Our weekend was pretty rad-a-riffic. Marco and I chilled at Starbucks, and Tim started painting the library! We visited with his Grandpa Keith and Great-Grandpa Jack on Saturday, and then had dinner with the Dempseys and Almonds.

Marco and I like to chill with a non-fat Chai latte.

Me and Erin

Me, Jacqi and Caleb (half asleep!)

I slept in on Sunday, helped Tim paint the library ceiling, and watched the rest of Season 1 of ‘Dexter’ (AMAZING SHOW!!).

This is all I can show you of the library right now…once the shelves are in I’ll post more.

In other news, we’re now 90% sure of the formula situation with Marco. I’ve basically stopped pumping and we’ll finish up some of the breast milk we’ve got left (yes, we froze it – is there anything weirder than breast milk in your freezer? I think not). He’s responding SO well to the soy formula that it makes so much more sense to continue. We’ve had him on a schedule of evening/night feedings of soy, and morning/afternoon breast milk – but I think he seems much more relaxed after the formula. Go figure.

Last night, Adrienne came up to Napa. We’d both read Eat Pray Love , so we decided to see the movie. I made sandwiches for dinner (grilled chicken breast on a toasted baguette with basil pesto, mozzarella, tomato and red onion), and we had just enough time to enjoy them before heading out. The movie was good, but not great. So much happened in the book, and it was impossible to fit all of it into a 2 hour flick. Unfortunately, the filmmakers sacrificed some pertinent parts of the story. They left out details about Elizabeth Gilbert’s struggle with her marriage, and her desire to understand God was merely glossed over. But it was enjoyable, and Richard Jenkins was a perfect ‘Richard from Texas’!

 

 Getting to Know You

1. What kind of athlete has the hottest body? I’ve always liked a good soccer body!

2. Are you a planner or a procrastinator? Kind of a mix of both! I like to plan about 75% of my life, but sometimes…I like to just throw things to the wind!  

3. Diet or regular (soda)? I don’t drink soda. Bad for your teeth and your body.

4. What’s your one “must have” for Fall? Boots and coats!

5. What’s your favorite fast food restaurant? I don’t eat fast food, either. Haven’t had any in years – though, I used to love Jack in the Box. Spicy chicken sandwiches (no mayo) and curly fries.

6. What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy? IT Manager, husband and father. OMG TIM!

7. Did you wear braces? No, and I think I could’ve used them. Oh, well.

8. Would you rather have a guy that’s super sexy or kind? I think kindness is a sexy quality, but unfortunately, there are sexy people that are not very kind.

My birthday is only 1 month away (I’m turning 26)!

I love making wishlists, so here’s my birthday list:

One of the best British comedies! I was already a Hugh Laurie devotee, but I fell in love with Stephen Fry because of this awesome series, which is based on the hilarious ‘Jeeves’ stories by P.G. Wodehouse.

I love the black Converse slip ons that I purchased a few months back; but these are a bit girlier.

Found this on Etsy several months ago. A beautiful handmade journal with a bit of one of my favorite Sonnets!

Awesome color, and a classic sneaker.

We have a winner!! Balenciaga Paris has received the seal of approval from Tim. I love this scent. Wearing it made me feel elegant and bohemian at the same time; very European. All I had was a teeny sample to apply to my wrists and neck, though. I need a bottle!

I have the 3G, and it’s served me well over the past two years. My contract is officially up, and for now I will not renew unless I get the iPhone 4 (I’m just riding it out on monthly terms). I want FaceTime! There are, of course, rumours that AT&T is losing its exclusivity contract, and Verizon may have a CDMA iPhone – if that happens, I may wish to switch to Verizon. BUT, it wouldn’t happen until January 2011, and I don’t know what Verizon’s monthly price would be for service.

More vinyl records! I have a very small collection, and would love to expand it. I just pre-ordered Jimmy Eat World’s new album, ‘Invented’ on vinyl, and am very excited for it’s arrival; unfortunately, it won’t ship out until September 28th.

Today’s episode of Fill In the Blank Friday is brought to you by…BIRTHDAYS!!

1. Birthdays are: amazing!! I love celebrating my friends’ birthdays, and I REALLY love my birthday! Cards, cake and champagne – mmmm <3

2. My favorite birthday memory was my favorite birthday (so far) was probably last year: turned 25, we’d moved into our house, spent 3 days celebrating with loved ones, and my friends were getting married in a week.

3. A birthday tradition: hair accessories! I always have to have some fantastical type of hat, clip, or headband. Also, every year I take pictures with my girls:

2006

2007

2008

2009

4. If I had to choose one birthday meal to eat for the rest of my birthdays hence forward, I would choose a meal at The Library, an awesome restaurant in Rome. Probably the most romantic restaurant I’ve ever been to!

5. My birthday is on September 14! I can’t wait!

6. If I could take a birthday trip I would go to Belgium!! I am DYING to visit!

7. The best gift I’ve ever received for my birthday was Marco. Thanks, Tim. (Hey, it was my birthday!)

This morning Marco woke up with a minor cold. Sniffling, sneezing, a little drool. Poor baby. I called the advice nurse at Harvest Pediatrics, and she said to give him some saline drops for his nose. He is eating fine and doesn’t have a fever, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Marco is a little fussy, but it’s manageable.

