The Diaper Bag

Anybody out there?

2007-02-08T06:12:00.000-06:00

If so, I am alive and well and started a new blog here.

Not again!

2006-03-08T08:17:00.000-06:00

Here I am sitting at 8:15 a.m., waiting for my son to wake-up. This has now happened twice in the last week. I get up around 7 and think, I'd better get up because Elias will be up soon, wanting "jush"(juice) and "o-meal" (oatmeal). Great, I'll get up, get his jush fixed and even get his bowl of o-meal in the microwave and be ready to go and get him out of his crib. This morning was no different. I finished my tasks and go in and listen for his usual gibberish...nothing. OK, maybe I can eat my breakfast really fast before he gets up. I eat. Still nothing from the monitor...ok, great, I can go and check email. Done...shut down computer. I go and read for a while. Still nothing...I go back on-line to catch up on reading other peoples blogs...no time to post comments because I never know when he will arise. Log off. Turn on the morning news where I see Dana Reeves has died...sad. Wait, I actually have time to post! Back on the computer to type this post. Still waiting...

I am a grown-up

2006-02-09T06:32:00.000-06:00

I know we aren't officially in our house yet, but I have had to make major decisions the last 3 days. We found out we got the house on Monday afternoon around 1. Our realtor calls me back about 4:00 and tells me to call the general contractor, Dan, and let him know my decision on the cabinets. I only saw the cabinet choices once in passing. I knew I wanted a red brick (color) kitchen, so he suggested painting the cabinets the color of the trim. Sure...sounds good. I later told Dallas who was very unsure that painted cabinets would look good. Here comes the stress. I made the wrong choice...when I had talked to Dan, he was on the other line with the carpenter, who had sanded the cabinets and was waiting on me. The deal was done. We would have to live with painted cabinets. I was still worried and stressed that it wouldn't look good.

Tuesday morning I was to be at Hollier's Flooring to pick out our wood floors. I met with Ann who showed me a couple of planks and I had to decide right then and there what kind of wood would be in my house. Crap. I chose Brazilian Cherry with a second choice, Russet. I later called my brother who said that was the wood that they chose to be in there new house and low and behold, it shows scratches really easy. With a cat, not good.

Wednesday morning, mom and I head over and look at the house around 7:45 a.m. We then meet with Val, Dan's wife, to pick out colors for everything. I find out that the wood I chose might already be on a truck waiting to be brought to the house. We end up picking great colors and it was much easier than I thought. I originally thought I wanted a different color in every room because we have lived in apartments our entire married life and was sick of white walls, but luckily, they talked me out of that. Mom and I finish early enough to go and run by the floor store to make sure the wood is ok. I ended up picking a great color wood, not too light, not too dark. Turns out my brother's Brazilian cherry wood was from a different company.

I also picked out the granite for the kitchen counters. That was pretty easy...I only had 5 choices. I would rather have just a few things to choose from then endless choices...have you walked around Lowe's or Home Depot lately? It is really overwhelming! So, for now I am done making decisions. I think the only thing left is to pick out kitchen hardware, if I want to. We are going to see the house tomorrow and we will post some updated pictures.

The grown-ups close on March 15.

The List

2006-01-24T16:17:00.000-06:00

1. Sonic chocolate malt
2. Margarita snow cone from Cajun Sno
3. Ice cream
4. A&W root beer
5. chocolate of any kind
6. Sprite or 7UP while waiting in line at the grocery store
7. Really...sweets of any kind

What is this list you say? Not a list of stuff I have vowed not to eat because of a New Year's Resolution, but a list of stuff I am craving and can't have since 2 weeks ago. I found out I have gestational diabetes. I have to prick my finger and check my blood sugar 4 times a day, stay on a specific diet, and get more exercise. So far, it hasn't been bad. But I do miss my regulars from the list above. The good news is that we will have an ultrasound every month until he is born and there is really no harm to him except that sometimes the babies are bigger. So they check for growth every month. Since starting the diet, my blood sugar has stayed totally normal. So, Dallas or any friends who live in Lafayette, right after I have the baby, you now have a list of stuff you can bring me in the hospital!

Christmas

2006-01-05T18:28:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas. There...I admit it. I love getting gifts, I love all of the songs, I love getting a tree and then decorating it, I love the lights, I love buying gifts for people I love, I love being with the people I love, and I loved having Santa Claus bring me gifts as a kid.

This year, right around the beginning of November, I started seeing Christmas decorations in stores and advertisements for buying decorations and gifts. I thought, "Wow, already!" I was almost saddened because I knew that just as fast as the season begins, it ends. Is that crazy? I almost didn't want it to start.

So this year, as Elias is over a year and a half, we had to have "the talk". You know...are we going to do the Santa Claus thing with him? I have many fond memories of Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we would all go the candlelight service at church, then on to my grandparents for food and singing with carols with the player piano. We would rush home because we didn't want to miss Santa's bells (my dad ringing them from another room). I remember Christmas morning, waking up my brother and sister and mom and dad and waiting until we could run out the door and see what Santa brought us and what kind of note he left for us (we always wrote him a note about how good we were and left it by the cookies and milk...my dad would always write something clever that rhymed in response).

My husband has hated Christmas all of his adult life...the commercialism, the hype, the not celebrating the REAL reason. He enjoyed Santa when he was little, who wouldn't?? But when faced with deciding if we should do it with Elias... He asked me one question...what do you remember most about Christmas...Santa or Jesus? My answer was so quick, it almost scared me. I had missed why we should celebrate Christmas. I felt like the Grinch in the last scene of the movie where he talks about how the Who's didn't have presents, or trees, or a big turkey dinner, but they were still singing and gathered together, the tall and the small...well, you know the rest. I think I had my answer. But is there a way to do both well where when our kids grow up, they have memories not all about Santa?

Okay, I have to be brutally honest. On Christmas Eve this year, it was time to put Elias to bed and I wanted so bad for my dad to go in the back and ring the bells. And I wanted to write Santa a letter from all us kids and leave him cookies. And the following words flew out of mouth, literally before I could think, "Elias, right now, Santa is coming and Jesus is being born!" Dallas did not hold back the laughter and I joined in with him at the absurdity of my words. I felt like an idiot.

