Keeping up with Lyle

You've all heard the saying "Keeping up with the Joneses." My new saying for Shawn is "Keeping up with Lyle." You see Shawn's been bit by the Christmas bug along with the neighbor envy bug. Last weekend Shawn decided he was going to put up Christmas light, which just happened to be after our neighbor across the street, Lyle, put his up. You see Lyle is the manly man on our block. (To remind you, he was the one who came over and helped me with the pipes when I was worried about them freezing.) So Shawn went to Ace Hardware and I was heading to Target anyways, so while on our respective shopping trips, we called each other and compared prices on lights. Of course, Target's were cheaper, but Shawn was already at Ace and from what he read on the packaging, he thought theirs would be better (even though they were $17 a box and Target's were $12). When Inara and I got back from our trip to Target, Shawn was busy working away on the lights. As the observer, of course, I had to throw in my two cents on how I thought he should do things, but he went about doing his own thing. I kept going outside to check on him because this simple project sure did take a long time. As he was hanging the lights, he was annoyed by the fact that some of them were poorly constructed and the icicle strands were unevenly distributed and poorly twisted so that Shawn had to mickey mouse them. He then had to figure out a way to pull the extension cord up out of the way so you wouldn't see it dangling down. Thank goodness Pop introduced Shawn to tie straps. They sure do come in handy for just about every project. As Pop says, there are two things you need: tie straps and RoundUp (weed killer). That night, the three of us went outside after dark to observe the pretty lights. Huh? Why do the two strands on the ends look bluish and the other three strands look yellowish? Shawn was pissed, but he left the lights up for time being. He's such a perfectionist and obviously trying to keep up with Lyle that he was so irritated and determined to get more lights from Ace the next day. Monday night he returned home with the last three boxes of that brand of lights they had.

This last Friday, Shawn decided to return to his Christmas light project. First, he tested the lights in the house to make sure they were all yellow. We were so annoyed to find that one of the strands had a bluish tint again. Mind you, we've read every inch of the boxes and packaging and the strands are all the same, or so they are supposed to be. At least he had the two other strands that were yellow so he could replace the two blue ones still hung up. He unraveled the strands to make sure these weren't poorly twisted and strung together before he hung them up. Jacked! These were even worst than the other strands he'd already hung up. One of the icicles hung down about three feet while the others were barely a foot. "That's it! I'm taking them all back!" Shawn yelled. "I'm going to Target to get new ones. Wanna go?" Oh wait. Did I just hear him say he wanted to go to Target to get new lights, the place I had originally told him to get the lights? Wow. What a concept? Yes, I'm being sarcastic, but as I told him, if he would have just listened to the wife in the first place, all this hassle could have been avoided, but NOOO, he's the man and he knows best. Ha ha. Shawn did admit later that from now on he's just going to listen to me because it will save a lot of time. Hooray. He's learned the secret to a happy marriage: just listen to me. Yay! I digress.

We pack Inara up and head to Target where Shawn then spends the next 40 MINUTES reviewing all the Christmas lights. Yes, I understand there are a TON of lights to choose from, but 40 minutes? You see Shawn had to inspect and read all the boxes to figure out which ones were LED, which color he wanted to go with, which had the best bulb count and length, and which ones had white and not green wires because he didn't want the green to stick out along the white eaves of the house. I was dying laughing because just as he would decide on a light to get, he'd go to get the right amount of boxes only to find out he was one short. Pure comedy I'm tellin' ya! He then decides he wants to get lights for the windows in the single car garage to one up Lyle I'm sure. (Oh by the way, Lyle even put lights around all the trees in his backyard too. So much to keep up with. Ha ha.) Once home, Shawn puts the new lights up in record time and they look awesome. White icicle lights around the front of the garages and red lights framing the windows in the one garage. Who would have thunk that Target brand lights would be this perfect? Hee hee. Shawn was so proud of his job that he asked Kristi and Thane to do a drive-by after we all had dinner together Friday night. He had to show them off to someone. The silly man even went outside that night in socks and flip-flops to take a picture. Too bad it was snowing and he skidded and got his sock wet. Aye carumba. That night we talked about getting some nights for the two trees in the front yard too. But there are no close electrical outlets, so we walked around trying to figure out how to get power to the trees. Shawn's thinking of rigging something up from the outlet by the garage door opener, string wire up the rafter, down the side of the garage and then to the trees. He's such a man and loves these challenges.

