Wish I Wouldn't Have Done That

I decided maybe the not-friendly tech at the dr's office the other day might have been a little off on his height measurement of Wyatt, so I thought I'd redo it and plug it into an online calculator. Yeah, wish I hadn't. Even after I use my numbers instead of theirs, he's a 5th percentile kid. Why is he getting smaller?! And why did they tell us he was bigger? I know Jeff and I aren't big people, but honestly! We don't want a little shrimp spice (that's for you, suse) for a kid. I hope that he miraculously starts packing it on when we introduce solids. Keep your fingers crossed. Mostly now I'm just mad I did the stupid online stuff because I should have left well enough alone.

Oh, and I also wish I hadn't eaten an m&m's fun pack, a mini butterfinger, a small twix, Lisa's yummy cookies and some tootsie roll midgies today. The Halloween leftovers need to find another home ASAP!

This is the Life

Tonight was one of those nights that just makes me happy. You know, happy that I have a little bat baby, happy that we are having this cool Japanese experience, happy that we live on base with awesome neighbors and a great sense of community. We fired up the grill and had burgers with Lisa and Nathan tonight. We handed out all of our candy and some of Lisa's to the gaggles of trick-or-treaters that came to our door. It was so fun!

It's fun to see our neighbors come by in costume - the kiddos from across the street were adorable - and to see friends out with their kids. I even handed out a cup of beer to one of the parents stuck on walking duty with his son :) That's fun!

It was great to answer the door and see Nitetrain standing there (he's actually stationed in Korea these days so it's fun to see him so much); he'd been up the street with some other friends so he just stopped by to see Wyatt in costume. Of course we were happy to oblige. And then he came in for a burger and a beer. That's fun!

It's totally amusing to see the cute little Japanese kids dressed up in their version of Halloween costumes (they, literally, get dropped of on base by the carload) and hear them say, "trick-or-treato!". All of them said, "thank you" except for the one little guy (maybe 4 years old?) who slipped and said, "arigato". His parent immediately corrected him and he turned back around and said "thank you" in perfect English. Honestly. How cool is that?!

Lisa and I had fun taking pics of our boys while they were both in costume.

Wyatt was fascinated with his feet.

And he was pretty content all snuggled down in his Bumbo!

Of course we had to get some of our bat 'hanging' upside down.

It was just a great night. Wish you were here :)

Good News, Bad News

Good news: we've booked our tickets home for Christmas; bad news: Wyatt might not be able to go to college after all.
Good news: we got to use our new mileage Visa which earns more miles; bad news: there's some sort of glitch with the address so I have to call back in 48 hours to make sure they actually issued tickets.
Good news: Wyatt will have a seat; bad news: they can't guarantee a bassinet row (nor can they actually tell any of us where we're sitting).
Good news: we each get two pieces of checked baggage; bad news: the stroller apparently counts as one of those.
Good news: we'll maintain our premier status with United for at least another year; bad news: we can't accrue miles for Wyatt's ticket so he now has his own United mileage number (but really, what 4-month-old doesn't?)

I live in Japan, so what did I want? Oh, I'll tell you! I wanted to pay about $1000 less for our tickets and fly in business class. Nothing like a good pipe dream. I just really want to fly in business class someday but never feel quite compelled enough to pony up all my miles or to pay a higher fare so it only takes part of my miles. I guess I'm hoarding my miles for that nebulous "someday" trip. This is kind of like the Erma Bombeck "don't save your special candle in the attic where it'll melt and get ugly - just burn the darn thing" concept. Yet I'm still sitting here, hoarding my miles. And now I'm hoarding Wyatt's miles, too!

Let me also say we have no doubt it will all be worth it to spend Christmas with our families and to have Wyatt baptised in the only church that has ever felt like home. You just might not be getting a gift from us this year :)

In other news, Wyatt is (still) officially small. He had his 4-month well-baby visit today where we established that he's not only 10th percentile for weight, but also for head circumfrence (have you seen his daddy's cranium?). And, according to the not-friendly-tech's measurement, he's in the... drumroll please...3rd percentile for height. Goes to show what I know! I keep thinking he's long. GUESS NOT!

