Safety Monitor

My sister-in-law had her first baby last night, a boy named Finn. I am an aunt for the 7th time! A friend of mine is due with her first baby tomorrow. It's been baby-fever around these parts. Which means that I've been going to baby showers and talking with other moms and moms-to-be.

I think I am becoming one of those moms. As the shower gifts were open, I had a little internal dialogue running:

"Oooh...a Bumbo seat...those aren't safe. Babies can fling themselves backwards and fall out. Did you see the videos on the news of kids cracking their skulls open when they fell off a table from the Bumbo seat? I just threw mine away after they issued the new warnings."

"Oh noo...Avent bottles. Those aren't BPA-free yet. You can take those back to BabiesRUs and exchange them for glass or BPA-free plastic ones-I just did that with mine that were a year old. It's only a voluntary recall, but do you really want to use them if you don't have to?"

"Uh Oh. A walker. Those don't really help kids learn to walk any earlier because they don't develop their core muscles which they need to stand and walk. Those are also dangerous because they give the kid more mobility than they are ready for..."

"Ohhh that's a cute little outfit with a matching hat and socks...Yea, the baby will probably only wear it once. You know what you need? Lots of onesies and footie-pajamas. That's what he'll live in."

I guess my only saving grace is that I did manage to keep my thoughts to myself.

What a Hoot!

I went downstairs to Rob's "man cave" last night to relax and spend some time with him before collapsing in bed. Rob put the t.v. on and immediately decided to check FSN-Pittsburgh, because surely, at this time of year, there is bound to be some Steelers programming...

Lo and behold, to our wonder and amazement, we were treated to coverage of the 2008 Miss Hooters International Bikini Pageant. As the girls strutted across the stage in their string bikinis and oiled-up fake tans, the graphics on the screen showed their measurements (example: 34-22-30). Here's a snippet of the conversation that followed:

Rob: What do the measurements refer to?
Me: Bust, waist and hips.
Rob: Why isn't there a cup size listed?

Me: That is not usually inclu...

Rob: WHOA! No need to list a cup size for that!

During this exchange, I was multi-tasking trying to think of my response should Rob ask me what my measurements are--for comparison purposes--What numbers would sound reasonably plausible but certainly better than the real thing? or Should I just say, "I don't know"? Thankfully, he was so preoccupied with what was on the screen that this was never an issue.

We of course then proceeded to critique these young women as if we ourselves are physically flawless*. We were exceptionally impressive with our keen eyes and uncanny ability to spot fake vs. real.

I must admit however, that we were both extremely proud of the Pittsburgh Hooters girl--she didn't just walk across the stage and force a smile while sucking her abs in. Oh no. Pittsburgh-Hooter girl did a little booty shake with her thang. Unfortunately, her rump-shaking wasn't enough to bring the glory back to the City of Champions.

Sara Hoots (no, not kidding) from the San Antonio area was crowned Miss Hooters International for 2008.

*Disclaimer: If I managed to look like any of these women, for even a second of my life, you better believe I'd be in a bikini flaunting myself!!!!!

Stats

Bobby had his 15 mo. check up on Friday--He weighs 30 lbs. and is 33 1/2 inches tall.
Yay for me--after a rough start with breasfeeding, pumping, failure to gain/weight checks and stress...Bobby sure is thriving!

Bobby's Dada

Some recent events have made me reflect on Rob's public and private personas.

He's an imposing male figure at 6'7" and the epitome of a "guy's guy." He bleeds black and gold for the Steelers. He watches sports 99.9% of the time he watches t.v. He's in a bowling league. He drinks Iron City Beer-and likes it. He farts. A lot.

To the outside world, he may seem to be a testosterone-driven typical male. But seeing him in his private moments when he lets his guard down--he's a sensitive soul and completely unselfish. He's a big kid at heart.

To be honest, I was worried having a boy. I didn't want Rob to pressure him with sports or competitiveness, or what a boy "should" be like. But my fears were quickly put to rest as Rob gave Bobby his first nickname--"Mr. Snuggables".

Being a teacher and having his summer off, Rob has been Mr. Mom for the past 2 1/2 months. Rob goes back to school on Monday and it's heartwarming to hear him admit that he's going to miss spending all day with Bobby. I'm going to miss the written reports of Bobby's daily agenda. What/when he ate, slept, pooped. I'll even miss Rob's special code of frownie faces indicating the messiness/smell/size of the poop.

Bobby is going to grow up to be a sensitive, caring, and responsible man because he has the best dad and role model.

15 months and counting...

Bobby is 15 months old today. For the first 33 years of my life I was childless. I don't know exactly when it happened, but I cannot remember what life was like without Bobby and I can't imagine my life without him. I was made to be Bobby's mama.

Eve of Friday

Ah Thursday! It has always been a sort of "weekend preview" night--Not to mention "Must See TV" night on NBC. Back in college, my friend Melissa and I would frequently go out on Thursday night (as well as Fri. and Sat.) to our favorite hangout, The Linebacker Lounge. It was here that the true appreciation for Thursday nights began. It was always a more relaxed crowd, not so crowded, but with the same great music by DJ Drew. We would always comment that the people that came out on Thursday nights were there purely for fun.

