thankful thursdays

my friend chelle is starting this, and i think it is a smashing idea!

thankful thursdays: a day to think of and share 5 things that you are thankful for at that moment. they can be anything at all, from the very big to the very simple. it’s important to remember all that surrounds us that is good and worth being thankful for. gratitude is a powerful, and hopefully infectious, thing.

i do not guarantee that i will get this done *every* thursday, but even once in a while is good. so here goes:

1.  i am thankful that jeff is such a great dad. he came home today from work, and after the obligatory, potty stop, he easily and happily took a cranky baby off my hands so i could cook. he sat with her on the floor to play and dealt with nate's crankiness when he woke up, too. thanks jeffy, i love you.

2.  i am thankful for baby swings. ours is getting quite a workout this time around. it obviously never got used with jesper. nate didn't particularly like it. but willow sleeps in hers almost every single night. sometimes most of the night.

3.  i am thankful for my DVR. i know that tv shows are not important in the scheme of things, but they sure do make my life a little bit more enjoyable. and the DVR means that no matter what is going on around here, i don't typically miss anything.

4.  i am thankful for LEGOS. nate is growing up so fast. i didn't think he was "ready" for legos, but it turns out that he is. we are careful not to let any of them stray so they don't end up in willow's tummy (and eventually her diaper). it is so fun to see his imagination bloom when he plays with the things he builds, destroys, rebuilds, destroys again. between legos and matchbox my baby has become a real boy. i miss the baby that he was, but i like the boy he is becoming. i love you, my nate-o.

5.  i am thankful for friends. i made a meal tonight for a family with a new baby. they are such a sweet family. she hasn't left the house too much with her little one yet, so i haven't seen her around town at all. i've been wanting to hear the story of her son's arrival; i waited patiently, didn't ask around, wanted to be able to share it *with* her. and tonight i got to hear it. she is a great mom. beautiful (but aren't we all in our own way?). strong. and oh so happy. she seems to have her priorities in great order. hope you liked the salmon, mack family.

all blogged up

i suppose it is the blogging equivalent of having a stuffy nose. there are so many blogs in my head that i can't hardly think around them. so the best thing to do is just get them out, right? 

i need to post some updates about the kids (with pictures, of course).

i need to tell you all about what has been going on. i just haven't had much time these days. so, for now, i will ask:

how do you like the new look? i feel refreshed!

hopefully tonight i can get some stuff on here. first, i must download some pictures from both my camera and cell phone.

News

i was on the news this evening with my friend, Carin, to talk about the MISSing Angels Bill.

we did well. 

here's the link:  http://www.koat.com/video/18669100/index.html

OK, i'll play

my friend jenn is doing this on her blog, so i'm going to play, too. (i'm borrowing your rules, jenn.)

The rules have varied from blog to blog, so I’m going to meet in the middle and put this offer out to 4 of you. Here’s how it works: the first 4 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well: before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you’re going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 4 comments will recieve a gift from me, so be quick!

i'm excited to see who signs on! 4 seems like a number i can manage. i considered increasing it to 5, but i think i had better stick with 4 since i have limited time on my hands these days.

naive or jaded

which am i?

i voted for a president that i hoped would not only set out to change things but would actually succeed in doing just that. i'm not alone. i know lots of people who voted for him.

since it has barely been a week since he actually took office, i am still holding onto that hope. i will not give up on him yet.

today he went to capitol hill to talk about his economy-stimulating efforts with republican leaders. before he even got there, the republican leadership was on the news telling everyone who would listen that they don't support his bill. now, i know they got to see the bill before obama's visit, so obviously they have already formulated their opinions of it. but COME ON! can't you at least make us think you were discussing it with an open mind?

i tend to think that the job of the congress is to play the bad cop. where the president gets to play the good cop. yes, clearly it didn't work that way for W, but that's only because he's a complete idiot.

this is not the way i wish it were. i wish our federal government could work *together.* like we hired them to do. i don't want representatives to automatically stand divided on the party line. i want them to use the few brain cells they possess and try to rise above the stupidity of DC politics.

and at the very least i would like them put on a good face. don't come out BEFORE the meeting and bash the bill. at least get in a room and discuss the damn thing before you pass judgement on it.

i elected someone who seems to have learned a thing or two in his 47 years. now, if only the rest of the politicians could just **grow up,** i think we might actually get out of "high-school mode" and accomplish something.

New Mexico House Bill 196

For those who might be interested or inclined to help:

Many of you know about our efforts at passing the MISSing Angels Bill to establish a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth in New Mexico. It passed in 2007 but was vetoed by the governor. We have not given up our efforts and are once again in full legislative swing to get it passed again and finally signed!

The bill is HB196: http://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/09%20Regular/bills/house/HB0196.pdf

We would very much appreciate it if you could call or fax your legislators to ask them to support this long-overdue bill. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact me. If you would like to do more than contact your legislators, let me know. We are always looking for more help, especially more people who can be a presence at committee meetings.

Here is where you can locate your legislator: http://nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislatorsearch.aspx

Thank you all so much for your support, not only in this effort, but in our journey through the grief of Jesper's loss.

Behind

i will get back here one of these days. i promise. i have pics form christmas and and more pics of willow and nate. if i were not so embarrassed by the state of my house, i would post before and after pics of the clean up. but it is just so mundane. laundry, laundry, laundry, kitchen, christmas trip stuff, and now items from the storage shed. suffice it to say, i am working on cleaning up the house and getting some stuff out of here or at least in storage.

i'll be back soon . . .

too big

the couple that works the sushi counter at my local grocery store love to see willow. she is just too cute. they love to make her smile. today the lady working the deli counter came out to coo at her, too.

"oh, she's so cute. they are both so cute. i have a grandbaby who is 7 mos old. she reminds me so much of my grandbaby."

then the phrase no woman wants to hear--unless of course it is actually true. "oh, are you having another one?"

"um, no."

"oh, well what do you have under your jacket."

"just my boobs."

she was standing behind me looking over my shoulder at the kids, so i'm guessing she mistook my clown boobs for a baby belly. nevermind that the one sitting in the cart chewing on everything in site is only 6 mos old (a fact the lady actually asked about).

this in combination with what my doctor said at my appt on tuesday, "you aren't that big, but your boobs are really big." in a way that makes me feel better.

but in another way, i have to wonder, just how big do your breasts have to get before you are not only mistaken for a pregnant woman (with the boobs playing the part of a baby belly) but that your own doctor, who is supposed to tell you to lose weight, says the bulk of your body is your breasts. however big you have to be to hear those things, that's how big mine are.

clown boobs.
pornographically big.

random shots

nate and willow hanging out on the couch.


the alleged teeth. (sorry for the fuzzy picture.) she's downright vicious with them at this point.


oh, hi.


yes, as with most babies, she can fold herself nearly in half still. she can actually get her toes in her mouth, though she isn't in this pic. she does this mostly when she's au naturale since pesky diapers and clothes hinder this ability.


just cute.

6 months

willow is 6 months old now. at her well baby visit (the day after this picture), she weighed 19 lbs. so she's slowed down some, which is good. i'm sure she'll slow down a bit more when she actually starts moving around. so far she hasn't even bothered to roll over yet, but i'm not worried. she'll get there in her own time.