So when Elias is old enough to understand, I will not lie to him and tell him Santa is real. I will probably tell him about how the Santa thing got started,
St. Nicholas and all, but I don't want to lie.

My brother and sister-in-law are kind of doing this. I had to hold back my laughter when one of my aunts asked Will what Santa had brought him for Christmas. His answer, "Nothing". She was taken aback...it was hilarious. My mom quickly said, "What presents did you get?" and he spatted off his favorites.

So, to all of you who post comments...what are your Santa/Christmas thoughts?

Back from the dead

2005-12-14T10:35:00.000-06:00

OK, recent friends have spurred me on to get back on the blogging trail. I can't believe I haven't posted since August. So much has happened, so much about to happen...where to start...

Blah...that's why I don't post often b/c I like to have long posts and that is just not always possible with little man on the run.

Long story short:
1. Still living with my parents
2. Soon to be buying and updating my grandparents house
3. Dallas is a baker
4. Elias is almost 19 months and really funny and also really temper tantrum
5. Baby boy #2 is baking and should be ready by mid-April
6. Me busy with a mom's group I started and with #4!

There you go...I'm back!

Moved and a movie

2005-07-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

It has been over 2 weeks since we moved and I am finally getting a chance to sit down and write a new post. The move went really smoothly and our transition has been good. Elias has really adjusted well. He started crawling (at 13 1/2 months :)) but not walking quite yet. He loves holding on to our fingers and walking everywhere. We are enjoying being in a little more rural place without so much concrete. He loves being outside and walking in the grass and walking alongside the wooden fence and pointing out horses and birds. He is also getting used to the pool, so we have been in almost everyday. I forgot about Louisiana afternoon summer rain showers. Those are a welcome break from the heat and Elias loves to feel the rain come down.

Dallas and I went to see our first movie in the theatre since before Elias was born! We saw War of the Worlds and we both forgot how LOUD it is in the theatre. It was a pretty good movie but we thought the earth would be destroyed in the end...sorry to ruin the movie if you haven't seen it yet...although I didn't really ruin it. Man, everyone is pissed at Tom Cruise! I just think he should be more respectful of other peoples views. But I still went and saw his movie. I really want to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

OK, rambling on and on...Dallas still has not found a job but we are not worried. We also just finished watching the 5th season of Soprano's!! Holy crap...the 12th episode was so intense, it took me a couple of hours to get over it. Don't worry, I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it. If you haven't...start with the first season! Not we just have to wait 2 more years to see the final season. Ok, I am feeling like a 10 year old jumping from subject to subject in her lock and key diary, so I will stop!

Moving

2005-06-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

I am sitting down to write a post in the midst of packing because, I myself am sick of seeing Postcards from Buster at the top of my blog. Thanks DVC for spurring me on.

We are leaving this humid hot Houston for humid hot Lafayette. I wish the weather would at least be different from this giant pizza stone. At least there are pools to jump into, even if they feel like bath water. If you could see our apartment right now...man...how many boxes can you fit into a 2 bed/1 bath apartment??? A LOT! I think I have counted close to 70.

I have mixed feeling about moving...happy to move to our hometown and closer to more family, sad to leave family and really good friends here. It is easier knowing the place we are going.

We have started the "This is the last..." time. You know, The last Sunday, the Last meal with friends, the last small group, etc... I am just so happy we were here when our dear friends, Paul and Jen, gave birth to their daughter this morning.

This move is different because the 2 cities are just 4 hours apart. We will be back often. We expect our friends in Houston to come visit us in LA, where Dallas will ride to work in pirogue, I will cook alligator stew, and Elias will have the "tickest" Cajun accent when he starts talking.

My new favorite show

2005-05-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

Postcards from Buster. It comes on weekdays at 3:00 p.m. (in Houston) on PBS. It is awesome! I am really sad if I have to miss it. Check it out...

The Date

2005-05-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

This is a little sad to admit, but Dallas and I went on a date for the first time since November and before that it was the week after Elias was born! We have a wonderful friend in our small group who volunteered to babysit...pro bono! So, I quickly took her up on the offer. Kelly came over around 5:30, I explained his dinner and getting ready for bed routines, and then Dallas and I left. She said, as we were walking out, "I won't mind if you call every 5 minutes." Hghm...hadn't even crossed my mind. I think I probably would have if he was still a newborn, but now that he is BIG and cruising around, I wasn't worried AT ALL. My husband, on the other hand, was. But he can explain that on his blog.

It ended up taking about 45 minutes to get to Pico's Mex Mex restaurant. Traffic was horrific, as always in H-town. We joked how we would probably have to wait forever for a table with it being Cinco de Mayo. We didn't...we sat and I quickly ordered a much anticipated margarita. The dinner was un-hurried and fabulous and we both wondered why we haven't done this sooner. I think we will now that we are moving back to a city where plenty-o-family abounds and can't wait to watch e-man. The main reason we haven't gone on dates is that I have been breastfeeding. I still am but he is eating "real" food and lots of it, so I don't really think he needs my milk for sustainability reasons.

So...yay for friends and free gift certificates from THE MAN. By the way, Elias did great...not even getting fussy once!

Observations from the gym

2005-04-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

I joined 24 Hour Fitness the beginning of February. I go 4 times a week. I wish that I would have lost more weight by now, but I did recently try on pre-pregnancy pants and they all fit! You know in the commercials for 24Hr. Fitness they have everyone wearing t-shirts for why they are there? I guess if you live in Houston you know, if you live elsewhere, you have no idea what I am talking about. I'll explain: you see random people working out...each wearing a white t-shirt with black lettering of why they are working out...examples: "Fit into new leather pants", "Lose baby weight", "Lose love handles", "Get a six pack", "My baby", "Look even sexier" (Shaq wears that one), etc... I really wish they sold those t-shirts...I would of course get the "Lose baby weight" one. Anyway, while I was on the leg adduction (inner thigh) machine, I started observing the many things going on in the gym. Here are some of my observations:
1. People make really strange noises while working out.
2. If you are a women, a thong is a must-wear undergarment.
3. It is a meat market (see #2).
4. Quite a few of the men (and some women) MUST take steroids. You can tell when they start talking.
5. Again, if you are a women, make-up is a must.
6. Everyone is checking everyone else out.
7. People make really funny faces when working out.
8. As soon as I walk out of the kids care, any big pumped up guy will goo-goo gaa-gaa over Elias.
9. Nobody smiles (unless you smile first).
10. 9:00 p.m. seems to be the busiest time that I have been to the gym.
11. Fake tans are a must.

