Project 52 - Week 29

Love her First Christmas jammies. They have a reindeer butt! :)

 

 

Will someone please tell Bimmer to stop growing up on me?!?!

 

It was a hard week for Mommy this past week, with losing my grandmother. She was the person Bimmer was named after. It's so surreal that she's not here anymore and that I will never be able to call her up to fill her in on Bimmer's latest accomplishment. But I know she's looking down and smiling and cheering her on as she grows and thrives.

 

Speaking of growing... this week, Bimmer decided she's big enough to hold her own bottle. She's always had her hands on it, but this week, she actually had a few instances where she would get mad if the nanny would try to help her! She pushed the nanny's hand away and then held the bottle on her own until she fell asleep. And on more than one occasion, she has also taken two (yes, TWO) full jars of baby food in one sitting. She likes her veggies AND her fruits as a whole meal, apparently. She now enjoys squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, bananas, pears, and rice cereal. Since she hated green beans so much, I'm scared to even bother wasting the $1 to buy her some peas. I've been throwing around the idea of making my own baby food starting in the new year. We shall see. (That may go the way of the cloth diapers!) But we did have some success with organic spinach, cranberries, and Greek yogurt. So at least some green veggies finally made their way into her tummy!

 

We also had big news in our child care this week. Starting in the new year, Bimmer will be going to daycare full time. I am soooo scared! I hate to start her and then the next week, Mommy be gone on business for 4 days, but we didn't have any other choice. We have been on a wait list since last February and if we didn't take the spot, there were a ton of other babies behind us waiting to jump right in! Breaking the news to the nanny was so hard. I felt so horrible. We knew it was coming, but the timing with the holidays sucks so bad. I definitely think that Bimmer has been ahead of the game on so many things since she has had that one-on-one attention for so long. I just have to remember I was excited when I visited the nursery and will be excited again. Just another time of adjustment... for Bimmer and for Mommy!

Rock of Love

As I mentioned HERE last year, it's good to have connections.

 

While I was back in The Fort for Thanksgiving, it was a mere coincidence that there was a concert in town I wanted to attend. (Although the MIL insists it was the actual reason we went home. ::insert exaggerated eye roll::)

 

Who was it?

 

 

Bret Michaels. Yup... from Poison.

 

And from "Rock of Love."

 

 

 

Imagine my giddy excitement when I found out Miss and I were going to be able to get a pass for a meet & greet! We used to drive around in high school blasting Poison songs.

 

"C.C., pick up that guitar and talk to me!"

 

We had seen Poison together a handful of times over the years, even driving over an hour to see them. One concert, we were beside two guys in their thirties (we were probably 19) and when we were singing along with (my fave) "Fallen Angel," they pointed to us and screamed, "YOU KNOW ALL THE WORDS?!?!?"

 

Just a random memory for the books, people.

 

So... after the opening act was on, the promoter came and got us and a handful of other people (some sluttier than others) and we headed out back to the tour bus. Yup... we got to go on Bret Michaels' tour bus. It was like our own little "Rock of Love Bus" experience!

 

 

 

It was a super quick interaction... only 4 people allowed on the bus at once, big hug from Bret himself (who is a tiny, skinny man) and a quick photo taken by a professional photog. I did manage to get a signed poster, which is ginormous and ridiculous, but funny enough I hung it in my office at work.

 

Our seats were awesome too... first row above the pit, which kept us only about 15-20 feet from the stage and elevated over the skanks below. It was such a fun show. I don't get to as many concerts these days as I would like, so it was awesome to get to share that with my best friend.

 

It was also pretty awesome that Bret Michaels called her "baby." I'm pretty sure that made her day!

Remember You Always

My grandma passed away last Friday.

I think I'm still in such a state of shock that I haven't really begun to grieve properly.

My dad called me at work about 8:30am to tell me the news. I knew when he called that early, it wasn't for anything good. I sat in a corner of the lobby at my job and listened intently as he told me what happened. I only shed a few tears. I didn't want everyone in my personal business.

Apparently, the rehab place where she was called my dad about 4am saying she was having trouble breathing. They took an x-ray and saw that she had some pneumonia. At 7am, my dad got another call that they had called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. By the time he got there a half hour later, she had already passed. Her COPD had caught up with her and caused heart failure. We were told it was peaceful.

The one thing that brings me to tears every time I mention it, is the fact that we got to take Bimmer to visit with her at Thanksgiving. Even though it caused some drama with the MIL (who can suck my big toe) and those 8 hours in the car were hard on us all, it was the best decision I've made in a long, long time. Bimmer got to spend a lot of quality time with her great-grandmother. It was amazing. I will always remember that Thanksgiving day. It was definitely a day to be thankful for.

