wet and soggy

Ventured out to meet some other Mums and my mate Patricia for lunch at Effies. (where service is fantastic and food is well..... well its not cooked by me so its great!)

So its raining
a lot..


So Thankfully I had my see through umbrella bought for me by sisterchick as one of my coolest Xmas pressies a few years ago. I had mentioned how much I loved it as a kid in wet and soggy Ireland - fair enough your top half is only part not wet but still better than all of you being a wet dishrag.

Its quite handy for getting the wee man into the carseat and car. He was covered like his own wee bubble tent and looking around quite calmly while I battled the rain to get him into the car. I had organized the wee lunch meetup so kinda had to go. And as folks know I will happily start conversations with walls (making up for all those years as a kid where I talked to nobody till I was 14 and just read lots and lots of books...) So off I went and we were dryer than day old toast on top and I was just soggy on the bottom.

Then afterwards went to Mervyns for some new cozy fuzzy all in ones for Gandalf Jnr as he did a stretch last week and now in 6-9 months clothes and some 9-12 months ones as well. At least Mervyns is cheap. On sale at the mall was baby jeans by ralph lauren for $85 for 3 month old. Seriously. And another store baby jeans for $375 to go with Mummys designer jeans at also $375. For piece of clothing that baby gets maybe a month out of. Friggin Criminal. And of course being made in some warehouse store where they make all makes and models right beside each other.

So we finished battling the rain and back home again. All ready now to pack for weekend

Have a good weekend folks...

Angels Camp

Off to Angels Camp www.angelscamp.com this weekend with our mates Sean and Maricar :-) Its with worldmark resorts the not a timeshare kind of timeshare that Jan owns. You can use credits in any of the resorts and we're using bonus time this weekend so comes to something like $12 for whole weekend with two bedroom apt, swimming pool and jacuzzi on site. They even will go grocery shopping for you before you go so theres basics in the apartment which is great.

Weather looks to be more rain rain rain. But we will get to see Columbia State Park again where himself got a lovely waistcoat last time. Its a state park that they have kept the old main street like it was house on the prairie :-) And of course then onto Murphys - the best kept secret this side of the rockies. Its a lovely wee town - one main street with 21 free wine tasting rooms. Yes free. No more driving your arse around Napa to pay $5 for one glass of wine. Here its 4 or 6 drinks of great local wine. Am I happy to be going - oh yes!

Murphys Law

So Friday night smoke alarm went off at 530am. We popped out of bed and checked and burnt smell in kitchen (which is common with my cooking) but no smoke, and couldnt find anything. So unplugged everything and also I turned off the heat. Then went back to our bedroom and I could smell it in our wee bathroom. So thought might be heater and glad turned it off as heat blows through our house with hot air.

So Saturday tried turning it on and heard burner in furnace start up but 10 mins later no hot air. So turned it off and called landlord. Gary was over yesterday with toolbox and plastic tub in hand (that looks very like the one we also got from the hospital after Fionn was born....) Turns out blower was indeed dead so he went looking for parts.

Now normally wouldnt be a big deal as we live in Sunny California. Well of course Saturday, Sunday, Monday and indeed all through this week is a cold spell where its 8 degrees C/44 F during the day and 2C/37F at night so chilly willy for us! And Monday is a bank Holiday for Martin Luther King Day so no heating shops open for parts.

So he returned again Sunday after we had gone for a walk for breakfast with Fionn in Stroller to warm up with two heaters in hand. They are such good landlords. So had the wee heater on last night and blankets on us in living room and heater on in bedroom and we were just like Goldilocks and it was just right....

Happy Martin Luther King Day folks

5 months

 

5 months old now and heres the wee man beside the Winne the Pooh toys. He's cute so we'll keep him ;-)
Had few friends over last night for pizza, beer, playing Nintendo games and some apple pie and cool whip :-)
Good laugh and its a lot easier for us to have folks over that trekking with him at night as he has his wee routine and he was a happy camper looking and laughing at everyone and in bed at 930 and asleep.

first week

So survived first week back to work. Tuesday was hectic and by Thursday in my stride and then off Friday. Makes it kind of easier. Lots of customer issues to work with. My workpartner D is a fantastic sales rep - easily the best. When it comes to customer issues he tends to put his head in sand or overpromise and underdeliver. So me to rescue with cape and apology in hand. So saved a few deals, mended some fences and got some Thank God you're back S ! emails from customers which is always nice

F1's week - well his new funny words this week were donut, foggy and bagel. They found tiggles in his toes and he loves the swing at Catherines. He's a happy wee boy and I had him all to myself today so yummy day.