Well then, Saturday night I hear Shawn say, "That bastard." I go to the front windows to see what Shawn's looking at. Lyle switched out the two lights on either side of the garage so one is now red and the other is green. Shawn was mad. Does Lyle think of everything? I swear I don't know my husband any more. You see, he used to always make fun of me when I'd put up decorations in our apartment. Now this guy is thinking of new ways he can decorate his house and one up the neighbor. He's killing me!

Lyle really is the super man of the block. His lawn is so perfectly manicured every week. Shawn even pointed out that there is never a stray leaf on his lawn. Then this morning as we are enjoying watching the snow falling, Shawn dies when he sees Lyle shoveling the driveway and then brings out the snow blower to clear the sidewalk around his house and the neighbors. Shawn walks away shaking his head saying, "Whatever, man, whatever." I've seen a whole new side of my husband. And I love it!

Last story before I bore you all: Shawn and I worked on the basement today. He went to Home Depot and got more of the storage shelving units that he and Pop bought for the garage. He was upset to see that it looks like they are blowing them out and possibly not going to carry them any more, so he bought four sets. I thought that seemed overboard, but once we started organizing the basement, we used all four and could actually use a couple more. Anyhow, the basement is now super organized into sections: Inara's stuff, Shawn's electronic stuff, Marisa's books, stuff for a garage sale, holiday decorations, and leftover tiles and other supplies for the house. I even have a crafting corner all to myself. Yippee skippy! Then Shawn rolled out the extra carpet and padding the builders had left and arranged the extra TV stand and tower we have. Too bad we don't have an extra TV to hook up downstairs and a couch, but maybe someday we will. Then we situated the bar Jason made us so we can actually use it if we wanted. It's a great idea that we put the extra carpet out so now if I want to go downstairs to work, Inara has a carpeted area to play rather than have her play on the concrete. It looks so great down there and I'm most impressed that we got it done in under 3 hours. Shawn did most of the work, so I've gotta give him all the credit. Honey, it looks awesome!!! And for all the hard work you've been doing in the house lately, I'll give you a pat on the back and shout out, "Good job, buddy."

New reasons why I won't sell Inara on ebay...yet

Every day I'm amazed by how fast Inara is growing. She's such the little sponge right now and learning new things every time I turn around. She's still not saying any new words besides mama, dada, and uh-oh. I'm actually surprised she's not speaking more considering HOW much I read to her every day. The kid loves books! It's cute when she wants me to read to her, she'll bring me a book, I sit down with my legs crossed, and she backs up to me and sits down. It's hilarious. She could use some new books though because I'm getting bored reading the same ones every day. I'm about to pack away Goodnight Gorilla actually. It's a good book, but we read it at least 5 times a day. The latest fave is one about Christmas that we checked out from the library, and she loves looking at pictures of Santa. It's my goal to teach her to say, "Ho ho ho!" No luck yet, but I'm gonna keep trying.

Inara has also become infatuated with Pooh Bear and friends. She loves wearing the shirt Kristi got her with Darby and Pooh bear on it because all day long she walks around pointing at her tummy and smiling. I took the shirt out of the dryer yesterday and she came charging over when she saw the shirt and got so excited. She loves reading the one My Friend Tigger and Pooh book we have, so I checked out another Pooh book from the library. I'm thrilled that she loves these characters so much. They're some of my faves too.

Shawn and I are always teaching her animal sounds, but nothing has stuck yet, which we're also surprised by. However, she does do her elephant sound, which kills us every time. I've also tried teaching her to wiggle her nose like a rabbit does. Somehow it got translated into her winking her right eye. It's the cutest thing ever. She gets a kick out of it too.

One thing Inara has gotten very good at is congratulating herself when she does something. She's always clapping and cheering. I know that's because Shawn and I are always congratulating her when she does something. Positive reinforcement is so important.

Yesterday, Inara made me so proud when she became mommy's big helper. She loves to get in the way when I'm emptying the dishwasher, which makes me nervous because I don't want her to fall on the dishwasher door and hurt herself. So yesterday, I decided to get her involved in the chore. I took out some of her sippy cups and handed them to her. I then said, "Inara, help mommy and put these in the cupboard. You know where they go. You're special cupboard." She took the cup from me, stared back oddly for a sec, then turned around and put them in the correct cupboard. I was so proud and cheered for her. Of course, she clapped and cheered for herself too. We did this with all the cups and snack bowls that are hers and she put them all in the cupboard. Then I decided to try the plastic storage bowls that she plays with. She took them from me and knew exactly where to put them. She even surprised me when she put the small bowl inside the bigger bowls and then put them in the cupboard. I'm tellin ya, she might not be able to say any words, but the kid knows SOOO much!