Then, I went into the living room to let Chloe (my dog) out for her morning constitutional, and when she got up from her bed, I noticed she was wobbly on her legs. I stood on the far side of the room and called her to me. She ran into the bookcase, and was basically walking like someone had slipped some Johnny Walker into her water bowl. I looked at her eyes, and they wouldn’t focus on me. She kept leaning her head to one side. I was really freaked out, and woke Tim up. We tested her again, and she kept doing it. I called her vet and they had us bring her in.

Chloe has bad ears; she gets ear infections and I have to monitor them regularly, so I thought it might just be a worse ear infection. Her previous troubles were all outer-ear canal issues, but this could be an inner-ear canal problem. The vet took blood work, flushed her ears and gave her a shot of an antibiotic. Tomorrow she’s calling me with the lab results. She explained that the ear infection could have spread, but there was a strong possibility that she has idiopathic vestibular disease. It’s not fatal or anything, but it happens to older dogs and affects their equilibrium, thus, the drunken walking and inability to focus. It is temporary, but there isn’t much that can be done for it either. If this is the problem, then it will probably last a few months, and all we can do is just keep her comfortable and safe. Luckily, we don’t have any stairs or a swimming pool (falling could be extremely dangerous).  The worse case scenario is that Chloe might have some sort of brain trouble, and it is possible that there is some bleeding. She hasn’t had any seizures, and her behavior is otherwise normal. Our vet doesn’t think this is the problem, but the only way we can find out for sure is by taking Chloe to a veterinary neurologist, and getting her brain scanned.

It breaks my heart to see Chloe so confused! She’s still got her sunshiny demeanor, but when she tries to walk to me, she runs into things, and keeps her head tilted. Chloe and Stabler, though animals, are like my kids – I love them to pieces and the thought of anything happening to them makes my chest hurt. Of course, Stabler is very worried too. He looooves his big sister, and cuddles her when she doesn’t feel well.

My poor babies! Everyone think good thoughts for Chloe!

Skirts are a great way to dress up without looking out of place (though, personally, I’d rather over-dress than under-dress for an occasion!). Throw a casual tee and a bold necklace with any of these skirts for a great  look.

Timmy ordered the bookcases and shelving for my library!! It’s all due to arrive on Monday, so this Saturday I think we are going to paint. My library is going to be the girliest space in the house; pink, white and black. The bookcases are white, and I think the ceiling is going to be a charcoal color. The 1 1/2 walls that don’t have shelves will be a Behr shade called ‘Fuschia Kiss’.  I have to pick out a chandelier and a lounge chair. Eventually, I’ll add a unit for my record player and records, and a small desk.

Now, to decide on the system I’m going to use to organize my lovelies. Can’t make up my mind between the Dewey or my usual( alphabetical by author’s last name). Probably have Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s sections. Marco received so many books as gifts, and I’ve saved all my childhood favorites; he’ll have a whole section to choose from!

I bought some bookplates too. The Mac will be hooked up to our home server, and I’ll have my LibraryThing account pulled up so I can keep track. OMG who wants a Dickson library card?! Might make some for fun. YES, I AM GEEKY. But seriously, I rarely lend books out to people unless I know I’ll get them back; I’ve lost too many books to random people. I STILL don’t know what happened to my copy of The World According to Garp by John Irving. SOMEONE borrowed it. Just can’t remember who. Library cards might help… hee hee

I am so excited! I’ve been waiting my whole life for a library. Tim is amazing, he always manages to make my dreams come true.<3

I put together four different outfits that I would love to be wearing right now:

Continuing on with my color themes…

We had quite an eventful weekend!  Went to Dad’s house on Saturday, to visit and swim. I decided to brave the water and took a dip with my boy. It was so much fun! Marco is a natural in the water. 

Saturday pictures:

More matching outfits for Marco and Tim :) Too cute!

Marco playing on his favorite blankie – A gift from the Dempseys!

My silly boy looks like he’s throwing gang signs

Sunday has a soundtrack – ‘Forever’ by Chris Brown. I have Belle to thank for this, LOL! Apparently it is her favorite song, and while we visited them Sunday, she had insisted it be played on repeat. I think I heard it 10 times in a row. I don’t like the song, and now it’s completely stuck in my head! 

We’d headed to the Gomers for the first of our ’Mad Men Sundays’. We had 2 new episodes of ’Mad Men’to watch!  Before the viewing, however, Adrienne and I wanted to catch a yoga class, so the guys stayed with the little ones while we attended a Hatha Yoga class at 7th Heaven Yoga Center. The class was run by an instructor named Katie, and I really enjoyed it! I was definitely not as flexible as I used to be when I took yoga, so it was quite a humbling experience. Having a baby did not help my center of balance, so some of the poses were a little difficult. I left feeling good, though; today I’m sore but in a good way. They had a special for new students, so I signed up for 3 more classes.

Justin made dinner for us, and we relaxed with some wine and Don Draper. This season of ‘Mad Men’ is going along very nicely. I’m looking forward to the next episodes!

Pics from Sunday:

Marco likes to cuddle with Justin

Belle and her mommy

Three takes and she still wouldn’t smile until AFTER the shutter closed!