they've spent the last few days becoming the very best of friends

apparently i’m hungry because almost everything that i’m digging, dreaming of and drooling over is food related – go figure:

last night, after ABN and EBN hit up the farmer’s market (and came home with a gallon of blue berries – for series) i made this delicious FARMER’S MARKET QUICHE, complete with a rosemary crust

speaking of blueberries, i’m planning to make THIS with at least a few

next time i want to do something nice for ABN i’m making VEGGIE BURGERS for dinner and DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES for dessert

say it ain’t so – i can’t believe that CAR TALK is coming to an end!  my saturdays will never be the same.  apparently the plan is to rerun old episodes.  IRA GLASS IS ANTI THIS PLAN…i’m not really a fan of change so i’m not sure if it’s such a bad thing

THIS sounds familiar

man, i aspired to be just like FELICITY – especially the hair

i can’t wait for DIY PEDICURES with EBN

and finally, because it can’t be all ice cream sundaes and butterflies, for the last week i haven’t been able to get THIS article out of my mind

we have a jam-packed weekend full of a quick overnight visit from cousins, a mini-camp reunion and some garden maintenance – i’m thinking we need to plant some cucumbers so i can make my own pickles.

xo,

LBN

she’s been giving me this look all day.  guess she wasn’t so into the topic of my last POST.

in other news she woke up clean and dry this morning.  go figure.

the cuteness is all an act

we all have our breaking point and, after 19 1/2 months, i have reached mine.  over poop.  get ready – this post is TMI from beginning to end (and not the good, kinky kind).

for the last 2 weeks, every morning when i go in to get EBN out of her crib, she and it, are covered in shit.  covered.  every morning.  and i just can’t take it anymore.

EBN has always been a great pooper (we all excel in our own ways).  multiple times a day, every day the girl gets the job done.  for months we could expect that she’d poop before her nap and then at some point between dinner and bed and probably another time in between.  she rarely woke up with a poop – hell, often her diaper was only slightly wet after 11+ hours of sleep.  but that was then.  it all started with SOAKED diapers in the morning.  they were heavy and they must have been uncomfortable and over time, she started leaking through.  little did i know that was only a preview of what was to come.

in addition to being a great pooper, she’s a good communicator too.  during the day she runs right up to me, “peeeeeeeeeeepeeeeeeeeeeeee! peeeeeeeeeeeepeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” and sure enough, when i check, she needs a clean diaper.  and when she poops during the day – off to a corner she goes – typically, with her back to a tall bookcase, up on her tiptoes (which seems like it would make things more…difficult…but she has her way).  and then “poo poo, poo poo, poo poo,” not that the stench leaves much to the imagination.

but in the morning – she’s all about hanging out in it.  i can hear her through the monitor, sweetly babbling to her self, singing twinkle twinkle, reading JAMBERRY and THE SHAPES OF MY JEWISH YEAR (it’s part of a series).  and when she finally starts to say “mama? mama? mama?”, in a way that i just can’t resist….i’m met with a toddler grinning from ear to ear and bouncing, and dancing…IN SHIT.

i now wake up with the expectation that my day will begin with me holding my breath, trying not to gag as i strip the kiddo and the bed, throwing her (kicking screaming) into the shower…let’s just say there is general unhappiness all around.  except for ABN, who sleeps through most of this.  i’ll give him the excuse that he’s on vacation…?  when he does wake up and he opens the door to our bedroom, i notice that he now peeks through to eye us both and try to get a read on how the morning has gone so far.  not well ABN, not well.

last night, while out playing mahjong, i received the following text: SHE’S TAKING A POST-DINNER POOP!  immediately, i smiled.  for sure this would mean a morning free of shit.  i slept particularly peacefully but this morning when i went in to get her, my hopes were quickly dashed.  that smell – that smile.  poop on the bumpers, in her hair, on her books.  WHY!?!?

so i’m turning to you, dear internet.  i’ve shared my (literal) dirty laundry.  what is a mama to do?!?

i had to go back to the dentist to have two old cavities refilled.  apparently that’s a thing.  it was as awful as it sounds.  but – i do think i made a bit of headway in the why i hate the dentist department.  here’s where i’m at.

you’re trapped with no way out.  once you’re in that chair, lying back (really, really, really far back, like to the point where you feel that with one false move you could slide right out of that chair and on to the floor), mouth open, eyes squeezed shut for dear life – there’s just nowhere to go.  and if you dare open your eyes (don’t) you’re faced with hands shoved into your mouth, faces peering at your chompers and instruments – so many instruments.

similar to being on a cruise ship.  there are cruise people and there are not cruise people.  i am not cruise people.  cruise people love the ship, the food, the drink, the wine, the towel animals and being on the water.  while all of those things are nice in theory (especially the animals posed with your sunglasses) all i can think about when out on the high seas – is being out on the water in a massive, floating vessel in the middle of no where with a group of people who i just keep seeing over and over and over again.  completely trapped.