My favorite new thing she does though has to be her kisses. I'll say, "Give mama kisses," and she'll lean over and kiss me. And she's starting to close her lips now, so they aren't big slobbery kisses any more. Yay! The other day I was trying to get her to say, "Love you." It was so cute because every time I would say "Love you" she would lean over and kiss me, so now when I say that, she comes right up and kisses me. Too adorable!!! So I guess I'll hold off listing her for sale on ebay for another few weeks, but as children go, the tides can change so fast that she just might end up for sale tomorrow. Ha ha!

Baby Jack is Here!

Congrats to Kristi, Thane and Avery for adding one more to the fam. Jack Christopher Myatt Tomlinson joined us this morning at 6am. Kudos to Kristi for barely making it in time to the hospital before only pushing 3 times and getting that little guy out. That's amazing! And of course, all natural for her second time. I swear she just keeps upping that bar more and more. And poor Thane even had to scrape ice of the windshield early this morning before they could head out. What a good guy!

I was so excited to be their first visitor. I wasn't waiting any longer to hold my nephew. It was different this time in that there wasn't a room full of people, so I got to hold him for awhile why the new parents got to eat something for breakfast. He's so adorable!

It was also super special watching Avery once she got to the hospital. She even asked Kristi how she was feeling. It was so sweet. I had brought Avery a little surprise too. I had packed it a few weeks ago with some snacks, crayons and coloring books just in case we were at the hospital waiting for awhile. Avery was rather excited to get her bag of goodies and thanked me several times. As she was sitting on the bed with Kristi, she said, "Isa, I love you!" That was so special to me. I love her too! I can't wait to watch Avery, Inara and Jack grow up together. Boy, does Jack have his hands full. Congrats to the four of them. Shawn, Inara and I are so lucky to have you as our family and best friends. We love you guys!

Motherhood is the most humbling job

There has been so much going on in the Tomlinson household with Miss Inara lately. The past couple weeks have presented many new challenges for mom. As the title of this blog states, motherhood will surely humble the most confident woman around. I consider myself to be up for most challenges presented to me, but I've recently come to realize that my new career as a mom has presented me with the greatest learning curve. I fancy myself a pretty smart lady most of the time and have always strived to be the best at everything I do. Boy, do I feel like a fish out of water more so than ever before. It is a constant learning process. Just when you think you have a child figured out...BAM! She starts something new.

When Inara was first born, I struggled for awhile with all the new processes (breastfeeding, midnight feedings, bathing a newborn, etc.), but relatively speaking, she was an easy baby. She slept in noisy places such as restaurants and at parties. She was easy to put to bed. No 2 hour process to speak of. Yes, she had some feeding problems, but once we got that all figured out, she was easy to handle. Then, the mobility started. Everything changes once a child learns to roll over. I could no longer sit her in her rocking chair or swing and move about on my own. She got her first two teeth at 10 months and while it was tough for a few days, it went rather quickly in hindsight. Then, my world was rocked when she learned to crawl and even more so when she started walking, as I had expected. Oh, how I miss the good old days of an immobile child who napped throughout the day.

Lately, one if my struggles has been the napping schedule. Or the lack thereof. Some days Inara wants to take a morning and an afternoon nap. Others I can barely get her to take a catnap the entire day. Some days I can exhaust her by being out and about. Other days, the busier we are, the less chance I have of getting her to nap at all. The inconsistency (or maybe the better word is the unpredictability) is what kills me the most. By 3 in the afternoon, I can read the sleepiness on her face, but she will refuse a nap with all her might. She is one strong-willed child. Who would have predicted that from my daughter?

In the last two weeks, Inara has been showing all the signs of teething, but do you think one of those little boogers would peak through to offer us some relief? She rugs her ear, lays her head toward one shoulder as if to relieve pain, wakes up screaming bloody murder, gnaws on pretty much anything she can get her hands on but refuses all things made to help in such situations, has been abnormally irritable, and, according to my mommy radar, is just not herself. What I find myself doing on the really tough days is sitting with her in my arms, cuddling, rubbing her head, and giving her as much love as I can. This obviously means the days of me being productive are out the door, and I can finally say, I'm fine with this. It's a hard thing to admit and even more difficult to accept, but mommy duties call.