It has been really fun to observe people. I really like it when the music, that is blaring throughout the building, for whatever reason, shuts off. You can hear the soft whooshing of the elliptical, treadmills, and bikes. You hear the loud clanging of free weights and lots of grunting. There are a few people who are like me...they are there to either lose weight, or just get toned up...not these fanatical pumped up dudes or "gals". But those are the most fun to watch...constantly watching each other. I go in loose work-out pants and a big t-shirt and NO make-up (I sweat like a mother). You will never see me in skin tight bike shorts and a sports bra. Maybe if I was single or looking for a big muscle man...I mean is a gym like a bar? I think it is. Anyway, I have fun and I go for ME. Elias has a lot of fun in the kids club and the ladies who watch him LOVE him. I have 2 more months before we move and I think I will really miss the gym. I got a great deal from the manager and I don't think I can find such a cheap deal in Lafayette. Lafayette has only one really big healthclub and it is local. It is called Red's. I actually saw a guy at my gym with a Red's t-shirt on. I asked him about it and he said (in a really deep voice), "Yeah, that is a GREAT gym." You have to have been there to know...it is THE place to work-out in Lafayette. If you are anybody in Lafayette, you go to Red's. There are a couple of other smaller places...Curves I think is the only chain there. Red's has a monopoly on the place. Anyway, I will have to work-out the old fashioned way...the pavement. Any friends in Lafayette want a work-out partner??

Wash Me, Part 2

2005-03-28T21:40:00.000-06:00

Remember how I was complaining about how people still write "Wash Me!" on the back of dirty car windows? I mean how hard is it to come up with something clever? Well, today I saw the BEST pulling out of HEB. It said, "I wish my wife was this dirty". Hilarious...I am still laughing.

Saturday Samples

2005-03-20T14:18:00.000-06:00

Dallas and I have happened upon a very cool FREE thing. Last Saturday, after the duck pond, we went to HEB to do some shopping. It was around 1:30 and they had samples practically in every section of the store. They have a "Cook's Connection" near the deli where 2 large chefs cook up something and let customers eat while they try to get you to buy the ingredients. Last weekend it was grilled chicken on chibatti bread and this week it was artichoke pesto with pasta and veggies. Other things around the store: cookies in the bakery, cheese/meat in the deli, brisket and salad in the frozen food section, various cereal/snacks at the front of several aisles, green tea, and root beer floats. So now, every Saturday, I make a big breakfast and we wait and go to the grocery store around 1-2 and eat lunch.

Yesterday, I had to go to Whole Foods to buy Elias' baby cereal. I am so glad...more samples. Dark chocolate dipped strawberries when you first walked in, creme brulee with fresh raspberries, several breads, fruits, and get this...lamb chops in the meat section! There was also soy protein drinks, veggie chips, waffles, cheeses, quiche, and a couple of other snacks. WOW...now we are thinking we can hit Whole Foods each week, too. But what about Central Market and Rice Epicurian??? Those places MUST have the good stuff out!

So, if you are poor and need some nutrition...go and feast every Saturday.

The Duck Pond

2005-03-16T07:31:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday was gorgeous! So what else is a family with a kid supposed to do but go to the park. So, we went to the park. We go to one that is right alongside Beltway 8. Another wonderful reminder of our lovely cement city. But I have to say the city did good on this one, even if it is right by a tollway. The park has a huge outer circle to walk on and an inner circle to piddle around. They have a big play area, a tai chi cement circle, an exercise equipment area, and the beloved duck pond. We brought a blanket and sat in the shade of a very small tree. The wind was really strong this day so it was a task to keep everything grounded. In the middle of the pond is an island where about 50 turtles were basking in the sun. On the grassy part there was a number of ducks sleeping. Most of the ducks were paired off and swimming (or pushed by the wind) around. There was one REALLY huge goose, who I guess was either lost or King of the pond. A fountain rounded off this quaint scenery. What was hilarious was the goose was washing himself in the fountain and then the fountain shut off. He still hung around and was poking the pipe with his beak trying to get the glorious water to come back. There was even a crouchity old duck on the island who, ever once in a while, would become agitated and quack someone off the island. We brought bread, of course, and procedded to feed. The funny thing was, these ducks were too full to eat anymore. Every once in a while, one would nibble or the goose would eat, but for the most part, the crows would fly down from the trees and feast. This was not the best part of the duck pond.

Elias was. He stood almost the entire time, yelling and squealling with delight. It was hilarious! Our son came out of his perverbial shell and ever since the pond has been loud. A huge change if you know our son and are around him. At home he has had moments of grunting and just hamming it up and anytime we go outside, he proceeds to shout for joy. Yeah for ducks! BTW, the same day he learned how to clap and he got his first tooth (top left).

Cleaning out the closet

2005-02-17T09:40:00.000-06:00

I am the only one who has a closet in their parents' house still filled with crap from growing up? Last week, Elias and I spent the week in Lafayette visiting with my parents while Dallas was in Seattle. I have thought many a trips to Lafayette that I MUST clean out my old closet. This is my old room, this isn't my house anymore, and my mom deserves another spot she can unload all of her crap. But every time I opened that door, I closed it real fast...ugh...the thought of going through endless boxes of junior high/high school memorabilia. I probably had about 20 boxes to go through. So, one day last week, I said "ef it", I'm cleaning it out.

