July 2006

I didn’t chicken out. I know! Yay, me! I actually got up this morning, showered, got ready and then I let Kile dump me off at the Hyatt. Woo hoo! Of course, then I nearly went and hid in the bushes. Especially when I couldn’t find my name badge. Yeah, that was fun. But it was under “Lilac Pixels” of all things. Anyhow, I have some pics and some conference gossip to share.

This here is a rest area up at Donner Pass. Isn’t it gorgeous? For being a place where people run to the bathroom and then hop back in their vehicles, I thought it was pretty nice. I walked down to this pond/lake with Harry while Kile finished up feeding Liam. We saw pollywogs and giant dragonflies and it was very cool. We could have happily spent the rest of the day there. And not JUST because I was starting to feel ill about the whole conference thing.

After we stopped for lunch, we decided to shake things up and had Harry sit in the “way back” while I sat in the second row and pumped and kept an eye on the wee one. Kile kept going on and on about how scortched everything looked. But I tried to tell him that California turns yellow/brown every summer regardless of monstrous heat waves. He was very nervous about the heat but it turned out to be a non-issue as the temperature dropped the closer we got to San Jose. Woo!

So somehow I made it to the conference this morning. And I started to panic pretty hard after I got here. And someone took a picture of my sandals. I wasn’t recognizing anyone and I felt so out of place and pretty sure that I was in FAR over my head. But then I spotted Zoot and got to know Brit (who is totally awesome and let me pump in her hotel room) and started to feel MUCH MUCH better. So that pic is of the three BlogHer founder/gurus welcoming us to the conference. We, rebels that we are, are sitting at the WAY back of the room. Woo!

I went ahead and attended the “Blog in a Box” session first, since Zoot was presenting and I wanted to be all supportive and such. She did FANTASTIC and was by far the best of the three presenters. I’m so not even being biased here. She was funny, interesting and was really giving out information that people could use and find helpful. She’s a total rockstar, and has been interviewed already just for being awesome. I got to help out a little in the session, being a bit of a WordPress guru which was cool. Oh, and getting to meet Zoot in person? So cool. She’s such a nice person, and has the most delightful accent. She was very nervous for her presentation but you totally couldn’t tell it because she’s cool as a cucumber.

Also, around this time, I decided I was thirsty and there was this vendor set up out in the lobby shilling their super-duper mineral water so heck, why not?? Well I’ll tell you why not: It SUCKS. It has since occurred to me that maybe my dissing of the water is a little extreme since it’s entirely possible that it was NERVES that were making me want to hurl, but its far more fun to blame the nasty water. From FRANCE no less. It’s awful. Just awful. Don’t drink it, I swear to you, you’ll regret it.

And that brings us to lunch. Where we ate outdoors because, dang we’d been inside ALL day long. And Zoot had LilZ and NikkiZ with her (which, both are ADORABLE and even cuter than their pictures) so that was fun and totally cool. I had a baked potato and some fried chicken and dropped my fork TWICE. Hello?? Total dork here. At least it made LilZ giggle. That’s something. I also got to meet Nancy from Mom/Ma’am/Me and she’s totally cool and I was happily that I finally found her.? Even though it was more like she found me. Anyhow. Oh, and Brit kindly let me pump in her hotel room. We actually had sorta a pumping party, which was very fun.

So now we’re cooking on into the afternoon and I’m hot and still too excited so we’ll see how it goes. They only gave us TWO drink tickets for both days. I’m going to need a LOT more alcohol than that.

I’ve made it to San Jose.? Yes, I spent from 8:30am to 3:00pm in a minivan with a 3 week old baby and I’ve lived to tell the tale.? And we actually were able to make it from Reno to San Jose while we were at it.? It all actually went rather well.? It was difficult actually leaving town, since we needed to drive clear across town to drop the dog at the boarding place, get gas, and purchase questionable breakfast from McDonalds so it was nearly 10am before we got out of town.? And, naturally, it was barely a half hour before Liam was ready for a break.

Despite the rocky start, we did pretty well from there on out, even managing a leisurely stop in Dixon, California to eat lunch at Denny’s.? Wee!!? The weather is so much nicer down here than it was, thank goodness, because my parents don’t have air conditioning.? But I have been in the pool already and that was a little slice of heaven.? Well, except for the part where Harry nearly drowned.? But the important thing is he didn’t drown and all is well.? And it still felt fantastic in there.? Course, now I have “pool hair”.