Have a good weekend folks. Hope you find your funny word of the day

What no tea!

So mini emergency at our house this morning

The tea kettle is broken

I repeat no hot water for my tea

I'm S and I'm a tea addict

I admit it freely. I am even a tea snob, I bring my own teabags with me to restaurants so I can have a good cuppa

Hubbie is off to the rescue picking up an electric kettle on way home.

phew...

back to work

So back to work yesterday. Wee man had already been at Catherines a few days in a row for half days but yesterday was first all day there and first day back for me.
Since I was mainly working from home it was so strange to be home and Fionn not here. I missed him a lot. When I picked him up he had a kilowatt bulb smile for me and tried to bite my nose. His way of saying I missed you too Mammy. When we got home he was so full of beans that night with me and hubbie. He bounced for nearly half an hour in his bouneroo. Having so much fun and laughing as he bounced sideways, up and down and back to front. Its like a baby treadmill. At 10 he was all cuddled, changed and he just lay down in his crib and snuggled into his puppy blanket and slept. Me I fell into bed, slept like a log as well, both of us knackered after a juggling plates day. I'm only back part-time and lucky I can do that. I missed him though and sure today will be the same.

aha!

so weighed myself again this morning. Lost a couple of pounds. Went and fed Fionn. Came back and weighed myself. Down another 4 pounds. Aha! They do weigh 50 pounds...

we get to play

So Friday night me and himself went to Watercourse Way hot tubs and spa and wee man went to the Y at parents night out. We had a lovely time and sisterchick had got us the gift cert for the hot tubs to treat ourselves and we did! We enjoyed the wonderful hot tub room that also had steam room and a cold plunge in it as well. I'll leave the cold plunge to the Finns. I like my water hot thank you very much..

When we got back to the Y there was wee man himself happy as larry to see us and smiling and cudding with the workers. How was he I asked. He was the best baby they said and they one admitted that he was only baby that didnt cry. They were fighting to look after him, saying its my turn to hold him as he was only one not screaming his head off. Thats my boy :-)

i can do this

So a week ago - it was an accidently brush against the buttons to make a noise. Now he's playing them like a drum set hearing all the noises and working the beads side to side. Got me thinking that I get to see all these changes daily with being at home and when I go back to work tomorrow I'll probably miss some of them. We're lucky that Catherine lovely lady who will be taking care of him fills me in daily on all his wee activites and you can see its not just a he went bathroom twice kind of list. She lets me know that today the word donut got giggles today and he laughed when they found tiggles on his toes. So if I cant be there for every wee new change at least I know he's got someone who will love him and give him those tiggles and kisses when we cant be there.

first swings

We took a meandering wee walk to park yesterday and put Fionn in swings for first time. Holding onto my fingers swung back and forth. At first he just looked like - what the hell are these folks doing to me. On 2nd swing a huge smile and he was laughing as the wee breeze brushed against his face swinging back and forth.

Swings are fun..

heavy chest

I weighed myself as clothes that hadn't fit me in a year and half do so again so I thought yeah I lost weight



I was wrong, and unless my boobs weigh 30 pounds each cant see how the number on scale relates to my clothes size. I even went clothes shopping today for some back to work clothes. (I start again next Tuesday :-) And I'm a smaller size then I have been in 2 years on the arse but on top WAY bigger.



I am now officially a square - like a walking weetabix or shredded wheat



How do you dress for that? Maybe I should just wear drapes like Carol Burnett down the stairs with the rod sticking out either side...

radio flyer

IMG_1202
Originally uploaded by SineadBorg

Jans parents bought the radio flyer for F1for Christmas. Every little boy should have a radio flyer they said. Silence from J.. Then J said - I didnt have a radio flyer.. Correction every grandson should have a radio flyer...

throwing a parade

Wee man slept from 12 straight through till 8am. No waking for soother (pacifier) - straight through... We're thinking of throwing a parade...

riverdance

The wee man in his bouncer - his legs go mad jumping side to side. All he's missing is the soundtrack from Riverdance

Here is wee video of his dancing :-) Just hit the play button (twice it seems you have to)

say cheese

Fionn with Santa on Christmas Eve. He looks kind of shell shocked which is better than screaming. He's got a Christmas Pudding outfit on which is more of a British Isles kind of dessert than American.

We're back from Florida and its raining so badly here in California we have flooding and items rushing by in the wind like wizard of oz.

Happy New Year folks..