Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

So, I guess Sean wants to go to the Wild Animal Park for HIS birthday (copycat!!!), then go to the zoo again after the 22nd when it is open later. Cool! Everyone loves it.
Joey got me Red Dwarf season 1 on dvd for my birthday and it just arrived today. Watched three episodes then had to make myself stop because I'd be up all night. I used to have quite a lot of episodes on tape--whole seasons--back in the days long ago before Tivo. I have no idea where they are, the quality was bad because the tapes were very old, and often cut out at the end. Or in the middle.
I had a pretty good day at work today, which was nice because last night was absolutely AWFUL. One of those nights where I feel like walking out and never coming back. Until I think about being homeless. Grr...stupid money! Anyway, I can't wait until I get a memory card and can take a bunch of pictures and videos! I love posting to this blog because one day Matt will read it, probably on some futuristic medium, and maybe have a more enlightened view of who his mom was besides that old lady who always makes him clean his room even though it's not that bad.
Cute Pic of the Day:

What I opened my door to when I came home from work today. Cute!
Anyway, have some very important things to do! haha...like take videos of Mai. Videos like this one...

okay, enough for now. Bye!

matt video!!

So this awesome new camera takes video too! So, here's one of him playing in his jumper. Not very exciting, he is kind of tired, but here goes:
Ugh. Taking forever!
Yesterday was so awesome! I ate a whole bunch of junk food and caffeine and didn't get sick! Lucky! While my video is uploading, I took another one which is much cuter. I'll post them both. Might take me my entire LIFE, but I will!
Oh, my, god. IT'S A 1 MINUTE MOVIE! How can it take this long?????
Hm. Going to put Matt down for his morning nap. Will edit this later and insert the videos. Looks like there's a connection problem.
Okay, here we go. This is the first one, where he's just hanging out in his jumper. Not too exciting, honestly. But he is really cute.

This one is cuter--he is smiling and cooing in this one.


Lastly, here is Matt, knocked out after playing in his jumper so much:

Okay, have to start getting ready for work now. :-( Bye!

Zoo to you, too,

The zoo was SO SO SO cool!!!! Oh my god!!! And the camera takes such cool pictures!!!
It was just wonderful. I have been looking forward to it for over a week, and I thought that since I had gotten my hopes up high, that SOMETHING bad would happen. But, no, it lived up to all my expectations and was so wonderful!!! I had lots of junk food, Matt was PERFECT, everything was wonderful, and traffic was good! So, here are some pictures from the zoo.

Matt, I, and a birdie!

Another beautiful bird. They have the coolest aviary I have ever seen. The poop was nice and white and wiped easily off my shirt...

Sleepy bear! Super cute! Until it wakes up and mauls you, that is.

See Matt eying my churro? Yeah. He swiped at it and shoved it in his mouth. Hope it was good!

He liked it a lot. Can you tell?

This is a panda cub. Well, teenager, I guess.

Giraffes! Yay!! I wish I could feed one.

Elephant, starting to run to the food source. You know, someone should really tell him that there are lotions out there for cracked dry skin. Poor guy.

Here is a rhino. Very awesome! Didn't seem to have much room to run around in, though.

Koala!!!

Me and the waterfall. Yay.

Matt likes snakes! Maybe that can be his first pet when he gets older. Not THAT one--of course...heh heh heh...

Finally--a picture of Matt and Dad! And that IS a lizard behind them--one about as big as a Lab. (Labrador Retriever)

Hippo, opening his mouth to get the ball (which is covered in futile teeth marks). Kind of reminds me of Mai. Hm. This guy knew he had an audience. He would chase his ball, then go up for air, then press his snout against the glass and make what could only be described as a hippo attempt at a razberry. Very, very, VERY cool! I can't wait to see him again!

Up close and personal! Here with his ball again. Magnificent creature. He spent most of his time in the water. Honestly, if I were his size/awkward figure, I would too. I'd rather be weightless and graceful, bounding along underwater after a ball like a baby hippo again than stomping around heavily on the ground feeling the whole pull of gravity!
This guy was really just the last thing we were going to see before leaving, and for me, he turned out to be my favorite. Nothing really compares to seeing a 2 ton creature swimming and playing and showing off underwater. Super cool.
Anyway, the rest of my birthday was great--had yummy cake when I got home, and had "Happy Birthday" sung to me with 22 candles and everything. Made a wish! Hope it comes true! Anyway, I am going to go enjoy what's left of my birthday. I'll be posting lots of new pics with this awesome new camera!!!

Aim Before You Shoot!