I’m still freaked out about tomorrow.? And Saturday, while we’re at it.? With Kile’s help, I found some things to wear to this thing.? I feel a lot better about one outfit than I do about the other, but at least I won’t have to beg out due to nakedness.? I still am pretty sure that no one will want to talk to me (especially since I left my toothbrush at home *sigh*) or even worse, be seen with me.? So as long as I’m okay with being pretty much by myself all day, things will go well, I’m sure.

But I am awful excited just knowing the Amalah is in town, as is Dooce and who knows who else. :)? I’m in the vicinity of greatness and that’s just plain cool.? So while I may be the awkward wallflower chewing on her own hair, I can at least claim that I’m part of something tremendously cool and awesome.? I’m sure you’ll be hearing all about everything soon, maybe even tomorrow.

Wee!? (OMG I’m so scared)

I don’t know if you’re aware, but BlogHer is a mere two days away. And we’re leaving for San Jose tomorrow morning. The earlier, the better. Because HOT and because BABY. I just wanna get the drive over with as soon as I can. I’m excited, scared, nervous, and in denial all at once. The denial part bcause I haven’t packed a single thing yet. I did some laundry this morning, does that count? So, in the hopes of organizing myself a little better, I’m gonna make a to do list. Now, whether I get all this stuff done remains to be seen. But it’s a step in the right direction

1. Finish laundry, making sure to have something decent looking to wear to the conference. DO NOT forget extra outfits for the baby because lord knows we’ll need them.
2. Pack Harry’s clothes, making sure to remember pajamas which I often forget. Also: extra underwear. REMEMBER his toothbrush. SWIMSUIT a must. If I forget that I may as well turn around and go back home.
3. Pack baby’s clothes. Does baby get own suitcase? Or a portion of my suitcase? Would there even be ROOM in my own suitcase? Judging from all the crud we need to take, I’m thinking I need to make room. Because one less bag is going to be worth it. Remember to pack every diaper we have because we will need them. Wipes are also a good idea.
4. Oooh, don’t forget the breastpump. And the pack n’ play. And all those bottles. And the milk we have stored in the fridge. Boppy too. Plenty of blankets and burp rags. Did I mention the breastpump?
5. Pack electronic goodies. Maybe carry laptop in diaper bag? Don’t forget power cord and network cable. Also: camera and extra batteries. Am I forgetting something here? The laptop is of utmost importance, I can’t stress this enough. LAPTOP, LAPTOP, LAPTOP.
6. Oh, don’t forget to pack those business cards I had made up at Vista Print too. They’ve got my URL and email on them, very handy!
7. Make sure Kile packs his stuff too. Though he’ll probably wait until tomorrow morning.
8. Toiletries! Don’t forget shampoo, conditioner, straightening iron, hair goop, makeup case, pills, etc and so forth. Basically: everything in the bathroom must go. Especially hairbrush, cuz I’ve forgotten that one before.
9. I should probably pack my bathing suit too, just in case. But I refuse to actually wear it in front of anyone. Remember: I had a baby three weeks ago.
10. Also to do today: 2 week post-op appointment with OB. Get “all clear” to drive again. Also, show off cute baby. Make a stop by Walmart too, to pick up pictures and maybe browse for outfit for BlogHer? Should buy some diapers and wipes too.

And, in closing, I have a series of cute baby pictures. He was kickin’ it on my lap last night, alert as all get out so of course I had to do the parent thing and snap a bazillion pictures.

Is it time for a nap?	Nope, it’s AWAKE TIME!
What on earth is she doing?	I don’t entirely agree with this.
However, I can’t really escape.	I may as well embrace it.
Hey, the Daily Show is on!	Are you done yet?

Yes, I know… It’s been a while again. But I would say I have the excuse to end all excuses, don’t I? At any rate, I’ve made many observations over the last couple of weeks and I’ve been stockpiling them to share with ya’ll. The material to post? I’ve got. The time and energy to post it? Not so much. We’re getting there.