He was his normal charming self for the entire office. Mr. Not-Friendly-Tech? A raspberry for you! Dr. Helpful? You get two giggles, a load of smiles and some sassy posing on the table. Immunizations lady? You can have some cries that actually subside after you give me my shots. And for Mommy, a three hour nap when we get home. Wyatt was feeling generous today :)

Lastly, because I know this is what you've all been waiting for, Jeff did well in his triathlon. Yes, it turns out he can do a half Ironman in as much time as it takes me to run a marathon. And while he took our camera, we didn't really think it through very well because the memory card was full and the battery conked out. Oops. He says he got some decent pics, though, so we'll take a look at those and maybe he'll guest-blog his story sometime soon. Or maybe not, because he's getting really busy again at work. Such is life! Tomorrow is Halloween so I'll be charging said-camera tonight in anticipation of fully documenting our little bat in all his glory. Until then....good night!

Big Day All Around

Jeff and Nitetrain left this morning for their triathlon; you know, the one that's been a topic of conversation since March? Nite was the picture of laid-back calm and Jeff was his usual, over-prepared, under-confident self. His main concern was the food - will it fuel him properly? what if dinner there is bad? what should he take for breakfast? - and let me just tell you that they could get stuck on Izena for a week without getting hungry or thirsty. I have no doubt they will both do well, but think positive thoughts for them because it's still quite an undertaking. I would post the picture of them next to the loaded Surf (packed to the gills with two bikes, bedding, clothes and the aforementioned food), but Jeff ended up taking our camera so we can all see what Izena is like.

Wyatt and I waved goodbye at 7:30 this morning and then got ready for our own day. It's getting fun, I tell ya. More and more, I sit back and think, "hey! this parenting thing is pretty cool!" (I'm sure my parents know what I'm talking about since they've had the same feeling every day since 6/20/75. But for me, it's still a new realization.) Today that feeling was sparked by putting Wyatt in his Halloween costume. I mean, really, does it get any better than seeing the apple of your eye dressed up just the way you want? I think not.



Wyatt was a trouper and tolerated - maybe even enjoyed! - being a bat for almost 2 hours during the kids' fall festival. We did have to remove the hat and socks about halfway through since it's still a little warm for fleecey costumes, but then he just perched on my arm for the duration.

A Chip Off the Old Block

I bet from the title you thought this would be about Wyatt. Wrong! I'm the "chip" and my mom's the "old block" (I'm not calling you old, Mom. You're the youngest 55-year-old I've ever known :))Where am I going with this, you ask? Well, for those of you who know my mom, you know she's frugal. Not cheap, but good at getting her money's worth. So today, when I looked across the street and saw a perfectly good kids' table with three chairs waiting for the garbage man, I had to do something about it. So I called Lisa. You see, she's been wanting a table and chairs for Nathan for a while now and look! They're free, right across the street, ready for us to take. After 20 minutes of convincing her (Lisa, really, did you need that much convincing or did you just not want to take it off the curb?) we hauled across the street and got it. I even went to the door of the original owners and asked if it was okay. Yep. It's okay! It also happens to turn out that PC picked up a table and chairs for Nathan while he's deployed to (location screened for OPSEC), so Nathan will be well-tabled-and-chaired. Or maybe Wyatt will end up with a set before we move - he's just not in the market for it quite yet.

Mom, thanks for teaching me well. Have I made you proud?

Shades of Things to Come

I turned my back this morning just long enough to move laundry from the washer to the dryer and when I looked up, Wyatt was a busy boy. Of course I had to get photographic evidence because it made me laugh. He's going to keep me on my toes, isn't he?

Warning: Bodily Fluids and Random Facts

Happy 4 Month Birthday, Wyatt!
Will the poop stories ever get old? I think not. Evidence: tonight it was pretty funny when Wyatt had a blowout in his Bumbo seat. Thank goodness it's an easy-clean surface. Of course it was made funnier by the fact that I had picked him up and carried him into the living room before I realized that wasn't mustard on my shirt. Lovely. How is it that I, a college-degree-holding adult, continue to let this happen to myself? Truly a mystery.

Otherwise it was a normal day here, meaning it consisted of a morning walk to Dunkin Donuts for coffee (no donuts, I swear), a couple of naps that are getting more regular every day :), and lots of drool. Copious amounts of drool. Lisa witnessed the excess droolage while we were hanging out in the front yard ('cause that's the cool thing to do when you live in Marek Park) as it slid down Wyatt's front, past my knee and ended up in a puddle on my toe. Ahh, motherhood.