After rummaging through the first box and deciding to keep only a handful of stuff, I quickly went downstairs and got 6 big black trash bags. There is something liberating in throwing lots of stuff away. I have ALWAYS been a pack rat until recently. I think it has to do with being in a really small apartment and having a baby. There are some things worth keeping for memories sake, but for the most part, it is all trash that I would eventually throw away anyway. Although, I am saving really weird random things for Elias. Like his first Mardi Gras beads and the bandaid off his first shot (er...nevermind, I did throw that away), and the cord that fell off his belly button (in a ziploc).

So here are some things that I finally threw away: high school dance corsages, our high schools "Ram Page" monthly newspapers (I looked in every one to see if, per chance, I was in any of them...sad to say, no), endless notes and letters from friends, pieces of flare I pinned on my jean jacket in junior high (Normal with a big X over it, "Girls Rule", a troll pin, and I "heart" NKOTB), spirit ribbons from high school football games, bags from Hard Rock Cafe (nothing in them, just the bags...don't ask me why), letters from an old boyfriend and my best friend from high school, little trinkets I kept from random trips, an inflatable palm tree, and much much more. Some funny things were cassette tapes of: Wayne Watson, Twila Paris, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Salt-n-Pepa, and Amy Grant. I also found my backstage pass from the New Kids on the Block concert...oh yeah girls, I met them! I also found (and kept) a latch-hook of a Christmas tree I made (do ya'll remember those?) and a chia pet.

Anyway, it was really funny going through things that were so important to me at the time. Things that I kept were journals, calendars (in which I wrote detailed descriptions of my days), pictures, my senior jacket, trinkets from when I was a little girl (tea set, old lamp, CARRIE in mirror form), trophies from drama competitions, and wedding stuff (I did, however, finally throw away my bouquet). I felt so good after cleaning it out. I highly encourage you to go through old stuff. I also promised my mom I would take my 4 lonely boxes with us when we finally bought a house.

Waiting

2005-02-01T11:19:00.000-06:00

This is something I have been thinking about lately. Do you ever find yourself waiting for the next thing in life? Or even the next TV show, the next time someone posts, the next time I can eat dairy...I think about, "I can't wait until Oprah", "I can't wait until this weekend", "I can't wait to watch Garden State (which I did and loved)", "I can't wait until Elias does _________", "I can't wait to have another baby"....and on and on and on. I feel like I am living a life waiting for the next thing, not really enjoying each day and the little things that make it exciting or even boring. I read a great section in "Simpler Living Compassionate Life". I will quote from page 38:

"In living mindfully, we pay attention to whatever we're doing and "suck out all the marrow". We become deeply absorbed in what we are doing, appreciating the people we are with, being conscious of the wind on our face. It means paying attention to what you are doing, and not doing ten things at once. Taking the time to notice, slowing down, sitting peacefully, and just being."

So since then I have only started doing the above and only sometimes but it is really awesome when it happens. Like yesterday when Elias ate a piece of cereal for the first time. Not a huge accomplishment for many, but our son hates lumps in his food. He gagged and threw up when I tried giving him a piece of avocado and banana. So I held the star-shaped banana-flavored cereal in my hand and he grasped it with his thumb and pointer finger (another huge baby milestone) and put it in his mouth, let it dissolve a little, the chewed and swallowed! No gagging or hurling...I tried again and he proceeded to eat 6!

Or the other day when I stopped long enough to watch the palm on our balcony swaying in the wind and looked down and saw its shadow dancing on the ground. Or Sunday morning when I was walking to 24 Hour Fitness (YES, I joined a health club) and it was lightly raining and I felt how soft the mist was on my face.

But this morning I thought again how "I couldn't wait to meet friends tomorrow night for dinner" and "I can't wait to go to Lafayette to see my family this weekend". But, at least I am aware sometimes of the little things that make life great. I will have to re-read this post often.

Randomness

2005-01-04T21:28:00.000-06:00

I have a new love and it is in the form of Godiva Chocolatier Biscuits. Dallas' student from China,who now attends UL, gave us a gift basket from Godiva. If you are like most choco-holics , you are thinking, "Oh my gosh, that is the best gift EVER!" But, my first thought was, "oh". Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MOST ANYTHING CHOCOLATE! But, what I don't like are those mixed chocolate boxes where you might bite into some yucky orange cream or heaven forbid, a cherry cordial (ewwwww)! If you are to ever give me a box of chocolates, all you need to do is get me one with all caramels. OK, back to the gift basket. We get home and start unwrapping everything....the large box of assorted chocolates, a smaller gold box of chocolates (still not sure what those are), a chocolate Santa, hot chocolate, and a box of 12 Chocolatier biscuits. These are little thin cookies with a piece of heavenly chocolate on top. I opened up the box, thinking the cookie would be nasty or the chocolate would just be ok, but what I got was a mouth full of heaven on earth. I was able to limit myself to just 2 that night. The next day 4 and so on until yesterday when I finished the last one. You must go out and try these...magnificent!

Since we are on the subject of food...steamed artichokes sooooo rock!! I haven't had one in years. Our friends (you know who you are) had us over for dinner about a month ago and we had these as a first course with 3 dipping sauces: lemon butter, mayo/dijon mustard, and a vinaigrette. It was amazing. So much so that tonight I steamed some for Dallas' parents. They were so good...again, go out and try them.

I got my cholesterol checked today. My sister found out that hers was high and both of my parents are slightly high. I have been meaning to go to a walk-in clinic to get it checked but kept forgetting to. Today, I drove up to Whole Foods to get some yummy Seeduction bread (the best bread in the world) and some organic cereal for Elias. As I was pulling in, I saw little signs all over saying "Get your Cholesterol checked in just 5 minutes". So I did. Mine was 233 (normal is below 200)! But triglycerides, glucose, and the total ratio were all normal. The guys didn't seem that concerned but I told my sister and she gasped! My mom put some Red Yeast Rice in our stockings this year for Christmas. This is a natural drug developed by the Chinese to help lower bad chol. and raise the good. I just checked and I can't take it because I am still breastfeeding. POOP. I guess I will have to lower it the old fashion way...diet and exercise.

