That's right.

Yes, I AM back to blogging.  I've been desperate to get back here lately.  I miss you, internetz!

I know some people have real purpose to their blogs (which is maybe why they write more than semi-annually?) but I'm kind of a special snowflake of a person and therefore a special snowflake of a blog!  You're not getting housey stuff, or recipe stuff, or family stuff.... This isn't one of those (weird) blogs where people post pictures of every outfit they wear (and you should be thankful because I'm wearing flannel and a sweatshirt right now....and a scrunchie in my hair (yes I said scrunchie)). 

Here's the latest:
  1. I love being a hairstylist! My job is great, but a little surprising....
  2. We're still renting a place we really like in NE Mpls, but we're considering the "great" world of home ownership
  3. Praise little baby Jesus my husband got a promotion! Going back to school at 27 cost a lot of money and put a lot of our dreams on hold (see #2, 4), so this really really needed to happen for us to move forward and get on track (and my career seems to be a slow-to-grow kind of gig)
  4. The baby train is en route our direction, but just ask Erin about how fast trains go.... not sure if we'll decide to board the train or get ourselves into a house first
  5. I really need a new computer and kinda want a Mac, though I've never had an Apple computer before - anyone have some advice?
  6. I'd never read them before but I finished ALL seven Harry Potter books in like two months!  And I LOVE THEM

OK, super good story.  More bloggery to come, I promise, so keep checking back.

xo,
Traycina

Baby steps....

Literally.

We enjoyed a pre-Easter Easter Brunch this morning after church with the family and got some great time with our favorite nephew Luke. As of yesterday, this cool dude is 1 year and 3 months old. Now lil' P (short for Peanut!) is a smart cookie. And unbelievably adorable. But as much as he loves to move and shake, scoot and play, he just hasn't yet mastered walking. Why walk when one can be carried? Mom's arms are getting tired, lil' dude!!!

GENIUS. Youngest IT manager ever. (photo not in India, FYI)

So we gave it a concentrated effort today, getting some steps in with all his fans watching in anticipation. It's so much fun to watch and even more fun to get in on the action. I'd grab him, face him towards mom or dad (his favorite people in the whole world) and put my arms out like bumpers at a bowling alley. He'd get himself balanced on his feet, clap for himself and lurch forward, sometimes with his feet first.... other times just leaning forward (the face-plant method is less successful). I can imagine his difficulty trying to balance being that he's so TALL these days - those 10 month olds have a much lower center of gravity - but he enjoys the process.

My favorite part of the whole process was... well TWO favorites. First was the fact that he started every attempt with a round of applause for himself. Self-affirmation is a very good way to take on a new endeavor! And it's frickin' cute. Claps and a smile before starting off in his new direction. Have you tried this method lately?

My second favorite was bonding with my lil' pal. He doesn't exactly recognize me at first sight, and I know that. So instead, I slowly try to engage with him. Walking into a household for one of our family gatherings, you're immediately struck by loud voices and conversations. He gets overwhelmed and clings to mom and dad. So rather than get all up in his business and offend his delicate sensibilities (like some unnamed family members), I start to talk to him quietly, let him stare at me a bit while he figures me out and slowly start to play with him after he's warmed up a bit. And that's when the fun starts!

As time passes, I know his recognition and engagement will only get better and better.... but I so enjoy every morsel of love, affection and happiness he shares with me at this point in his development because I feel like I'm earning it. Not to say that I won't enjoy the day that he sees me walk in the door and runs over to give me a big bear hug..... Man, it's gonna be fun to watch Luke grow!!!

Kid tested. Luke approved.

I think my blog is cool. And just because you're pretty doesn't mean you can act like that.

So, now that I have a new look and post a bit more regularly, I feel like my blog is kinda cool again. It's that idea that confidence can make ANYONE feel cool, you know? So even if my blog is the weird geek of the blog world, it feels pretty fucking awesome and smart and knows that it will make more money than your "popular" blog someday ;-) Eat that, Bloggess.

I'm teetering on the idea of sharing it with various family and friends, however. I'm afraid that my love for the f-word might offend someone and the blog could end up in the wrong hands and then my brother will be all "kiss your... OUR mother with that mouth?!?" and I'll be all "YOU taught me these words, assface." Hi Tom! But I don't think my usage is that excessive that someone wouldn't be able to tolerate it. And really, there are some things that cannot be expressed in literary terms without cursing.....

Maybe someday when I have a baby blog I'll keep it to like one per post.

And now, I seamlessly transition into my next topic....

I visited lovely friend Bridgett tonight with adorable yet fussy baby Harper out in "disturbia." Poor Bridgett..... Harper just does not like to cooperate with the whole "sleeping" thing. As Bridgett so kindly puts it, "she's a needy little girl." It really is in her own benefit, however, that she's such a PRETTY baby!!! God, what a cute lil' face that girl has! Daddy Josh said tonight "I'd rather have an ugly baby that SLEPT," but they're both happy with their creation :-) Hopefully soon things will settle down, but in the meantime say a little prayer for the Gawlik family that they maintain sanity!

