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Thursday, December 14, 2006

A little aside here, although do you have to actually start a point first before you can ASIDE from it?

*Shrug* Well, in any event.

It never ceases to amaze me how the topics of conversation that are brought up on my Mommy Board are always on the top of the concern list for all of us at the same time. Ever since we have all been preggo together, I'll be thinking or feeling something and wondering if it's normal or if it's a problem and then the next day I'll get a email from the board that they ALL are worried about the EXACT same thing. And it still happens on a regular basis. Truly mind boggling. Today it was words and language skills.

I received a report card from Allie's daycare yesterday. Yes a report card for a 1 and 1/2 year old. It lists all of these skills grouped into categories and they are either checked (she can do it) or X'd (she can't) and then each category is graded with a 1, 2, or 3.
1 - Needs Time
2 - Working on Skill
3 - Skill Attained
Althea got a 1 in language, and in self help. But she got a 3 in fine motor skills, and a 2 in all the others. Anyway, of course it worried me a little that she was behind. I questioned the teacher and she assured me that the report card is silly at this age, and how they all develop different things at different times and that Allie seemed to be right in line with the rest of the children. Then she told me she filled it out in the beginning of October, in case I saw things that Allie can NOW do that are not checked.

Which of course I did! I mean REALLY! She TOTALLY shakes her head and says "NO" all the time. SHEESH!!! AND she can TOO show you where her nose, eyes, feet, and belly are! Maybe your just ASKING her wrong!!!

She assured me that if she thought something wasn't right, she'd talk to me about it. Which made me feel slightly better. Except I know they are probably programmed to say that shit to crazy overbearing parents who give a shit whether the teacher knows that their daughter knows where her belly is.

Where was I, oh yea....words. I was (and still am a little) concerned about Allie's language skills. But she seemed to be in-line with most of my board. Here is her vocabulary as it stands (Which now that I see it typed, seems like more than I thought. But seriosly, mama and dada are the majority.)

• Mama (once or twice I've heard mommy, or thought I did)
• Dada (once or twice I've heard daddy, or thought I did)
• Dat! - That (used when she's pointing at what she wants. But she also says "mama?" a lot when she's pointing at what she wants as well.)
• Diss - This (used when she's looking at something in her hand.)
• NO - This, of course is a given! It started with just the shaking of the head, but the word is now accompanying it.
• Am-aww - Grandma
• Am-pa - said this before grandma and now stopped saying it
• Yeah! - (And yes it needs the exclamation point, cause that's how she says it when she's excited about the fact that you understood what she wanted.) example: she points and you actually grab the thing she was pointing at (which isn't always easy to figure out) and she responds with - YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!!
• BaBa - the bottle, which she will be bringing with her to college so that she can go to sleep at night (different post)
• Naana - Banana (she would eat 3 naana's a day if I let her!)

Things I thought I might have heard but not sure.

• Ice - meaning NICE, as in "Do nice" while she is petting the dog or cat.
• at-ah - meaning cat....I think.
• bay-beh - meaning baby......I've heard this twice in the correct context, but never since then.
• jussss - Juice or anything to drink. Heard once and then never again. Probably a coincidence.

See! Only a crazy and insane parent would actually have a bullet point for a word that she thought she heard ONCE!!! *sigh*

I talked super early when I was a baby. By 9 months old I was calling my parents by their first names. No joke! And by the time I hit a year old I was talking in complete sentences. But that was totally out of the ordinary. (I didn't walk, however, till I was like 13 months old.) Anyway, I don't want to compare....but I also don't know how to gage it either....ya know?

When did your kids really start picking up words? Does it happen all at once? Is it gonna be like one week she'll pick up like 3 words and start using them all the time? And do you think I'm silly for worrying about this already?

Cause you know as a paranoid mom I'm thinking to myself - OMG what if the flat spot she had/has on her head effected her developmentally? Or, OMG what if she's autistic? Or, OMG am I giving her things too quickly? Should I FORCE her to ask for things?

And WHERE IS THE DAMN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!?!?!?