I hate diets and am convinced they don't work. The new issue of Real Simple had on its cover "The never DIET again diet". Hummmm.....it was all stuff you already know....eat more whole grains and plant oils, eat a lot of veggies and fruits, have 1-3 servings of dairy, eat a variety of fish, chicken, etc..., and limit red meat, butter, refined sugar, and white bread, rice, potatoes. No food group is totally eliminated and everything should be in moderation. No counting calories or fat grams. It is SO simple but is so hard when faced with Godiva Chocolatier biscuits b/c I can't just have one!

I also really want to start running again. Most of you know this but I ran a half marathon in Beijing (I also ran a 10K in Pattaya, Thailand). I had never run before in my life, especially because I have asthma and thought I couldn't. A group of us decided we would train and do it. We started in May and the race was mid-October. My best friend, Jessica and I trained together. It was perfect, because, like me, she had also never run and we ran the same pace. We ran through the streets of Tianjin, in the rain, in hot humid nasty, and in the cold. (Race day, a cold front came through and it ended up around freezing.) Back to the training, we actually stuck to a schedule and did it! I ran 13 miles in 2 hours and 36 minutes. I think about that and I can't believe I am talking about myself. Needlesstosay, we ran some after the race and once I got back to America, I never have. I NEED someone to run with me, to motive each other to get off of our lazy asses, put down the Godiva Chocolatier biscuit and run! Any takers???

Last thing...I got my haircut today. I chopped 4 1/2-5 inches off. I started growing my hair out in China and have kept it long ever since. Before that, I have had mostly shorter styles. I really needed a change and I got the thumbs up from my husband. (Do all guys like women with long hair?) So, it is fun and bouncy and cute.

That is the end of my thoughts...I realize I could have easily chopped up this post into smaller posts, but I have never had a really long post, so here ya go! (Is this considered really long?)

If you try to make everyone happy...

2004-12-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

nobody will be happy! That was the huge lesson learned on Elias' first Christmas. It was technically supposed to be a "Begnaud" Christmas which originally was going to be in Houston. Things changed last Spring and it was moved to Lafayette. "Cool!", I thought. Now I can be with my family too on Elias' first Christmas. I hadn't thought about it much until Thanksgiving. Usually Lafayette is the neutral city where we share holiday time. But since it was supposed to be a Begnaud Christmas, it was a little confusing. So, for Christmas Eve, at about noon, we headed over to Ma-Ma's house where Dallas grandmother, Dallas' parents, sister, brother-in-law, and 6 month old niece were. We had our bags packed to spend the night in the 1 bathroom house. That was okay because it is quite fun squeezing into a house for the sake of Christmas cheer. We spent the entire evening and night with the Begnaud fam. In the middle of the night, it was clear it was just way too cold for Elias to be sleeping on the floor, so I moved him on the sleeper sofa mattress with us. Dallas started having acid reflux and ended up the rest of the night on the recliner. Each time I touched Elias' hands, they were like ice cubes. In the morning, we woke up knowing we had to start opening gifts by 8. We finished around 9:45 and quickly bundled up and headed to my parents house where children and adult alike were waiting to open presents. We finished there around 11:45. Crap. We had to be at the next Begnaud event, i.e., lunch, at noon. I quickly got in the shower and we manage to make it there at 1. At this point, Elias' cold had returned, we are guessing from his freezing night before. We eat lunch with Dallas' family. I look at the clock and it is 2:50. My family's get together starts at 3. We head out and eat and hang out with my family until around 6. At this point we head back over to Ma-Ma's to hang out with his family. We decide NOT to spend the night there for Elias' sake. We head back to the Langford's around 8:30, where we put Elias to bed and nearly crash right behind him. And that was how we spent Elias' first Christmas. Not really celebrating or enjoying either family, but in the car most of the day, exhausted. We learned a valuable lesson. When it is one family's turn for the holiday, we spend the entire time with that family. I just wanted Elias' Christmas to be special and it totally sucked. Hopefully, he won't remember it. I hope everyone else had a happy Christmas that was truly enjoyable.

Wash Me!

2004-12-17T11:39:00.000-06:00

Why do people continue to write this on the back of dirty car windows? Isn't the joke old? Maybe it is a junior high thing that you think is hilarious and you must write on the back of your mom's Expedition. I remember writing it on my mom's van. But still...I can't believe it is still happening. Come on kids, think of something else!

Arkansas is NOT filled with hicks!

2004-12-09T10:39:00.000-06:00

Dallas, Elias, and I recently flew up to NW Arkansas to visit some friends. The MAN gave us free tickets to anywhere in the Continental US before Christmas. The problem was, Dallas only has 1 vacation day this year, so it had to be close and over a weekend. It was also Tiny's first flight. He slept the whole way there because Dallas was holding him like he was in his car seat and the airplane was like being in a car times a thousand. Anyway, back to Arkansas. First, we got off of the plane and were hit with cold air. It was crisp and awesome, just like winters should be. I really miss having a "real" winter.

Come to find out, NW Arkansas is the name given to several smaller cities that are close together...Bentonville (yes, Walmart headquarters), Rogers, Fayetteville, and like 2 more. The area was hilly and gorgeous and I wanted to stay outside all day on Saturday because the beautiful blue sky was neverending with hills and trees painted all over it. Interesting tidbit about Bentonville...1,000 people move there every month. So I really had the wrong impression of Arkansas. I guess just like people stereotype South Louisiana. No, we didn't ride to school in a canoe (but I have eaten Nutria rat).

Saturday night we went to Fayetteville's town square which looked like someone hosed about a million Christmas lights all over it. It was really pretty, but I LOVE Christmas time, unlike my Grinchy husband. It was so cold...Dallas had Elias in the Maya Wrap. Elias was bundled up in cords, a sweater, socks and shoes, a big hat, and a blanket. He didn't move the entire time we were outside. A merry time was had by all.

We got back on the plane Sunday night and when we stepped outside in Houston, a wave of humid sticky air hit us. Home sweet home.

Not Halloween!