So, I got home after a rough-ish day--(was busy, phone was ringing off the hook, customers kept coming in, had a standard poodle who liked to whip his head from side to side just as my scissors we about to close, etc.), and gave Matt a bath, fed him dinner, then put him to bed.

I really like that picture.
So, was talking to my mother-in-law, who, for my birthday, bought Sean and I a year membership to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park so we could get in for free all year (thereby freeing up money), and I was telling her how Sean's war veteran camera was suffering with multiple injuries, not the least of them being a completely destroyed screen, and out-of focus pictures that we couldn't adjust the settings on because-ta da!-no screen! So all the pictures were turning out very glow-y and distorted. So she asked me why I didn't get a new one. That got me thinking...why didn't I? The cost of a new one is the cost of repairs on the old one (and sometimes euthanasia is the best way), and I DID have lots of birthday money I WAS going to spend for zoo admission...and it is an important day tomorrow (my birthday, Matt's first REAL excursion...), so why not? Really. I am such a cheapskate, I would rather eat 5 year old beans for dinner than grocery shop if I thought I could get away with it. I splurge on other people, but I actually cannot remember when I bought something nice and expensive for myself. Clothing here and there, makeup, little fun stuff, yes. But nothing really nice and cool. So I headed down to my local 24 hour Walmart and got this:






Cool, huh? I am super super super psyched!!!!!!!! Yay!!!! A nice camera of my own!!! The one I have been using is Sean's.
But I bought one more thing, one more very, very important thing. Something that could save me $200. And only cost 4.

Yep. Maybe if Sean had that back in Iraq, this whole thing could have been avoided.
Anyway, I am super excited, but I was dumb and didn't buy a memory card, so the pictures tomorrow will be limited. Unless we stop and get one, which is doubtful. We will soon, though! Okay, I am done rambling (for now!)
goodnight!

Don't quit 'till you sit, baby!

Yes, I forgot to mention that Matt sat up all by himself at the beach for the first time! So, per reader request, I got a picture of him doing it. It is kind of fuzzy because the camera is messed up, but here it is:

Isn't that cute??? I love the way he is holding his hands. He is just so great!
So, there you go, you wanted picture proof, and there it is. As irrefutable as the UFOs, or Bigfoot. Or old 'Nessie.
So, anyway, not much going on really. Just working a whole bunch, and getting ready for our trip to Connecticut/New Hampshire/Massachusetts/New York in July. Oh, speaking of that, I have to make my car rental reservation!!!!
So I guess I should go.
Here are some more pics of Matt.


I'm good, you? No, that is NOT A PURPLE PACIFIER! HOW DARE YOU!!!

Going for the most vacant look he can think (not think?) of.

Now, let's try the drugged with elephant tranquilizer look.

How about the I'M SITTING UP ALL BY MYSELF LOOK?
haha
told you!

Beachie Beach Beach

So we had fun at the beach! I read, Matt and Sean slept.

Then we woke up and went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack, supposedly famous for their seafood.

So, I got pasta with no meat in it, and Sean got a burger. Sigh....
Matt decided he was hungry too, and since Sean forgot the formula in the car he had to carry Matt ALL THE WAY to the beach and back (where we had parked, a far ways away), to feed him. Well...when the baby's hungry, he's hungry!

Well, in other news, not much is going on. Just working and being a mom. To me that's a lot, but I realize it doesn't sound thrilling. Maybe soon I'll have some more exciting news. Maybe tomorrow. We'll see.
Ooh! Did I mention I am going to the zoo on my birthday? Hmm..maybe I did. Well I am super excited. Yay!!! Okay, I am going to go now and watch the season finale of House, so I'll post later!!!

I know!!!

I've been busy!!! Another long work week. 6 days. Yuck. Sean, Matt and I are going to the beach today; in fact, very very soon. I will take lots of pictures and post a better, longer blog later tonight. So, I wised up, and began feeding Matt like this:



Hey, it makes clean-up much easier! Then I just toss him in the bath, and, voila! Clean baby!

So, for my impending birthday, we are going to the zoo! Yes, I KNOW I live in a zoo already, but sometimes it's nice to see zoos that I don't have to clean up after.
Okay, looks like Sean is ready to go, so I'll post later!!!

Oh! They shot me again!!!!