 

I had a relationship with my grandmother that most people would bawk at. She knew all my dirty secrets. She even once put lotion on a "rug burn" on my back after a sexcapade in college. I would call her at least twice a month to just shoot the shit, update her on life and gossip, and get her advice on everything. She never judged. She only loved. She laughed with me. She cried with me. She encouraged me. She gave me her unwavering support. I'm not sure I could ever do anything wrong in her eyes.

 

Bimmer is named after her. I made that decision when I was 12 years old. When I was pregnant, Grandma kept hoping for a girl (even though the rest of us wanted a boy) so that I could use that name. When she first met Bimmer, she said they had a "heaven connection" and that Bimmer brought word from heaven from MY great-grandmother to Grandma that everything was OK and that she would see her soon. Bimmer always talked to Grandma on the phone... always. She would always get phone-shy with everyone else, but not Grandma. She was always chatting it up... airing her grievances and telling her all about her awesome life.

 

 

It will be crazy hard to go home for the funeral this weekend. I am not a crier. I am not a hugger. I try my best to be stoic and strong. It's going to be really difficult, but I know I don't have to be that way. Going through her house to get my stuff and anything from her that I want is going to be doubly hard. To know I may never go back there again, after spending so many afternoons after school hanging out on her couch, or nights as a child running around in the yard chasing fireflies.

 

I know she's in a better place. I am blessed and so thankful for all the time I had with her. She was 82 years old and lived a great life. She touched a lot of people, even though she didn't like people. (Sound familiar?) We were the same in a lot of ways. And I am going to make sure those things live on through Bimmer.

Project 52 - Week 28

It's getting harder and harder to take photos each week of this little mover & shaker!!!

 

 

After last week's sickness, I thought I'd update on some better moments with Bimmer.

 

One night, when she was up in the middle of the night, she just laid beside me in bed and kept reaching for my nose. She would then rub my face and run her fingers through my hair. It was so sweet. She also has been very keen on rubbing her hand along my arm when I give her a bottle. And she's even started sometimes laying her head on my shoulder when I hold her.

 

She has also become a reacher... with her whole body... when we are holding her and she sees something (or someone) she wants. That squirmy little butt is hard to hold on to sometimes!

 

Bimmer loves pillows. It's been that way for awhile, but lately it's gotten insane. She will make it her mission to get to them on the bed. If she's laying on her back, she just scoots herself up to them and then puts one over her face. She kicks her legs and when you pull it off, she just giggles. Silly girl.

 

I've also noticed her staring at her hands a lot. And holding things up above her head to inspect them. I guess she's just narrowing her focus and paying attention to the fine details. Ah, my growing baby. 

Miss Daisy Needs a Driver

Puff and I go back and forth all the time on this one particular issue. We both have our sides on the group we choose to prefer to support, hang out with, etc. The debate? The elderly versus children. Puff grew up hanging out with the old ladies at church, while I worked in child care for years. The truth of the matter behind my insane preference for children?

 

Old people creep me out.

 

Yup... I flat out don't like them. (Unless they're my grandmothers.)

 

And now I have another reason why I don't like them...

 

 

::sigh:: Because all I wanted two weeks before traveling for Christmas was for my car to be jacked up!

 

Let's recap...

 

Monday afternoon, it was 70+ degrees here in SC, and I had worked all weekend, so I needed a break. I got in my car, headed out to my fave local burger joint, and got a to-go order. I drove to a nice neighborhood not far from the office, found a spot on the street by a park, and ate. The windows were down. The radio was off. The houses around me were gorgeous. It was a refreshing and relaxing life moment.

 

When I left, I realized the street I was on was one block off where I would need to be to get into the parking garage. So I turned down a side street I had never been on before and thankfully, there was an on-ramp (for lack of a better description) onto the busy street I needed. I got to the top of the hill and the mini-van in front of me stopped. Why? Because the light was red and the traffic was backed up to us. So I stopped behind them. On the one-car-wide street.

 

I never even saw her coming.

 

Little old Geraldine in her 1990s silver Buick somehow thought she could squeeze past me into traffic. Ya know, like I was just sitting there for no reason. I pulled off to the side, put on my hazards, and got out to check the damage. I waited patiently as she backed up to pull over as well, backing over the curb she had to run over in the first place. Yup... she had run up on the curb on one side while scratching up my car on the other. ::bangs head on steering wheel::

 

Her side mirror was dangling by a thread and I didn't inspect her car any farther. Nope, I was too worried about my broken tail-light and the nice scratches she had left that were about 2 feet long. And not just surface scratches either.