Posted by Jenn :: 4:32 PM :: # 13 comments

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006

How could you NOT like Egg Nog with rum?!?!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog, with RUM!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? The ones from Santa are just under the tree with a bow, no wrapping.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Mike likes little white lights....so we have white.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not usually....but I think I want to start.
5. When do you put your decorations up? I try for the weekend of Thanksgiving, but usually that's just when the box comes out of the closet.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Stuffed Artichokes! If I eat nothing else I'm happy. Recipe started with Grandma and then moved to my mom, but I personally think I make them the best now. lol
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: We had xmas eve at grandma's house. And at a 1/4 to Midnight we would all go upstairs and pretend to be sleeping while my uncles would ring the bells and say "Ho Ho Ho" and they would fill the stockings, and then we'd all come running downstairs to open our gifts! Then we'd come home and my little brother would wake me up at like 5:30 in the morning so that we could RUN downstairs and see what the one big thing Santa got us that was unwrapped. The rest we'd have to wait for mom and dad to wake up.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Ya know, I don't remember. Maybe it's because, having a little brother, I pretended that Santa existed for years and years after I knew.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?.My extended family all piled into my parent's house on xmas eve and we eat as much fish as we could stomach and drink ourselves silly. Then when midnight hits (like we used to at my grandmother's house back in the day) we all run down stairs and there is MASS CHAOS of xmas gift opening!!! You wouldn't believe it unless you were there....it's truly insane.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White Lights, Big bubble lights, as many ornaments as fit, and Bead Garland. When Althea gets bigger though I think I wanna start stringing our own garland again. I used to do that and it was fun.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If it's on xmas eve or day, it's great. Otherwise. DREAD IT!!
12. Can you ice skate? Barely, but I can ROLLERSKATE!!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Actually....no. I guess it's not about the gifts.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and good friends drinking and eating together.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Homemade x-mas cookies
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our Christmas eve party - See above
17. What tops your tree? Star
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Winter Wonderland, me and my dad used to sing it when I was little.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? There ok
21. Mid Night Mass on Christmas Eve? No.
22. Favorite Holiday movie? Scrooged
23. Fake or real Christmas tree? I love real, but they are a pain in the ass. I have a prelit one now that is just so easy. But I miss real. Maybe when Althea gets old enough I might possibly team up with her to "talk" Mike into a real one again. How can he resist puppy dog eyes from both of us?
24. Have you ever Christmas Caroled? No, but I've always wanted too.
25. Have you ever played Santa? HA! I don't think a 5'1" girlie Santa would be all that believable. lol

Come on! Don't be a Scrooge, play on your site (or in the comments) and then link back so I can read yours!

Labels: Holidays

Posted by Jenn :: 10:12 AM :: # 9 comments

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Friday, December 08, 2006

17 days till Christmas

I'm a sucky poster these days, I'll admit it. If I throw a post out there once every couple of days it's amazing. And the last one, much like my daily life, was filled with more movie quotes that actual substance. I guess the holidays just suck the life and creativity out of you. Or maybe I'm busy being creative with other stuff and the blog gets thrown to the side. And omg, work? Well lets just say that work is a clusterfuck!

By the way? Clusterfuck, if you haven't noticed, is like my favorite word. It's really so descriptive, isn't it? It's like everything regarding the thing that is, in fact, clusterfucked is one big cluster of fuckedness. It's the perfect word.

Anyway, where was I? Oh right, I had no point. Anyway, we tried to take Althea's pictures for our Christmas Cards the other day. I uploaded a couple to flickr, see above. Basically I crawled after her for 20 minutes attempting to get nice enough clothes on her, and then followed her around the house with my camera for an hour snapping picture after picture of the side of her head, her hand reaching for the camera, the back of her while she was running away, or the damn self focusing camera would focus on the tree and she would be blurry! But I got one that was cute, and you could see the awesome boots I bought her and that's all I care about. When I go and pick up the cards today from CVS, I'll scan it and show you all.

Of course there are only 17 days till Christmas and I don't even HAVE my Christmas Cards yet, let alone have I mailed them! HA! I almost took RSM's advice and went and picked up some January Cards to send out. I figured most people would find it funny that instead of just getting my Christmas Cards late (which is the norm) that I finally became pro-active and said fuck it.....January Cards are so much better for me! LOL Mike didn't think so. =\ Sooooooo considering that, maybe he'll be the one to print out the envelopes and send them so that people get them BEFORE Christmas...we shall see. Seriously, I would have probably said yes to some of the people who emailed me about doing cards with them, but I'm just such a disorganized WRECK when it comes to Christmas cards (or Thank You cards, or invitations, or birthday cards...) that you don't even want to be involved with me...believe me when I tell you.

And speaking of Christmas, which I guess is now the point of this rambling post, I haven't finished my Christmas Shopping. I started so early and still I'm not done. I'm gonna be out shopping on Christmas Eve either way, I just know it!!!

Labels: Holidays

Posted by Jenn :: 2:12 PM :: # 8 comments

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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Movie Quotes Rule our Lives!

Seriously, if you were to just spend one night at our house you would most likely hear almost everyone of the below Movie Quotes. Half of everything that Mike and I say on a daily basis comes from a movie, and I'm not even kidding!

Movie Quote: "That's it! Greg said that's it, so that's it!" - Jack Burns, Meet the Fockers
Our Version: "That's it? oh, Allie's said that's it, so that's it!" - said when Althea decides she's DONE with whatever it is your making her do....like sleep!