Matt had his 4 month check up today. Found out some interesting stuff!! For one, he is almost 16 pounds, nearly double his birth weight. He is also a little over 2 feet tall. Apparently, he is average weight, above average height, and a below average head circumference. His head also is permanently tilted to the left!!!! I now have to do neck exercises with him to make his head normal. Sigh...I never noticed it until the pediatrician pointed it out. His head is ALWAYS tilted to the left!!! I am guessing it has something to do with the thing he stares at in his kennel...I mean crib...too many animals sorry. The little "fish tank" that has bubbles and music and lights that soothes him to sleep is on his left side. So we will move it to the other side and do those exercises and that should fix the problem! I have been so good about switching his position and making sure he isn't on his back/one side too much but no one ever warned me one side of his neck muscles would be more developed because he likes to look at something in his crib!!!
So, anyway, he is tall and skinny and VERY strong! This doctor also made the prediction that he'd be an early walker. He can already bear his entire weight on his legs (with me just touching him for balance) for half a minute straight and like 5 minutes with few-second breaks in between.
Anyway, I want to watch Monday's episode of Heroes before Matt gets too fussy!!!
Oh...the shots were awful. He cried with the most anger and pain I had ever seen. The doctor gave him infant tylenol and he was feeling good. Still dreading taking the band-aids off. :-(
Blog at ya later!!!

No fighting???

Wow, I can't believe it! Matt was winding down so I decided it was naptime (this is the time when he usually goes to sleep for his morning nap), so I put him in his crib...and he just laid there!!!!! Then, I...TUCKED HIM IN!!!! Okay, laugh if you want, but usually as soon as those covers hit his body, up goes his feet then he kicks and slams them down, launching the covers to the other end of the crib. It doesn't matter if they're as tight as a straight-jacket, he'll get them off. I usually have to go in there when he is sleeping and tuck him in. There was no fighting, yanking out his pacifier, nothing! He just let me tuck him in, then his eyelids drooped, then closed, and he was a sleeping angel.
Sorry--had to write about it because sleepy time is never peaceful like that! Not like he hates going to sleep, but the downside of having an active baby is that he will be active up until the second his eyes close. He likes to run in place while trying to go to sleep or getting his diaper changed. I'm not talking slow paced kicking of the legs. This is manic. But he has a very amicable look on his face the whole time. He's not upset, he just has to "run out" his excess energy before he can sleep. This time I think was due to him being very tired out from the doorway jumper.
Anyway, time to go to work. Yay...I close by myself tonight...on a saturday...yuck!

Counting the hours...

20 hours until I start my 8 day work spree. Yuck. It wouldn't be bad at all if my job was a normal job! But this one is sooooo stressful and busy! But, hey, I'll be making good money :-). I'm still proud of myself for making so much Monday and Tuesday. If I work my butt off, I should have a good sum of extra money we can use to put in savings (along with the tax refund), so we won't be struggling to move in August. Also, I may be going to NH in July, and I need some money for renting a car and stuff while I'm there.
No new pictures! Sorry! Actually, I'll go take one right now. :-) See what Sean and Matt are up to.

Wow. They look THRILLED!
Speaking of thrilled...I'm listening to Thriller on my super cool MP3 player...
I still maintain circa 1980s/early 90's Micheal Jackson was abducted and killed and replaced by a colorblind pedophile alien.

So, that's all for now. Just trying to post lots because I definately won't be posting much in the weeks to come! However, I will try.
Have fun having this weekend off, whoever reads this. Because everyone who reads this gets them off *sigh*

Matt's New Trick

Today was my day off, and I traded in my old, slow cable boxes for new, fast ones for free. Yay! Sean and I also took Matt on a nice walk around the nice neighborhoods behind our apartment complex. We fantasized about someday owning a house. Not like it's ever going to happen, but hey, we can dream!
So, Matt learned a new trick today, and he is very proud of himself.

He learned how to blow "raz"berries!

With his banannas.
Mmmm...rasberry bananna....
Ahem. anyway.

Here's me feeding Matt. Yay!

And Matt being cute...

And here's Matt, super cute, being fed by Sean, also cute.


And below are some of me playing with Matt in the morning.




And Matt is just playing in his blue chair.

Okay, not anymore! He's getting fussy. Post at you later!!!

multi tasking is great...

On hold with Time Warner Crapple, holding Matt, looking at pictures and updating my blog. yay! Came home after making $200 in commission and almost getting killed by two dogs, changed, shoved some food down (hadn't taken a break all day), Sean left for school and I commenced my OTHER full time job of being a mom. Except I get breaks :-)--but no pay! I fed Matt some sweet potatoes today.

Ok, well...attempted to feed.

mmm...

those are some GOOD sweet potatoes!

SEE? I CAN clean myself up!

Granted, not very well...

But who cares?

Look how much he "ate"!

Ok, clean-up time! Oh, by the way Mom, there's a suprise in my diaper for you.