2004-11-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

I am a blogging slacker. I cannot think of one interesting thing to write about. I am way behind on all of my friends blogs. And I don't even use the write blog lingo. The other day I said, "I need to write a new blog." When I should have said, "I need to write a new post.". So, here is my new blog, er post. Just a couple of things that have been on my mind...

1. People are ignorant. On more than one occasion this week while driving, I have seen people 1) throw cigarette butts out of there car window and 2) throw empty chip bags/wrappers out of the window. I just shake my head and curse the day they ever bounced onto this once beautiful earth. Where exactly do they think their trash goes? Oh, it must get sucked into the pavement underground garbage disposal system. Or that must be why we have all of those people begging...look what they can do with their spare time, pick up my waste. It angers me so much!

2. Baby poop REALLY smells bad after they start eating "real" food. Elias started rice cereal about a month ago. He didn't poop for 5 days. When he did, it smelled like death and looked like thick greenish mud. He had to get off of the cereal for a while but started on it again yesterday with veggies. His first veggie...green beans. Now, I know nothing good can come of this. Last night during small group, he started letting them rip and I could tell they were good and juicy. Then the smell hit the crowd and I had to throw my head back and waif away the stench. Then I got to change him...yummy! I didn't register for a diaper genie because I wanted to be simplistic. Now I see the error of my simple ways. Get me a diaper genie ASAP! Plus, I use cloth diapers at home! I will leave that to your imagination.

3. I love cooking for people and having them come over and eat and hang out. I also equally love going over to other people's houses and having them cook for us and hang out. But, there is something about going out to eat that is just awesome. Dallas and I don't get to do the latter very often because our finances are tight, but when we do, it so rocks. Every once in a while, my husband will bring home gift certificates to restaurants that he got as swag from work. Last weekend, we went to Rockfish for the first time. Actually, after the baby was born, we had some friends who brought us take out from it and we loved it. Anyway, we couldn't remember the last time we went out to eat by ourselves. Well we did remember, it was to Ninfa's a couple of nights after Elias was born. We ate until our tummies could no longer hold anything and then we ordered dessert! We reminisced about when we lived in Corpus Christi and had 2 salaries and we would eat out at least 3 times a week.

4. I love dairy! I had to be off of it for 2 weeks and it was really hard. Margarine is NOT the same as butter. Yesterday, I got a green light (at least if and until Elias' eczema comes back) and I couldn't get enough cheese. I almost stopped to get ice cream just because I could. It sucked having to check the labels on everything and not be able to eat creamy/cheesy things. Today I am going to the store to buy fixings for homemade pizza with loads of gooey cheese and probably pick up some ice cream, too. So, DVC and Co, we are ready for CPK...but it will have to wait until after Thanksgiving. And if anybody wants to cook for us (see #3), please use lots of cheese, cream, butter, and have ice cream for dessert :)

Halloween

2004-10-31T16:27:00.000-06:00

Growing up, we would always go trick or treating. In fact, my parents dressed up with us every year as Raggedy Ann and Andy. It was always a really positive family time, never thinking of ghosts, scary houses, or the devil. Then I got to around high school and I started seeing most churches around town advertising Fall Festivals. A place your child could come, dressed up (in no ghost or skeleton costumes because those aren't real), to have a safe and fun Halloween. I don't even think the word Halloween was used...it was just a Fall Festival. So I started thinking, "Yeah, this makes sense...make Hallow..oops...the time at the end of October, a fun, safe, Christian holiday."

I didn't think of it much through college and later years. It was only this year when we had our own kid that I started thinking about it. I thought about the excitement my brother and sister and I would have dressing up, getting loads of candy, inspecting it after (thanks crazy's who started putting needles in candy), and eating it until we were sick and falling happily in bed. I really want Elias to experience this. I was reminded of my old thoughts when I was in Old Navy and found the cutest spider hat...check out our flickr pics to see him or monster's blog. I wanted to get him a Halloween onesie to go with it. The only ones they had left was a ghost one and a "Little Pumpkin" one. I immediately thought, "I can't get the ghost one because ghosts aren't real." Where did that come from? I shook my head in disbelief as that thought ran across my mind. I put back the pumpkin onesie and picked up the ghost one and walked with my head held high to check out. (I have since returned the ghost one because I found a spider one that goes with his kickin' hat.)

As I have been driving around town this season, I have noticed most churches with a Fall Festival banner. Sicko's!! But they have added a new word to that Halloween-take-over-name..."Fun". So now it is Fall Fun Festivals. I got an F-word you can add to your name!! I am so sad by all of this. So when Elias is old enough to trick-or-treat, we will be walking with him in our neighborhood, dressed up right beside him. (Any costume ideas for mom and dad??)

YEOW!!

2004-10-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

I hardly ever remember my dreams. If I do, I am usually a spectator watching a movie, not actually involved in the dream. It would be interesting to hear if your dreams are interactive at all. Anyway, I had a really funny one the other night. A bunch of people were running around and screaming, "YEOW!!!!!!", "YEEEOOOOWWW!". I also noticed that all of the people had gashes and cuts over most of their bodies. I remember thinking, "Someone is hacking these poor people." At the end of my dream, the accused showed his face...in the distance I see Yao Ming, clad with his Rockets jersey, swinging a machete and running after people. So the people were not actually yelling, "Yeow", like, "It hurts!!", but "Yao!", that is who is chasing me with a machete!

Life

2004-10-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

I know the following post is going to "ruffle some feathers", but I don't care. I am very, very, very Pro-Life. I don't think there is any reason to have an abortion. I don't think it is a "women's right" to choose whether or not to kill a fetus. Not even if she was raped or in the case of incest. That is a human being that God breathed life into and we should not have the right to end it. Those babies can be given up for adoption. I have never been raped and gotten pregnant from it and I know it would be hell to have to carry a baby for 9 months but a decision to end an innocent LIFE should not be our decision. You can try to give me a good reason to kill a baby, but really, is there one?? That brings me to another point...why is it so hard and expensive to adopt a baby? So many people want to have a baby of their own but must wait years and spend their life savings to get one. That is ridiculous! And in case you were wondering...NO I am not a republican. I am independent and proud of it.

