've received over 3 feet of snow this year so far... and this was before we received a dumping of 8" yesterday - more expected tonight!)

His new favorite, and insanely messy, snack is a Banana Mum-mum bar (I also think it's just fun to say, kind of like Wubba-Nubs!)

I have what on my face??

So yesterday during the big snow storm, both E and I worked from home, tag-teaming each other in for Ben (we told our babysitter, who worked at Giant Stadium during the Superbowl Sunday night!, to just stay home with all the snow expected...)

So I was all jazzed when Ben took a 2 hour nap during my turn with him - I was able to get a bunch of work done, and couldn't believe how long he slept (he's the King of 30-Minute naps... sometimes 28 minutes, sometimes 25...)

And then that was it.

HE DIDN'T SLEEP AGAIN until bedtime at 7:30.... which is why this happened during his last bottle:

We had set him up with his bottle while we ate dinner, when E glances over, snorts and says, "Oh my gawd, you have to look at him...."

He didn't crack his eyes once while I removed his bottle, carried him upstairs, and swaddled him in his crib...