Seriously? Is this really what rocks my world? Yes, it is. Try not to be too jealous.

On another note, Jeff is reading aloud his info packet for this weekend's triathlon (try not to be jealous of that, either; it's always fun to have random facts spouted from the corner). For instance, did you know that Izena is actually made up of 4 islands with a total population of 1884 in 800 households? Yeah, me neither. Don't you feel smarter now? You're welcome. And it turns out there are only 26 foreigners competing. Out of 492 participants. Now I'm disappointed I won't be there to watch because that ought to make for some interesting pictures. I just suggested to him that he take a disposable camera to take pictures during the run. I wish you could've seen the look. Apparently that's a not only a totally uncool idea, but is also not aerodynamic. Looks like we'll have to use our imaginations to picture Jeff's little caucasian cranium bobbing among all the Japanese. Too bad.

Whew!

I am out of practice! Two adult nights in a row followed by hosting a cookout has left me worn out. Nevermind the fact that Jeff did much of the work for the cookout, I'm still tuckered. Needless to say, it was a fun weekend and has (surprisingly) temporarily halted my longing for my former life. I will say that it was really fun to see Wyatt after having been out for two evenings. I mean, I'm always glad to see him but it was nice to have actually had time to miss him. I think a little time apart was probably good for both of us :)

We played all day today so I took some pictures to share. And we did all of this without the tv on (this is a big thing for me - I love having the tv for background noise) because I just read an article today about a link between increased tv watching and autism. Great. That's just what I needed - another way to worry I'm messing up my kid. Before all the grandparents get upset, we don't just sit and watch television ever but Wyatt has been known to crane his little head around to see what's on. And it's often not something that will teach him anything. I will still let him watch Sesame Street, Little Einsteins, etc. in limited quantity. But I will worry the whole time he's doing it. Moving on...the pictures:

Jeff and I were just noticing the other day that Wyatt's finally bigger than his bumbo. He used to just fit down inside of it - in fact, the back of it helped hold up his head when we got it. I guess he's growing!

Notice that it's still all about getting the exersaucer toys into his mouth. He and the frog have made amends; now he's moved on to this thing.

On the Other Side

We all survived our first evening apart. It turns out I'm a little rusty at these social things. Don't get me wrong, it was great, but I kind of felt like I didn't know what to do with my hands. Is that because I'm so used to carrying a squirmy dude around? It did make me feel like the equilibrium in my life is getting adjusted again, and that felt good. I had one tasty appletini (and declined the red bull and vodka purchased for me by a generous but unaware friend - I mean, I don't think that's probably the answer to helping Wyatt sleep longer) and then decided that was plenty. It was a little odd to hear the words, "we need to get the sitter home" come out of my mouth since that's something only other people have to worry about. Now we're part of the other. So my big night out wasn't all that big or all that long, but it was fun and probably did more for me mentally than anything else. The best part is that tomorrow night is a girls' night out, so Jeff and Wyatt will do a little male bonding while I enjoy another evening with my friends. Life is good.

And, after much polling, the answer to that question: $5 an hour :)

Woo Hoo! I Think...

I have officially booked our first babysitter. I'm overjoyed! And completely worried. It's not as though it'll be difficult - we're not even leaving until he's down for the night and we're just going up the street - but still, the negative nelly in me thinks this'll be the night that Wyatt doesn't stay down until 11pm, like he does every other night. The draw of tonight's annual black & white martini party is just too much to pass up; besides, it's a couple hours in the company of other adults. I can't wait!

Now how much do we pay????

Money Well Spent

Shelley and I put my new pumpkin carving kit into action tonight and are very-not-humbly-pleased with our results. How cool are these?! I am now a carving kit devotee and will set aside $4.50 every October for my kit. My joy might be increased by the fact that this evening made me feel a little more like my former (pre-mommy) self. I needed that :)

I squeezed Wyatt into his "I live on an island", terry cloth outfit one more time today. I'm sad he's outgrowing it, but I guess that's what happens. He was looking pretty chill when we got home from our outing, so I decided we needed photographic evidence. Despite having not gotten this outfit on sale and him not getting to wear it as much as I'd anticipated, it was totally worth it.