Along with this though comes the loss of time for me. No, I'm not talking about the bigger "me time" of going to the movies or shopping or getting a pedicure. What I mean is the little bits of time for myself throughout the day. For example, getting to go pee without having someone follow me into the bathroom. I know this is payback for all the years that Michael and I would sit outside the bathroom where I now understand my mother was trying to find a few seconds to herself each day. Michael and I would so obnoxiously pester my mom so much that we would even resort to passing notes to her under the door: "Mom, can we watch TV? Please mark Yes or No." Payback is a bitch. Moms sacrifice every ounce of independence there is. Sorry Mom. I totally get it now!

Here's a great story to illustrate my point. Yesterday, Inara and I were playing in the living room. She seemed to be content playing with her Little People, so I thought, "Hey, I'm thirsty. I'll get me a glass of water." I got up, and no sooner had I started filling a glass, do I hear her scream and within seconds, she comes running around the corner with tears streaming down her face. Yes, all I had done was get up to get a glass of water. That's a no-no because that meant I was not in her direct line of sight. Silly mommy. What was I thinking? Yes, I now have a permanent growth attached to my side at all times. First, I called her my shadow, but now I feel that we are much closer than that.

Another new "skill" Inara has developed is her dinosaur screech. It is the most annoying sound in the world. The high pitched frequency is heard by all the dogs in the neighborhood. It is her way of letting me know that she wants something. What she wants I have NO idea. She will let out this sound and point. I will go through everything that is within 5 feet of her pointing finger to no avail. Baby girl, just tell me what you want! I can tell that she is getting more and more frustrated with the fact that she can't communicate clearly with me, which is where the world's most obnoxious sound comes from: pure frustration! The other new vocal development is her screaming mom. I was on the phone with Erin the other night, and Inara wanted my attention, so she let out a loud MOM! Even Erin heard it and was shocked by the clarity of Inara expressing my name. Yes, she wants attention. No, she will have to wait two more minutes. Daddy, please help!

However, with all the roller coaster twists and turns I've been dealing with, I am in total awe of this amazing child. She can now say mama/mom, dada, and even says uh-oh. It's cute when she says uh-oh even if it's after she has thrown a handful of food over the side of her high chair. Grr...but so cute. I'm super impressed with just how many words she can recognize and is getting great at pointing to things when we ask her to show us. She can point to hair, eyes, ears, nose, belly, toes, feet, hands, socks, shoes, pants, and a slew of animals. She makes the cutest elephant sound. It's more like a raspberry, but it's her version of an elephant blowing its trunk and I love it. I tried to teach her to wiggle her nose like a rabbit. For some reason, her interpretation is winking her right eye but I'll take it. It's so dang adorable! Speaking of animals, we have a resident squirrel who's been eating the berries out of the tree just outside our dining room. Inara and I just sit there and watch him munching away. She will even lay her head on the windowsill as she watches. My heart melts when I see her do this.

Other new things she does to entertain herself is she loves to turn around in circles. This all came about because of the closing song on the Imagination Movers. She turns around and around and around, of course getting herself dizzy. Then she tries to walk. Yes, I follow her around so she doesn't crash. When I'm in the kitchen, she loves playing in the cupboards I've designated fair game. She especially loves taking all and I mean all the tupperware type containers out and carrying them all around the house. She then likes to put other things into the cupboards. The other day I searched all over for the home phone and low and behold I found it in the tupperware cupboard. The first place I should have looked. It was there with her shoes and her water cup. It's amazing how fast kids can do things even when you're standing there right next to them. I hope this blog made you all smile and giggle a bit. I love sharing the latest mommy and Inara adventures with you all. Wow how time flies. She is now 14 months old, going on 5 years it seems like. Just kidding. I'll get Shawn to post new pics and videos this weekend. Good night!

Art partnership I'm so excited about

I recently learned that one of my favorite authors, Gris Grimly, is about to partner with one of my favorite directors, Guillermo Del Toro, on a stop-motion film version of Grimly's Pinocchio and perhaps other ideas down the road. Check out this article http://joblo.com/del-toros-puppets. Thanks Jason.

It's about time

Finally I wake up to snow. Just woke up and everything's turning white. Hooray! Can't wait to take Inara out to play in it. Hope more falls throughout the day. I'm so excited right now.