Movie Quote: "Shane! Come Back!" - Joey, Shane.
Our Version: "Come Back! Allie, Come back...Shane!" - As she runs away from us when we are trying to put shoes, or clothes on her.

Movie Quote: "Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time." - Frank, Old School
Said by Mike everytime we plan to go out to a store.

Movie Quote: "You woke the bears! Why did you do that!!" - Ron Burgundy, Anchorman
Our Version: "You woke the baby! Why did you do that!!" - Said EVERYTIME someone makes a loud noise in the house while the baby is sleeping, or anytime Allie starts to wake up. Usually spoken by the person who DID the waking.

Movie Quote: "OOONTEENIE!!" - Ewoks, Starwars
Said to Allie everytime she babbles something in Babytalk

Movie Quote: "Once it hits your lips, it's so good!" - Frank, Old School
Said everytime we drink a beer.

Movie Quote: "Your right, your right, I know your right" - Marie, When Harry Met Sally
Said when one person gives into the fact that the other is right.

Movie Quote: "Now you upset the baby, all you had to say is earmuffs!" - Beanie, Old School
Said everytime Allie cries.

Movie Quote: "Look, your Worshipfulness!" - Han Solo, Star Wars
Said to me by Mike everytime we are Jokingly fighting.

Movie Quote: "Y-You're crazy, man. You're crazy. I like you, but you're crazy." - Frank, Old School
Said EVERYTIME the word crazy comes out of anyone's mouth, or when Mike is being crazy to make Allie laugh.

Movie Quote: "Whoa whoa whoa whoaaa Nice shootin' Tex!" - Dr Venkman, Ghost Busters.
Said while Allie is flailing around or doing her death roll while trying to change her diaper.

Movie Quote: "Get in there you furry oaf, I don't care what you smell!" - Han Solo, Star Wars
Our Version: "Your (whatever we want Allie to do), I don't care what you smell!"

Movie Quote: "What an incredible smell you discovered!" - Han Solo, Star Wars.
Said EVERYTIME we change Allie's poopy diaper

Movie Quote: "Right a journalist, that's what I said." - Harry, When Harry Met Sally
Our Version: "Right, a (insert thing you should have said), that's what I said" - after every mistaken word.

Movie Quote: "Laugh it UP Fuzzball!" - Han Solo, Empire Strikes Back
Said to me by Mike, EVERYTIME I laugh at him.

And of course last but not least is: "Oh, but "baby fish mouth" is sweeping the nation?" - Harry, When Harry Met Sally. I mean this one, Allie even knows! You said the words Baby Fish Mouth to her, and she does this:

BTW, this is an old old picture!

OMG and forget it, now that Christmas is here! The Christmas Vacation Movie Quotes are out of control!!!

I could go on with this post forever. The above really doesn't even scratch the surface of our Movie Quote addiction. Are we alone here? Anyone else have a movie quote(s) that is heard regularly around their house?

Posted by Jenn :: 9:03 AM :: # 20 comments

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Friday, December 01, 2006

Russ finally does a meme...and what happens? I get tagged!

But first, It's FRIDAY!
You know your married with kids when you start to talk bathroom talk with each other. And you know your a BLOGGING couple with kids, when you discuss it with the world! It's funny today, go read!
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A - Z of ME!

A - Available/Single? No
B - Best Friend? Hard question. Bean is my best, but Joelle is my sister!
C- Cake or Pie? As long as it's chocolate, does it matter?
D - Drink Of Choice? Non Alcoholic? Water - Beer? Yuengling - REAL Drink? Vodka Collins
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Cell Phone
F - Favorite Color? Orange
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Worms, in Dirt
H - Hometown? Northern NJ
I - Indulgence? Cold Stone Creamery
J - January Or February? What kind of stupid question is this? Uhhh February I guess.
K - Kids & Their Names? Althea (13.5 mo)
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Love
M - Marriage Date? 5/15
N- Number Of Siblings? 1 younger brother
O - Oranges Or Apples? Granny Smith Apples.
P - Phobias/Fears? Someone breaking into my house.
Q - Favorite Quote? I have two: "Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Ghandi and "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." - E. F. Schumacher
R - Reason to Smile: Allie, of course!
S - Season? SUMMER, oh where art thou Summer!!
T - Tag Three People? Angry Dad, Jenn (Rest of your day), Lisa (Women having it all)
U - Unknown Fact About Me? At this point there aren't many. ummm I used to hate Feet and refuse to wear open toed shoes. But I got over it in my mid twenties.
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Yellow Squash
W - Worst Habit? Smoking, even though it's only on the occasion
X - X-rays You’ve Had? I had a catscan once....
Y - Your Favorite Food? Stuffed Artichokes
Z - Zodiac Sign? Aries

Posted by Jenn :: 12:01 PM :: # 6 comments

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