Mommy 1, Wyatt 2

I'm losing. I don't like to lose. The whole entry about us all getting smarter? Well, apparently Wyatt is getting smarter faster than me. Twice today (yes, twice already and it's hardly past noon) he has outcried my ability to listen. First nap: 25 minute cry and I caved. I caved BIG. I cuddled, I coddled, I soothed, I said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" ad nauseum. I was rewarded with many raspberries blown my direction, big smiles and even a few giggles. Ah, I'm forgiven.

Fast forward 2 hours. Another 25 minute cry (while I attempted to distract myself by chatting to Alaska). I caved again. Not as much, but still soothed, turned him over, pat his back, told him in my most stern, broken-hearted voice that he has to nap. A little more crying and he is finally asleep. I'm not cut out for this tough love stuff. I thought I was but it's turning me to mush. Oh boy, it could be a long 18 years.

We're All Getting Smarter

And I don't just say that because I knew the answer to final Jeopardy today. I say that because Wyatt and I are starting to read each other's cards before they're played. For instance, now when he starts acting sleepy during the day, I don't waste time before starting the "winding down, heading for a nap" process. He, however, knows my moves now and starts cranking as we climb the stairs, then really ramps up when we enter his room. I'm not kidding, he can be smiling and happy in my arms but as soon as we start that trek, it's all business.

I trumped this move for the first time today by letting him cry it out. Now, I've been gradually coming to this by letting him fuss for a few minutes, then consoling him, repeat, repeat, repeat and 40 minutes later he's napping. Today was cold turkey. I put him down and got in the shower and prayed for 18 minutes straight that this wasn't scarring him or being neglectful. I decided that 20 minutes was going to be my max. Wouldn't you know that after 19 minutes he fell blissfully asleep and stayed that way for a little over 2 hours?! One nap conquered, many to go. Although I will say that he went right down tonight when we put him to bed. First time he's done that all week but maybe that has more to do with the very regular doses of Tylenol....

On a much happier note (literally), Wyatt started all-out laughing tonight! I LOVE seeing his personality coming through. Jeff caught it on film so it's preserved forever and ever. I don't know who was happier, laughing Wyatt or me and Jeff. That pretty much makes it all worth while :)

Is Hypochondria Hereditary?

I have a tendency (as does my sister - no offense) to think that every little symptom could indicate serious illness. We're pretty self-aware on this issue and have, for better or worse, married men who like to talk us off our little ledges. However, after Wyatt's cranky night, extra goopy eyes and a seriously cranky morning, I decided I should take him to the doctor. I was kind of worried his ears were bothering him and the fact that he screamed every time I laid him down wasn't helping. So we got an afternoon appointment with peds. Now let me say, I truly appreciate our free medical care as part of military life. I know it saves us tons of money every year (of course, it's all a part of the extraordinary "compensation package", but I digress...) and I appreciate that they were willing to see us same-day. Luckily, we got an appointment with the doctor I actually like up there(I'll call her Dr. Helpful); the one who's not Wyatt's "primary care manager" (I'll call him Dr. Sucks). After Dr. Helpful's evaluation of the situation, I decided that Dr. Sucks should just be renamed the primary neglect manager.

It turns out that yes, Wyatt has blocked tearducts (which aren't a big deal), but apparently the fact that his eyes have been producing copious amounts of foul-looking goop for months should have raised some flags. Too bad Dr. Sucks told me it was "no big deal" when I brought it up at every appointment. Dr. Helpful told us that the goop is a sign the kiddo needs a course of antibiotic ointment so an infection doesn't settle in. HA! Wyatt's eyes practically sent out engraved invitations to all infections in the local area saying, "hey, my parents are ignoring this issue, so come on over and stay a while." I feel horrible. It's not like he's seemed miserable or anything, but HONESTLY how could I be so naive as to not force the issue with Dr. Sucks? Let me just say that Jeff was actually able to go with us to the appointment today, so as I walked over to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine, he walked straight to the counter where you change the PCM. Hopefully that'll take care of the issue. And oh yeah, I mentioned Dr. Sucks's reaction/lack of treatment today during our appointment and Dr. Helpful was very professional but not surprised. She also offered to rebook our 4-month well-baby so we can see her instead of Dr. Sucks. It's nice to know that there's a pediatrician up there who's looking out for the well-being of my baby. Novel concept.