I am a junior high girl

2004-10-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

Ahh...where to begin??
1)I love teeny bopper movies. Yes, I confess, it's out in the open...sigh...I don't get to watch nearly as many as I would like to. My husband hates chick flicks, but I think teen movies is higher on his hate list. So, when we go to Hollywood Video, we must always rent one sci-fi/action movie and then one of my choosing...usually a love/feel good story of some sort. Some of my favorite teen movies: Varsity Blues, most Freddie Prinze, Jr. movies (I hang my head in shame), 10 Things I Hate About You. Every once in a while, Dallas will like one almost as much or more than I do. Example: Can't Hardly Wait.

2)I love teeny bopper music. Yes, I do own Justin Timberlake's, Justified. I am no good at band names, but when the radio comes on, guaranteed, I can sing along to just about any pop music out there today. I found myself singing along to a song about "resting my head on something re-al..."...yep, Ashlee Simpson. Yikes!

3)I love food scented lip gloss and lotions. My cousin and I were recently at a boutique in my hometown of Lafayette. She had a free coupon for a lotion of my choice. I started down the list of many scents. I immediately saw Cinna-bon...what??? I can smell like sweet cinnamon buns anytime, Ye-haw! But Katie quickly said she wanted the Vera Wang scent. I couldn't follow Vera Wang with Cinna-bon, so I quietly and sadly said, "Blackberry please". Yeah, I know it is a food but that is like still liking Country Apple and Sun-Ripened Raspberry. I hate that lotion and still long for the day when I can smell like my favorite breakfast. I was also recently in Claire's boutique looking for a gift for a friend. Just saying "Claire's Boutique" should signal major junior high warning signs. When I was checking out I spotted a half wall full of flavored lip glosses. There was Dr. Pepper, Bubble gum, Tootsie Pop, Hot Fudge Sundae, Cotton Candy, Reece's Peanut Butter Cup...must resist...I didn't buy any because I didn't want to be frivilous when I still have about 3 half-used lip glosses lying around. My favorite lotion at the moment is Warm Vanilla Sugar...it so rocks! So if you are ever in the need to get me a present, you can't go wrong with food scented toiletries.

So what is the deal with this? I think because I HATED junior high when I was actually in junior high. I remember longing to see movies like Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (which I now know sucks), etc...So now that I CAN watch any movie I like and buy any number of junior high goodies, I will. Ah the justice!

The Best Gift EVER

2004-10-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

Pooter

Biggie

Tiny E

Piggy

Little Man

Pooty-Pooterson

Boo

Super Baby

Baby Cry Cry (you have to roll the r's in cry cry)

Truck (only referred to by our friends)

Precious Little Angel Baby

Hicky-Hickerson

Burpy-Burperson

Kooky-Kooky, Elias Luc-y

E-L-I-A-S (like B-I-N-G-O)

Boy

Baby boy

Sweetie

Buddy

Chill E

Happy Boy

Drool E

Big Butt (thanks to cloth diapers)

Soggy Bottom Boy (again, thanks to cloth diapers)

Overheard:

Pumpkinhead

Gnome baby

Little Nugget

All of the above are names we call, or our friends call, our son, Elias Luc. One of the best days of my life was on May 21, the day he was born. He brings me so much joy and love that I didn't know could exist within me. My grandmother recently asked me if I could ever imagine my life without him. It instantly brought tears to my eyes as I thought of all of the happiness he has brought to my life. My dream ,and one of the reasons I feel I was put on this earth, was to be a mom. It feels so natural to me and feels so awesome to finally be able to hold my own child. OK, enough sappiness...my intentions were to just list all of his nicknames, but I felt compelled to write the above. As I write, I hear my little one babbling in his crib...gotta go :)

Ants

2004-09-27T21:06:00.000-05:00

We have lived in our apartment for the past 6 months and the only insects that I have seen are an occasional silverfish...until last Friday. Callie started meowing the moment I got my sleepy head out of bed. She usually does this if she is out of food or water. I walk over, turn on the closet light, look down and see that she still has food. "Stupid cat", I think as I turn off the light. Wait...what was that I saw...I turn back on the light and see the food she does have brimming with happy little ants. Sh*t! Ants!! I run the crawling bowl to the trash can and dump out the contents and wash out the bowl. I scramble to find ant spray, can't find any and figure 409 will do the trick. I pour a decent amount over the ant-covered food in the garbage and feel a tingle of joy. HAHA you stupid ants!

I pour fresh food into Callie's bowl and set it down on her now clean mat. I get some water to drink, eat breakfast, and hear a baby calling out to be fed. After Elias is down for his morning nap, I make my way to the closet to disrobe to take a shower. I look down at Callie's bowl...double sh*t! The whole bowl is completely covered with ants again. OK, this means war! Only it is Friday and I am trying to get ready to go on a retreat. The ants will have to wait...I clean out the bowl again, more 409 and move Callie's bowls on top of our chest at the end of our bed and finish getting ready.

Monday morning I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. As I am sitting on the toilet I feel a bite on my foot...HUH?!...I look down to see a couple of ants walking on my feet. A few more are on the mats and a few more are casually parading around on the floor. Great....they migrated to the bathroom. I walked in to the kitchen and see a mass of moving brown specs on the counter...WHAT?!...I turn on the light and yes, the bastards moved to a better feeding ground. I feel rage building inside of me. Why would they all of a sudden decide to invade our home after never gracing us with their presence before? I turn on the water and start drowning them. I feel slightly happy at the little revenge I am getting. I look down on the floor and they are feasting on some granola I had dropped the past Friday morning. AAHHHHHH....I get as many as I can and have my sponge ready as I scan the kitchen. I see another and I actually say out loud, "You can run but you can't hide!"