 

 

 

I did my best to be calm and nice. She stated she hadn't had an accident in over 25 years. I got all her insurance information and gave her my contact information and went on ahead to work.

 

I know it's just a car. I was assured by her insurance agent (whom I called about 5 minutes after it happened) that they would cover all the damages and a rental car for the days it's in the shop. I'm still waiting on final word from claims on where and when to take it to get fixed, but at least the ball is rolling.

 

But we leave for The Fort for Christmas in a few short weeks. And we need our SUV to haul back all the goodies Bimmer will rack up while we're there. It's just a huge inconvenience and frustration.

 

So yeah... the elderly? I am a firm advocate for taking away licenses once you reach a certain age or, at the very least, having them re-test every year or two. There's a reason children aren't allowed behind the wheel. And to me, a lot of old folks act worse than children. Just not as cute.

New Tunes

It's been awhile since I did an album review.

 

Yup... I just called it an "album." The sad thing is, Bimmer will never even probably see an album. Or a cassette for that matter. And will probably only ever know what a CD is because her mom is so behind the times.

 

I digress. One of my latest (and favorite) CD purchases is the new Matchbox Twenty album, "North."

 

 

 

I have been a fan since the very beginning and even suffered through some of Rob Thomas' solo stuff (and a shitty concert experience in Charlotte, NC) to support him and the band. My step-mom is a die-hard fan and has traveled around the country stalking them. So it sorta runs in the family. My friends are fans too. The last time I saw them was back in 2003 in Indianapolis (of all places) with The Ex. He didn't love it, but I did. And we got to eat at a Hard Rock Cafe where the waiter made fun of us for our musical selection. Oh well. I got Tupelo chicken tenders, so all was right with the world.

 

So... when I heard they had a new album coming out, I was over the moon excited. Dare I say I was overjoyed? Yeah, yeah... cheesy, I know. But anyway, "Overjoyed" is by far my favorite song on the album. I knew right away it would end up being a single, and I did hear it not too long ago on Sirius radio. (Not sure if it's getting regular air play yet on Top 40, but I'm sure it will!) In fact, the entire album (well, maybe not "Like Sugar") is pretty frickin' awesome. It's classic Matchbox Twenty. No need to reinvent the wheel if it's already turning, right?

 

"Put Your Hands Up" is probably my second fave on the disc. Overall, it's just fun, pop-rock with a sexy Rob Thomas twist.

 

Kimhead and I were also crazy pumped that a new album meant a new tour. On a whim around Thanksgiving (after striking out a few weeks earlier when looking for tour dates) I found that they were going to be in Greenville, SC. The band's website didn't have any ticket info, so I went straight to the venue. And for whatever reason, it let me go ahead and buy tickets! I even scared Kimhead calling her in the middle of the day to make sure she was OK with the price tag! We got lower level tickets in a small venue and I am just so ready. Even if I have to wait until March!

Project 52 - Week 27

Note to Self: Bimmer now loves to play with dresses. Especially if they come with strings.

First and foremost, I've got to give Bimmer a rockstar shout-out for her awesome travels for Thanksgiving. She spent 8 hours in the car each way and only cried maybe 20 minutes each time. I hope she sticks with that for all our future travels ahead!

 

Beyond that, she had her 6 month well-baby check-up. She is 18 lbs, 11 oz. and is 27 inches long. That puts her in the 89th percentile for both height and weight. She does have a bit of eczema on her arms and legs, due to winter, but Puff busted out the humidfier for her to help clear that up in a jiffy! The doc also gave us the go-ahead to start Stage 2 foods. We introduced pears this week, which she loved. Time to start looking at some carrots and peas and bananas though first before we go up a stage.

 

When we were in The Fort for Thanksgiving, Bimmer was able to get up on her hands and knees better (since they have carpet) and started rocking back and forth! Forward motion can't be too far away! She also does "baby yoga" and gets up on her toes into a downward facing dog position. It's too cute. It frustrates her that she's not moving forward, but she'll get it eventually. She's my super smart over-achiever! She has also started to go from a seated position into a belly-almost hands & knees position when she wants to reach something.

 

Oh yeah... and after that well-baby visit? My well baby got sick. I came home from work Tuesday night and she had the start of a runny nose. By bedtime, she was coughing and Puff and I had to hold her down to suck the snot out of her nose. She didn't sleep well and was wheezing when she was breathing. Lots of mouth breathing also kept Mommy awake! We got her into the doctor the next day... didn't want to risk anything with all that drainage into her chest! She ended up being diagnosed with a cold (which they do nothing for) and an ear infection. They ran a test and she didn't have the flu... thank goodness! I just hated to see my baby sick.

 

Here's hoping next week's update will be much healthier!