Besides the eyes, it turns out he's good. Her diagnosis: he's teething. Well, that settles that. At least now I know FOR SURE that he doesn't just have some random bone spurs in his mouth (yes, that was my not-so-secret fear since 3-month-olds don't usually cut incisors). So she "prescribed" tylenol (that's the part of military medicine that's good - thank you Mr. Taxpayer for our free Tylenol) and basically sent us on our way. I'm such a newbie :) And oh yeah, he's still a 10th percentile baby. Looks like he's going to be wiry like his Daddy.

On another note, after my commissary rant last night I had a dream that I found a "real" grocery store off base. I was so excited because they had ciabatta bread. Seriously. I was fired up over some round loaf of bread that my dreaming brain labeled as ciabatta. Apparently I have a pent-up desire for exotic breads. I don't even know what Ciabatta bread looks like! Is it round? Educate me. And please don't go all Freud and analyze that...I'm not sure I can handle the answer. Besides, if you know me well, none of this has been surprising in the least. And since I should apparently expect not to sleep well until Wyatt's fully a wolf (when's the next full moon?), I'm off to my grocery store dreamland.

Oh Wyatt

You are wise beyond your months. You're right...it might have sounded braggy when I said you'd slept for seven hours straight and we've already taught you that bragging isn't nice. No, really, you did the right thing and taught me a lesson that will really stick. Seriously, getting up every two hours was effective. Oh, and the part where you stayed up crying for two hours really drove your point home. Good work, son. Good work.

Raspberries and Retail

Wyatt woke up remembering that he is now a raspberry expert. I went in to get him this morning and was greeted by a smily, sloppy raspberry. I'm starting to get the fun part of this mommy thing. And maybe it was helped by the fact that he slept for seven hours straight last night. That's a good trick, sweetie! Show mommy how you can do that again and again! It was all smiles until we exersaucered again. After replacing the taunting frog with his favorite stuffed giraffe, I realized it was actually the yellow plastic stick thing which holds the frog that he finds offensive, so I removed the whole thing. Problem solved.....briefly. I was walking upstairs this afternoon and Jeff started laughing, telling me that "we might have created a monster." Now apparently the little king and queen that play music are on his list. It seems that if he can't get it in his drooly mouth, he has no patience for it. I'm not sure this is a good sign for things to come. I guess I should just be thankful that he will, apparently, never let us get bored; nor will we have to wonder how he feels. Go figure, I gave birth to a kid with strong opinions!

I got to go to the commissary by myself today (such a treat since I'm normally hauling a carseat and our not-customer-friendly store has chosen carts that do NOT accomodate a carseat so the kiddo has to ride IN the basket, which leaves me wedging all kinds of stuff around my little man, just hoping it won't topple into him). They had more pumpkins, most of them weren't rotten but maybe just a little moldy. Did it stop me? No way. And I treated myself to a pumpkin carving kit. I have grand delusions of carving some intricate masterpiece but in reality it will probably look more like something out of a kindergarten classroom! But hey, at least I have the kit. I think I've secretly always wanted a carving kit and now I justify it by thinking that, in just a few years, Wyatt and I will carve fancy pumpkins together. Right.

And while I'm on the commissary, I'd like tell the nice people of DECA that they're getting a little too loose with the "Deleted item -do not restock" labels . First it was the diapers for Wyatt (I mean, why carry the size 2 huggies? Who would need those?), then it was the Quaker women's oatmeal (don't worry, I bought 4 boxes but am going to have to start hoarding it because I'm down to two) and today it was something else that I'm blanking on. Perhaps this is my mind's way of preventing me from getting too disappointed? This is just another reason that my repatriation to the land of Target, Wal-Mart and competing grocery stores next year might be a tad overwhelming. Oh well, the good outweighs the bad and we'd stay if they let us :) Nonetheless, I will enjoy many pointless trips to said stores while we're home for the holidays. Ahhh, America really is the land of plenty. I can smell the retail already!

Blah

That sums me up right now and is also probably how you'll feel about this boring entry. Jeff is at work until 5:30 tomorrow morning, little man is in bed and I'm in limbo. Should I sew? Should I finish cleaning the kitchen? Should I lay on the couch? Should I just go to bed? I'm stymied. I think I woke up that way - do you ever have those days? Or maybe I'm just worn out. Two hectic days in a row, two days of horrible eating (fyi - Banyan Tree chinese food isn't good), too many sugar cookies consumed. Blah.