I call the apartment office. Ah, the one nice luxury of not owning your home, you can call someone to come and fix anything. They tell me they will send an exterminator over on Wednesday. Cool...but its Monday. I pack up Elias and we head to HEB. I buy some ant spray, get home, clean the kitchen so there are no little morsels anywhere, and "go crazy with the cheese wiz". Later, Dallas gets home, we eat dinner and take Elias for a walk. I get back, go into the kitchen to get some water, and guess who is there?? Two little ants licking up some tasty gravy...will it ever end?

A Cup of Hair

2004-09-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

Every morning I pull a hand full of hair (literally) out of my tub drain. One morning I thought, "Oh my gosh! It's a cup of hair!" Disgusting, right? I agree. Let me back up and explain. I have always "lost" a lot of hair. Being that I have pretty thick hair, it falls out quite a bit, always has. It was quite scary one night when I was ten and watching a TV movie with my mom. I watched in horror as the lady was in the shower started pulling out clumps of her hair. She had cancer, but what I failed to hear was her hair was falling out because of chemo, not just because she had cancer. So, for about a week, I thought I had cancer. I finally, tearfully, had the courage to ask my mom about it and was so relieved that I wasn't dying. Another much lighter thing happened when I was in high school. My parents housekeeper would say, "Whoever lives upstairs in the teal bathroom sure looses a lot of hair. She should get that looked at." Well, I did and my hair just grows REALLY fast and I lose a lot in the process. Move up 10 years to this past January.

I was well into my pregnancy...just hit 20 weeks. I started noticing that I wasn't pulling ANY hair out of the tub drain. Weird. I also realized that I didn't have to clean my hairbrush. I researched it and found out that during pregnancy, some women's hormones make it so that your hair is really strong and grows in thick and you might not lose as much. Cool...it was the nicest 6 months of my hair's life. Not only was it thick, shiny, and healthy, but I wasn't shedding like my cat in the middle of summer. I totally enjoyed this luxury....until....

Enter Elias and 2 months after giving birth....hair and lots of it falling off of my head. The first time that I noticed, I looked down at our tub's drain, I actually gasped. A swirl of long brown hair twirled together, looking something like a big brown bug. I realized it was my hair and cleaned it out. I slowly started noticing that my previously clean hair brush was now littered with my post-pregnancy hair. All that lush thick hair was now falling out...not slowly, but really fast. Cups and fistfulls of hair now plague my life. A couple of weeks ago I thought I would try to help the situation by cutting off 3 inches. It didn't really help, now I just find my shorter hair everywhere.

My husband is also annoyed with my sloughing off. I get in the shower after Dallas has taken a bath and it is like Hair Art on the shower wall. He pulls out my long hair from his bath water and sticks them to the wall. Elias has even fallen victim. Dallas pulled a long hair out of our son's mouth one morning last week. I have also found my hair in his crib, on his skin, and in his diaper...YIKES! I have a horrible nightmare of one of my hair's wrapped tightly around his penis. I do have a reason for that...it happened to my nephew with one of my sister-in-law's hair. He was crying hard for no reason until they stripped off his clothes only to find one of her hair's cutting off circulation to his penis!! OH MY GOSH...what a horrible thing! So I frequently check my son's penis to make sure this isn't the cause of his discomfort. (Do I get props for using penis 3 times in a blog?)

I don't see any slowing to this process. Maybe since I didn't have any hair fall out for 6 months, it will take 6 months for it to fall out. I have 4 months to go. My only solutions to this nuisance would be to get pregnant again or shave my head. Not gonna happen...

My First Post!

2004-09-18T23:18:00.000-05:00

Hello fellow bloggers!!! I am here finally...after months of thoroughly enjoying reading all of my friends blogs, I have decided to jump in. Actually, I have secretly wanted to start my own blog for the past two months. I don't know what the draw to blogging is. Maybe it brings me back to my pre-junior high days of having a diary.

I was rummaging through my old school stuff at my parents house... yes, I still have boxes of elementary-college crap still in my old closet. Really sad, I know. Anyway, I ran across my old red and white striped diary and anxiously used the little gold key and opened it. I laughed and laughed as I meticulously wrote in every day for the first three months of 1985. The rest of the year must have been pretty boring because those are the only months filled in. I was 10 at the time and if nothing of interest happened on any particular day, I would just write "A Good Day!" or "A Boring Day". I did run across a few key memories like the first time I got a bra (blush).

Also in the boxes were about 6 old notebook size creative writing/journals that my 5th grade teacher made us write in every day. I remember really enjoying writing in them whether it be about a certain topic or a fiction story. She was a great teacher, Mrs. Ruthanne...one of my favorites. She would comment on EVERY journal entry with a red pen and would always draw a little picture to go along with her comment. I wish I could draw on this post and show you the girls face she would always doodle on my journal. It is vivid in my mind to this day.

Those two things were my only memories/keepsakes that I have from writing. After 5th grade I must have hated writing. I never enjoyed it in high school or college. But, you don't really write creatively...just papers on novels read or on some form of methodology. Pretty boring if you ask me and my mom helped me write most of them. I was never a good writer so please forgive this post and all future posts because I am no way near fluent or clever and I probably will not use the correct tense throughout a whole post or use commas correctly and I will surely use exclamation marks WAY too much and I will probably have lots of run-on sentences :)!!

So, what is the draw to starting a blog?? Once again I return to reading all of your blogs. After the baby arrived I had more time on my hands (not much but more than when I was teaching) and Dallas LOVED writing on his blog and reading others. One day I found myself sitting in front of the computer reading all of the blogs that my husband had linked on his blog. I was fascinated! I felt so much closer to my friends and loved hearing about their thoughts. This started me thinking of what, if anything, I would write about if I had a blog. Probably just about baby puke and poop and the musings of being a new mom. Pretty boring...but I then started thinking of little oddities about myself and before I knew it, I already had about 4 posts lined up in my head. So...here I am.

Thanks to my husband for setting this up for me and helping me with the title. I wanted something more clever than "Carrie's Blog"...which is all that I could come up with. He asked me where I kept my wallet and keys and I said..."The Diaper Bag". So, there you have it my friends...my first post....YEAH!!! I am so pumped and so excited to be a part of this blogging world, so please comment because that is almost as fun as reading everyone's posts.