Inara's first big bruises

Friday was a rather traumatic day for Inara and I as she got her first real bruises. The first one came after her morning nap. I could hear her playing in her crib over the monitor, so I didn't rush upstairs to get her. I was actually cleaning up the kitchen, so I wanted to finish before we messed it all up again with lunch. Then, suddenly, she lets out a scream. I ran upstairs to find her standing in the crib, tears streaming down her face, and a nice red mark on her forehead. I'm guessing she was probably trying to reach down to pick up a toy and misgauged how close the side railing was. She's done this in the past, but never quite this hard given the big red mark. I swooped her up, and she hugged onto me as she tried to stop crying. Poor baby girl.

We then went downstairs, played, and had lunch. After lunch, we started playing with her Little People circus train. She loves pushing the button to make it go and follows it around the kitchen and entryway. I was sitting there watching here, thinking "boy, she's getting so big. Look at how cute she is walking after this toy, thrilled as can be." I then see the train stop as Inara keeps going. She ended up tripping on the train, fell on top of it, hit her head on the round front end of it, bounced and hit the hardwood floor. In total slow motion, as I see her fall, I lept up and tried to get to her in time. Noooo, baby girl! Of course, I'm not that fast and could only hold my breath as I watched her fall. I grabbed her quickly and ran into the kitchen telling her to breath, blowing in her face to get her to breath. I could tell she was in pain, and finally, she let out the loudest scream I've ever heard from her. I grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Since she was still screaming, I took her outside to see the trees. That usually calms her down. Not this time. She finally stopped screaming and was then just crying, so I called Shawn to see if she heard daddy's voice if that would calm her down. No go on that one. About 15 min later, she finally stopped crying and had about a 2 1/2 inch imprint on her forehead from the round front of the train and another bruise on hair line probably from where she hit the floor, along with the first bruise from the crib incident. I felt so horrible! My baby girl now has her first real bruises and I feel awful about it! I know this will be the first of many more to come, but it still doesn't make it any easier to see my precious daughter banged up.

Will.I.Am video for Yes We Can

In case you haven't seen this video yet, here's the link. It's so inspiring to me to hear these words and music. Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

Rove's conceding already?

From cnn.com

Rove predicts Obama landslide

Posted: 10:17 AM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Karl Rove's Electoral prediction

(CNN) – John McCain and his aides are still banking on a come-from-behind victory Tuesday, but the GOP's most famous political strategist has already called the race for Barack Obama.

Karl Rove, the man widely credited with engineering President Bush's two successful White House bids, is predicting the Illinois senator will take the White House in an Electoral College landslide, winning 338 votes to John McCain's 200. That would be the largest Electoral College victory since 1996, when Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole in a 379-159 rout.

In an Electoral Map posted on Rove's Web site, the Republican mastermind predicts Obama victories in several key battlegrounds, including virtually all of the states where polls suggest he currently enjoys a slim advantage. In fact, Rove believes Missouri is the only crucial battleground state McCain will carry, while Obama scores victories in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Iowa. Rove also thinks Obama will win traditionally-Republican Virginia.

Hanging out with Michelle Obama

I kept debating this morning whether or not I should go see Michelle Obama speak at a local high school. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to go with me, and I kept thinking it would be right around dinner time, and I should be here to feed Inara. But another little voice in my head kept saying, "Marisa, how many times in your life may you get this chance? You already missed out on the DNC. Don't miss this opportunity." So I asked Barb to watch Inara, and I went. I was a bit scared when I got there because there was a HUGE line waiting to get in. I couldn't find a place to park the place was so packed, but I didn't let this deter me. Heck, I had already driven 25 minutes. Once in line, I was worried that I might not get in because there were already so many people in front of me. My worries didn't fail me. I didn't get in the auditorium. Instead, I went to the overflow area where they had speakers set up so we could still hear her speech. A woman I met in line said Michelle and Barack always come speak to the overflow areas at the rallies. She was correct. Out comes Michelle Obama. She said a few words to all of us who couldn't get in and then she came over to the railing and started shaking people's hands. I was close enough that I got to shake her hand. I was super excited. I could have just shaken the next first lady's hand. How cool is that. Then all 400 of us in the overflow area stuck around in the cold and listened to her speech, cheered her on, and got a little more pumped for tomorrow's election. One of the best parts of this whole experience though was looking around at all the people standing there, enthused by Michelle's words, but more importantly, exercising their right. It's times like these that make me so proud to be an American and privileged to know that we have this amazing right to vote. It's something many take for granted, and we should never do so.