On a happier note, Wyatt mastered the art of a very slobbery raspberry today. He was quite proud of himself and has proven himself proficient. He also has mastered turning every which way in his exersaucer which is great except that the stuffed frog toy on it keeps making him mad. I don't know what he's wanting it to do, but it obviously isn't cooperating because time and time again he gets seriously ticked at it and ends up crying. Mean frog. And it looked so friendly.

Two bits of good news for all future visitors: first, apparently there's a new route from Narita opening up on Nov. 1 which means no more airport swap in Tokyo. Second, we replaced the schizophrenic microwave. I heated a little breakfast for 20 seconds this morning and would've sworn an electrical fire was starting. So I unplugged it and told J about it when I got back from my walk. I suggested purchasing a new microwave (assuming he'd dissuade me) and he agreed that it has always sucked. He also agreed that something (literally) smelled not quite right in there, so now we're the proud owners of a new kitchen appliance. Such simple pleasures in life. I think we're also on the verge of being the owners of a few more Chinese antiques because Oriental Place got in a new shipment. My heart's beating faster just thinking about our trip back there tomorrow :)

I think my parents are off to Mexico tomorrow which means my readership will be decreasing by approximately 50%. It seems like they did something right because, so far, retirement is looking pretty good. A bit of advice: if a margarita is served in a schooner, don't drink the whole thing. And if you ignore that advice, please make sure there's photographic evidence. Have fun!

Cue the Elephants

The following occurred in a 5-minute stretch tonight. I wouldn't have thought it possible if I hadn't been a part of it.

Lisa and Nathan came over to tell us about their awful Chili's experience (this, unfortunately, did nothing to sway Lisa's impression of Chili's. So sad.) and I was trying to get through to Banyan Tree delivery. Jeff was getting Wyatt ready for his bath, setting up the tub, trying to find the hooded towels, clean sleepers, etc. (right, they're the same place they were last night). Nathan was doing his normal "you still haven't childproofed your house very well" exploring which means Lisa has to chase him around while she's talking to us (sorry) and Banyan Tree finally answered. Here's where the fun begins:

The guy says, in his thick Japanese accent, "thank you call Banyan Tree you hold, I on other line" Sure. No problem. While I'm holding, Jeff says, "Can we get some help in here? I need the wipes" - apparently Wyatt has made a special diaper just in time for a bath. No problem. I take the wipes in and hand them off just as Banyan man clicks back over. I place my order but can't get through it before Millie starts doing her horrible snorting thing in the hallway. I try to put my hand over her nose to get her to stop while Banyan man is repeating my order back to me and Nathan is now in the living room cracking up. Millie's snorting is hilarious when you're 15 months old. I think it was about this time that I hear Jeff start saying, "oh no" a few times. And Banyan man wants to know if I know that they have a pizza special this month. No, I didn't know. He tells me, "yes, you buy one pizza regular size we give one small size free so if you order pizza in October please call Banyan Tree." Yeah, okay. Great. I say "I'll remember that" and he says, "okay your order deliver in twenty five or fifty minutes" (because that makes sense). I've now walked over to the sink and found out that Jeff's comments are due to the fact that Wyatt was not, in fact, quite finished making that special diaper when Jeff plunked him into the tub. People, we have a floater! I tell Banyan man that twenty-five or fifty minutes sounds great so I can get off the phone. I'm cracking up, Jeff's cracking up and Lisa's pretty amused because Jeff told me to go dump the funky bathwater in the yard. Did you see it happen? Our concrete bungalow became a circus tent.

We?

My intent for this blog is to keep friends and family updated on our lives but no one will know it's out here unless I tell them, right? So I was getting ready to email a FEW friends and give them the info when Jeff said, "hmmm. Maybe wait until we have some archives." Did you catch it? The we? Where's the we in this? I don't think he's even read it yet. When he does, I bet I'll hear about this post and I guess that'll tell me how involved "we" are :) Good night.

Did Someone Say Cookies?

I've learned that it's honestly challenging for me to be productive these days. It turns out I can spend hours doing nothing besides making up silly songs for Wyatt and singing them to him over and over until I get a smile or, better yet, the elusive giggle. I mean, by the time we take our morning walk, stop for coffee and get cleaned up, it's practically lunchtime - and yes, I know I have a "cush life", to quote my cousin.