i had a similar experience giving birth (i know i’ve just compared the dentist to a cruise to birthing my baby…but give me a second).  i should say that as far as labor and delivery goes i had one of the best experiences anyone could hope for.  it was pretty chill (ativan), pretty comfortable (epidural) and relatively short (start to finish, 12 hours).  until the last hour.  in the last hour – i lost my mind – completely.  i had been having horrible heartburn throughout by 3rd trimester but because EBN had not dropped i continued to have heartburn throughout my contractions.  it was getting worse and worse and while i was fully dilated, because she was still so high, i was told not to push.  by 3pm i was getting extremely uncomfortable and EBN was starting to feel the effects too and her heartbeat was inconsistent.  they gave me oxygen which required a mask to be placed over my face.  i started talking about clowns and i started to panic.  i felt completely trapped (apparently there is a technical term for this – entrapment – or at least that’s what they told me at the time).  i then proceeded to projectile vomit all over my wonderful nurse, realized immediately that with the regurgitation, EBN had repositioned herself and it was time…now.  the nurse told me to wait but there was no waiting – the doctor came in to check and confirmed i was ready and with one final heave-ho-channeling-kourtney-kardashian-cry EBN came barreling into the world. 

so yeah, basically going to the dentist is sorta like being trapped on a cruise ship and giving birth – all at once.  luckily, i’m good for another 6 months*.

*it should be noted that i wrote this post 12 hours after my dental procedure and i’m still feeling the effects of the novocaine.  i’m lopsided and swollen and a wee bit drooly.  hot.

i’ve been holding out on you – not on purpose.  remember how i requested an extra STITCH FIX in hopes of finding the prefect dress for a casual, lakeside wedding in september?  well it arrived – a week and a half ago.  i know you’ve been waiting with bated breath but, we went away and then i needed to try everything on and i had to crochet work and things just got busy and these posts take time.  i’m back in action (after some nice mama-time on sunday afternoon while ABN and EBN went to a swim lesson) and ready to share my latest round of goodies.

this was an AWESOME shipment.  i’m only keeping one item but that’s mostly due to size/fit and me being extraordinarily picky as i have an idea of what i want for this wedding and not much of a need for other party dresses.

here’s what i got:

when i opened my box, this mustard-green top was on top and i was immediately excited.  then i remembered, i’m a pale, freckled, red-head and not a tan, beachy-blonde.  damn. if it had been a different color i would have kept it.  i was sad to see this one go – but back it went.

next up, this spaghetti-strap peacock dress.  love the color palate.  love the structure at the top of the dress. it could be perfect.  it should be perfect.  but in a TRULY perfect world (and really, why strive for anything else ) i would be able to wear a REAL bra with whatever dress i wear to this wedding.  and i’m still envisioning myself in cowboy boots.  for the right dress i’m sure i could be swayed on both points, but this wasn’t the right dress – and at the end of the day, that was enough for me to send it back.  okay, full disclosure – when i was pregnant i wore a dress with a VERY similar cut and and color scheme to a wedding and i think this dress was just a little too close for comfort.  even though there was nothing frumpy about this dress, it reminded me of a particularly frumpy period in my life…and yes, i’m fully aware that i’m bat-shit crazy.

this one was so close – SO CLOSE.  loved the colors (purple and peach and grey – something i would never choose), loved the fit (while it has a wrap bodice, there is an extra snap to hold in the girls – WIN), really, really, really loved the back (criss-cross straps so while i wouldn’t be able to wear a traditional bra, the detail would be worth the sacrifice).  i didn’t love tulip hem line.  and – it just didn’t feel like the right dress for the occasion.  too fancy?  maybe.   this went in and out of the keep pile for a couple of days.  i ended up sending it back in favor of continuing the search.  i’m not sure i made the right decision.  at this rate – i’ll be at this wedding naked – save for the bra and cowboy boots.  oy.

okay now for some good news:

are you shocked?  i was…still am!  the colors are great – and totally out of my comfort zone.  when i tried it on i was i couldn’t believe that a straight, fitted dress (with HORIZONTAL STRIPES!) worked for me and my curvy figure.  i love the simple neckline and how it dips a bit lower in the back.  but here’s what sold me – ABN liked it!  he’s not really one to weigh in on my purchases.  sure, he tells me i look nice but the clothes themselves, on the hanger, don’t get much response.  i held up the dress to try to make a decision and much to my surprise, he weighed in.  enough said – it was a keeper for sure.

but, it’s not a dress for the september wedding.  i plan to be a dancing fool (i don’t get out very often) and the dress simply won’t do.  it does allow for a bra and boots though, and i was super excited to break it out for an impromptu sunday date night.

i didn’t keep the accessory – although i am on the search for a short and chunky necklace.  the stones didn’t seem heavy enough for it to lie flat, it was a bit pricey for what it was and…i don’t think i do ribbon.  just saying…

i updated my stitch fix profile, requested more dresses (this time adding my strap wants and needs) and will be back by my mailbox anxiously awaiting my next fix at the beginning of july.  i promise to keep you posted.

for a mama like myself, stitch fix has become my way to keep up.  while there is nothing better than beach walks and music class with EBN i miss the days of wandering from boutique to boutique, combing the overstuffed racks for something special and unique.  stitch fix allows me shop for things that are completely me, at a price point that i feel comfortable with, and when my toddler screams for attention the only shopper there to roll her eyes….is me.

want to get in on stitch fix?  use my referral code for your first shipment…all the cool kids are doing it!