I can barely take care of MYSELF....

I started to write a big post about Chinese Astrology whilst simultaneously discussing it with my friends.... there's SO much information and we talked about it enough that now I think I'll toss it. Maybe someday you'll hear all about my Yang Water Dogness.

Today's blog is actually more baby talk. Yep, that's right. Again.

I was super excited to be asked by my sister-in-law Kathryn to watch Luke overnight in a few weeks. I get to pick him up from daycare, hang out with him at their house, put him to sleep, get him up and ready, drop him off.... I'm really really jazzed about it! Not only do I love the lil' guy like crazy and look forward to the time together, but I get to play house :-)

<-- Luke looooves static!

If you didn't know this, Luke is the most cutest, most smartest baby around. He's just over a year (14 months -or- 61.5 weeks to be exact) and frickin adorable. This past weekend, we got to see first-hand his new sign language skills (!!!). He's signing "more" "please" "eat" and "all done." My heart melted! The melting was also partly due to his super cute plaid button-down shirt, jeans and sneakers combo. He's almost walking, but has decided he really doesn't need to yet. I'm sure once he does, he'll take off and never stop!

My baby rabies are in full swing. I can't wait for motherhood. I just feel like it's something I'm made for. I have always been fascinated by genetics and specifically reproduction, so my curiousity around pregnancy is really no surprise. What an amazing process. Think of the most amazing machines in the world, and it still doesn't compare to the fact that a woman's body can make something out of seemingly nothing. Unbelievable. Did you know that the placenta is the only organ that we GROW in our lifespan?

Last week, my supervisor brought in her 1-month old to the office. She was able to leave him hear and bop over to a few medical appointments, conveniently located in the building next door. We LOVED having the time with lil Peyton while she was gone! I was absolutely thrilled. He slept on my shoulder, curled in a little ball and just snuggled right in. He was having some trouble eating, but his fussing didn't bother me a bit. Eventually we figured it out and he was happy and content once again :-) It was so wonderful to be with him -- I just get so much happiness from spending time with little ones, especially teeny newborns. They appreciate how snuggly I am!

I guess my point in all this is three-fold. 1) I'm surrounded by babies and pregnant people and I love it. 2) I'm damn good at it all. 3) I'm ready.

The Duggars... brought to you by "No More Wire Hangers" Abortion Clinic

I love to watch TV. This was quite apparent last night as I fended off my sleepiness by watching the Duggar Wedding on TLC.

Now, I don't harp on the Duggars -- I think they're good, genuine people who have very sweet children, and while I don't share all of their specific beliefs, I do feel that they're good parents. I'd much rather see them having more children than, say, cracked out moms.... or high schoolers.... or Britney Spears (a delightful combination of both, as it were).

I enjoyed watching the special but was utterly disturbed by the excessive amounts of AWKWARDNESS between oldest son Josh and his "prize," Anna. It was all over the damn place! I'd be sitting, laughing at a funny line, respecting their decisions and WHAM! another awkward moment to make my skin crawl. Ehhhhhh thanks.

Josh & Anna come from families that are both of the belief that one should not "date" but simply court. He essentially found a girl that he liked, called up her parents and asked to court her. Then he proposes marriage (painfully awkward), they have a wedding and share their first kiss at the altar. ?!? Really?? Yes. They had never kissed. They hadn't even really hugged body to body. There was a weird side hug thing that happened, which was particularly tortuous to watch. One might wonder, as Josh did, can we hold hands? Oh sure, say the parents of the newly engaged couple. At which point in time Josh & Anna give each other the DEATH GRIP and didn't let go until the day they wed. There was also a few unfortunate incidents involving matching shirts.... because obviously this is the BEST way to show that you're spoken for!

Point is -- their lack of "getting to know you" time and the restraint in the expression of their joy and affection was clearly holding them back from experiencing these wonderful moments.

There was also this really great moment where her goober of a dad gave a speech about Anna being under Josh's authority now. Awwww hells to the no. I guess I'm just glad Anna wears pants and cuts her hair, unlike the rest of the Duggar gals.

BUT.... I digress. Here's the really funny part of it all.....

If you're not aware, the Duggars are conservative Baptists that practice the Quiverfull movement. This outlines their beliefs in rejecting birth control methods (including Natural Family Planning, surprisingly!) and accepting all children as gifts from God as they are given, hence the large family.

Much to my amusement, the show neared a commercial break and a quick shout out from their sponsor.... none other than

OMG, are you serious?? I died. I DIED!!! And I almost peed.

Annnd.... I'm going to hell.

xoxo

KTM