1. I have freakish boobs right now. That may be more than you wanted to know, but I’m laying it out there anyhow. I think this could be why Liam is increasingly LESS interested in actually nursing. Because my boobs scare him, quite frankly. I’m sure that’s what it is. They scare ME and I don’t weigh less than a sack of flour. Unlike some people around here. And yes, I know that boobs get bigger when milk comes in and all. I’m not a TOTAL newbie here (though I’m amazed at how much you can actually forget in nearly seven years). But I don’t think my boobs were near this freakish last time. I think I would have remembered this.
2. Because of item #1, I got STUCK in an Avent Isis last week. Yes, you read that right. STUCK. You know that silicone “petal” insert in the pump? Yeah, I got STUCK behind that. Because when I say they are freakish, I mean they are FREAK. ISH. I literally had to take apart the pump to “free” myself. So now, when I need to use the Isis (I keep it in my diaper bag just in case I’m out and about during Pump Time), I just take out the silicone insert altogether.
3. Because of item #1 (again), I’ve found that I need the larger breastshields for my Medela pump. They come with the standard 24mm. Since I was HURTIN’, I got the 27mm shield at Babies R Us and it’s MUCH better. They make a 30mm, and I’m wondering if that might be even nicer. Unfortunately, our BRU doesn’t sell that size, otherwise I’d totally be trying it out RIGHT NOW. FREAK. ISH.
4. Coffee is the nectar of the gods. I’m pretty sure I would be dead right now if it weren’t for coffee.
5. I have no reason to complain, really. We have perhaps the easiest baby (so far). While he is eating a LOT and rather often, he’s easy to deal with at night. All he wants is some milk and then to go back to sleep. So far, no real awake/alert stretches in the middle of the night, which helps. So us bitching about being tired when we’ve only had to be up a couple times a night is really rather pathetic. I expect the next time we leave the house, other parents will throw rocks at us.
6. Speaking of the sleep thing, he’s totally got us manipulated. Yeah, he’s in bed with us. Yes, I know we got a co-sleeper. And it was a good idea. But we’d put him in there and he’d grunt and moan until I moved him a foot over to the left, right next to me. Then he’d sleep like… well, like a baby. We got those back/side positioners and he sleeps with that so he’s not moving around a lot, and I don’t move around a lot, so it’s working. He likes to be under the blanket with me though (in our fantasticaly air conditioned bedroom) so I just make sure the blanket isn’t covering any part of his face and we’re golden. Still, I feel so used. This kid isn’t even three weeks old yet and he’s totally got me played.
7. Please tell me we aren’t completely batshit for even thinking about putting this baby in a carseat for 4+ hours on a trip over the mountains? Because I’m really starting to wonder. Frankly, I’m a little scared.
8. Also, am thinking about bringing the baby with me for portions of BlogHer. He’s a quiet one and easy to take along. But I just don’t know. Still thinking on this one. Anyone have any recommendations on this? I’m totally at a loss.
9. The Bay Area is currently having probably the biggest, meanest, hottest heat wave in all of history right now. I’m assured it’ll be gone by the weekend, replaced by decent 80-degree temperatures, but if it’s not? I may have to kill myself. We’re staying at my parents house and they have NO AIR CONDITIONING. I wish I were joking. They do have a pool, however. So maybe I’ll end up sleeping in the pool. So yeah, pray for cooler temperatures for me please. Because if it stays around 110 or so, I think I may melt.
10. I’m not feeling so good about the future of breastfeeding in this house. As I mentioned before, Liam seems downright scared of my boobs anymore. I could keep on pumping, I suppose. It’s not what I had envisioned. I have an appointment with the Lactation Consultant tomorrow and hopefully she’ll have some good recommendations or advice for me. But I do worry that I’ve made it worse by not “pushing” the boob more. And heck, I probably have.
11. Some preemie outfits are most definitely NOT preemie. 0-3 month old, yes. Preemie, no. They’ll be short, but just as wide as regular newborn clothes so Liam STILL swims in them. There’s no winning here. Oh, and we’ve officially gone through FOUR packs of preemie diapers. FOUR people. That’s at least 30 diapers a pack. In less than three weeks. And part of one of those weeks was in the hospital so really we’re talking more like two weeks. This baby? POOPS ALOT.
12. I’m down at least 20 lbs. Might be more, since our scale is pretty jacked. I’ll find out at my postpartum appointment later on this week (I think it’s Wednesday?). 20 lbs isn’t so bad. And I fit into pre-pregnancy clothes pretty nicely so that’s a plus. If only those clothes had any degree of coolness, I might look decent at BlogHer. But I’m way overdue for a wardrobe update. The best thing I’ve heard all week is my son looking at me this morning as I was walking him down to the playground at school and saying, “You’re looking really thin now!” Shucks!
13. Friday night we had a kick-ass lightning storm. Haven’t seen one like it in YEARS and it was awesome. We were out running some errands on our end of town so we got to see a lot of it. Harry thought it was pretty cool until we were about five minutes from home and he started to sob and scream. I told Kile that it just “got real” to him all the sudden. For a while, it was almost like daytime though, the sky was so lit up with constant flashes and strikes. Awesome!

With that? I’ll bid you all adieu. My boobs are starting to tell me it’s time to pump again. Oh yay!