In Law School, Thursday was "Bar Review Night." A dry-erase board in the student lounge would announce the next location and anyone who wasn't busy studying would meet there and commiserate about the life of a law student. Most people that came out were not the arrogant, napoleon-complex assholes we all hated from class. No, the bar review crowd was the middle of the road people that studied hard but also didn't let school work consume them--we had balance in our lives.

Even in our initial years of dating and marriage, Thursday nights were for relaxing and unwinding. Rob and I might watch the Real World or Jackass and just kind of breath a collective *sigh* that we made it to the end of another work week...

Now, Thursday nights are bowling nights for Rob and I am home alone with Bobby. I'm not complaining. I get some one-on-one time with Bobby and when he goes to bed, I actually have Me time. I look forward to the quiet solitude. I can talk to my friends, watch a favorite t.v. show or just enjoy a glass of wine while reading a book.

Cheers to Thursday--it's the new Friday!

Rock the Vote

Today marks the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote (It would become law on 8/26/1920). I have always felt that voting was not only my right but my obligation as a citizen of this great country. I even went so far as to re-register in the state of Indiana so that I could "pull the lever" during the 1992 election, rather than vote by absentee ballot in my first presidential election.

I don't want to get political on this blog, but with the 2 current, presumptive nominees I may abstain from voting in the Presidential election this year (although I would vote for other offices on the ballot) because I don't know if I can pick the lesser of two evils...
Unfortunately, my vote in the primary wasn't enough for Hillary...perhaps I can do a write-in vote for her to feel that my vote is for something...
-OR-
Maybe I should just campaign for a repeal of the 22nd Amendment governing presidential term limits. How does that sound, Bill?

The Lizard King

My sister and her family went away this weekend to Ocean City, NJ, site of our childhood family vacations and one of my favorite places in the world. It is also home to the BEST pizza-Mack & Manco's. A slice (or 2, or 6...)with a birch beer is pure heaven. But that is a subject for another posting...

When leaving town for any extended time period, my sister has to find caregivers for her menagerie of pets: the dog went to a kennel, the 2 guinea pigs went to her In-Laws and she called me to watch the lizard, Jar Jar. She has this lizard as a pet for the 2nd grade class she teaches, so never having seen this particular animal, and knowing that 7 & 8 year-olds interact with him and hearing tales of how friendly and social this creature is, this is what I imagined the lizard to be:Small, cute, green and with a friendly little smile on its face. When I got home from work last Thursday and went to the garage to check out our visitor, I was greeted with this:

Seriously, when I looked in that aquarium and saw the lizard for the first time, I jumped back with a shudder. I felt what can only be described as an "ooky" feeling. But, I managed to keep the animal alive by throwing the food in the dish every night after it went to sleep. No sense in taking a chance on a vicious surprise attack.
He's a little hard to see under the glow of his heat lamp, but here is the real Jar Jar:

*shiver*

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO

What Do I Need?

I've recently learned of a fun "search" to do online. Go to Google and search your name and the word "needs" (no quotations)...interesting results.
I ran my name search and here are the Top 10 results in order (with my own commentary):
Colleen needs
1. orgasms (hear that, Rob?!?!)
2. a vacation (always!)
3. help with a scholarship (wonder what I'll be studying)
4. a new computer (Sweet!--easier blogging days ahead!)
5. you and your commitment to improving your life (Sounds a little too "Dr. Phil" in my opinion)
6. to mind her own business (what? Am I too nebby?)
7. to leave town fast (damn! why didn't I renew my passport?)
8. time to think (about where to go when I leave town???)
9. to zip up her jumpsuit (Splat!)
10. support (So true. Thank you for taking the time to read my random ramblings!)

Just for shits and giggles, I did a search for Rob too...not as many results but here ya go:
Rob needs
1. love (hmmm...his #1 and my #1 seem to be compatible needs...)
2. a new blazer (ooh sexy)
3. a job (YES!...maybe he could get the new blazer in time for an interview)
4. new music (I must agree--too much classic rock on his playlist)
5. drugs (that's not good for anybody...)

No Owner Loyalty Discount For Me

I got a new car last Friday, a 2009 Subaru Legacy. It is all-wheel drive, came with a moonroof and more importantly, it came in the perfect shade of blue. This new car acquisition made me reflect on my past vehicles and I quickly realized that I have no owner loyalty:
1. Dodge Shadow-white convertible
2. Honda Civic -silver hatchback
3. Chrysler Sebring-purple convertible
4. Volkswagen Beetle-yellow
5. Hyundai Elantra-teal
6. Chevy HHR-Red
7. Subaru Legacy-Blue
Since turning 16, I have now had 7 cars. I am 34 years old. I average 2.6 years per car. I am definitely my father's daughter.