This week I've been on turbo-drive (nevermind the fact that Wyatt's had some of his worst nights yet) because I'm supposed to be co-hosting a baby shower this weekend and have a huge list of projects: food, favors, albums, gifts. So Monday I cut out 75 sugar cookies in the shape of snails and dogs because snips and snails...that's what little boys are made of (by the way Lisa, it's all your fault. Nathan's party was so cute, the cookies were yummy and you made it look easy. You lie. It's not easy.), Tuesday I made a giant commissary run (during which Wyatt decided to make me a lovely present which required immediate action), and yesterday I cranked out 4 quiches during the little man's nap. Today's project was icing the cookies because it's not a party favor until it has cute icing, right? I mean, I bought my 3 lbs. of powdered sugar, I have my merengue powder, I bought frosting bags and squeeze bottles at 100 Yen, I bought cute little cellophane bags to wrap it all in. I even watched Martha Stewart's tutorial online! I woke up today PREPARED to ice 75 cookies.

And guess what? Kristin went into labor early, Jackson arrived this evening and the shower is postponed until further notice. Looks like the big tough guys at the 44th will be snacking on snails and puppies tomorrow and this scenario will repeat itself at some point next month. The lesson here? I have no idea. But now I know I can be productive when I have to be (so why is my kitchen floor so dirty?) and I can do it all on about 5 hours of sleep a night. I'm turning into such a grown-up.

Wyatt update: nada. No big accomplishments today except that he continues to flip himself over in bed then cry until one of us flips him back over. Annoying. And the incisors are still working their way in, plus now it looks like the tooth next to the incisor is cutting through, too. He should be sufficiently wolfish by Christmas.

What Kind of Car Do You Drive?

I drive a Toyota Carina, which is really dull and Jeff drives a Surf (dime a dozen over here and apparently they only made them in about 3 colors - boring!) but today, well, today's sightings inspired me to talk about Japanese cars. Those of you who have been here have undoubtedly seen the classic Honda That's or a Daihatsu Naked. And this summer there were a lot of Nissan Scrum sightings but today I saw the two greatest cars yet: a Honda Street Racoon (misspelling is theirs, not mine) and a Pajero Mini Flying Pug. I want to drive a Street Racoon! And I want Jeff to drive the Flying Pug. Ha! Just the thought of it makes me laugh. Then I would REALLY enjoy those emails that circulate - you know, the ones where you "get to know your friends" and it asks questions like "diamonds or pearls?", "mountains or beach?" and "what kind of car do you drive?". Yep. If I drove a Street Racoon, I'd never miss a chance to share it.

And on another note, despite what some people may think or say, we DO have 4 seasons over here. Right now we're in the middle of an absolutely glorious fall. Seriously, we're having the kind of days that just make you happy to be alive. I hope this weather holds for just a little while longer because I love, love, love it. It's crisp in the morning (not Kansas crisp - that's too cold) and the light is awesome. These kind of days make me feel so lucky to live here. I mean, where else could I drive my Surf to a 100 Yen store, park on the top of the parking garage with a view of both the ocean and F-15s landing and then get to come home, sit outside with Wyatt and play frisbee with Millie while the bats make their evening migration out of the banyan trees? My life rocks :)

Wyatt update: he is *this close* to rolling over without assistance. I took some pictures today in hopes that I'd catch him in the act, but I ended up with lots of pics of him arching his back while laying on his side. And I said "without assistance" because he did roll from his back to his tummy without human intervention on Monday. My little problem solver grabbed the bottom of the mirror on his playmat and used it to leverage his body right on over. He's brilliant, I tell you, just brilliant (and freakishly strong).

Blogging is fun! All the random thoughts have a place to go now. Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Here We Go...

I can't believe I'm doing this. Seriously. But here I am, many private edits later, launching my very own blog. I make no promises - there probably won't be daily posts, my humor is often funny only to me and there are no guarantees for this to last beyond today. So read it while it's hot or maybe savor it....this could be the only post you get.

And yes, I know my audience is made up of the people who I talk to all the time anyway so I'll apologize in advance for duplicate stories and sheer boredom. A few of you encouraged this (you know who you are) so don't blame me! I don't have any delusions that my life is really that interesting, but there have been a few incidents that would have made for good blogging (the nubbin, the wolf teeth, the guy at the 24-hour on-call number who pretended he was an answering machine). Ahhh, my life amuses me. Maybe it'll amuse you, too :)