=)
I hope everyone is snuggled with their loved ones enjoying good food and happiness!

I'm not around very much anymore - busy and such. I check in and mostly lurk - still love you all! I have a personal blog if you'd like to keep up with me. I'm going to be locking a lot of the posts, I think, so if you'd like the password in advance or whenever, PM me.
The URL: http://theridiculousandmundane.wordpress.com/

Happy Holidays!

She just kind of got up and started doing it. She's pretty good at it. She rarely crawls at all now! Heres a video for your viewing enjoyment!

I just need to know where to start. Could anyone share your weaning story with me so I can get some ideas? The cold turkey method just doesn't sparkle with me. I want this to be as painless (for everyone) as possible.
SO is putting her to bed now after Sophie has boob and she's taken to that well. I'm not afraid of the pacifier because I can take them away for weeks and she doesn't care. So dependence isn't a problem. She doesn't even use them during the day at all.

I want to make one. Despite my lack of sewing machine (common' Santa!). I know how to quilt in a very, very basic way. Any cool pictures or ideas or ADVICE I can get from some crafty mamas would be great.
I think i'll be gathering about 75 articles of clothing. I just need to come up with a pattern and a way to cut the squares so they don't look super crappy and irregular.

My apartment, that is. I have a theory that I THINK can be supported by scientific fact. If you let one corner, desk, surface of your house go to seed, then it'll start eating the rest of the house. Maybe it's just a mental thing and the space for messiness just gets wider in your mind. I don't know, but it was starting to happen here. It happened to my mom and it is BAD. Theres enough clutter and mess to eat three houses in there. I'm way more uncomfortable with it then I used to be.

Last night we got together with another little family right next door for a playdate. They have a 10 month old little girl, M. This is going to be a really funny post if I say S&M everytime I refer to the babies. In any case, they had a fabulous time crawling and cruising and playing with a wide assortment of toys. They even interacted with each other. Giving each other little hugs and just sitting really close and laughing with (or at) each other. When one would cry there would be so much concern from the other baby.

S turned one a week or so ago. We're still co sleeping and i'm night nursing for lack of ability to wean her. She usually stirs a few times in the night, and if SO and I are still awake he goes in to soothe her. If we've gone to bed, she lunges at my boobs, sucks for a while and falls asleep all cuddled up next to me. That is, until she moves around a little in her sleep and ends up spread eagle in the middle of the bed for some reason. But I digress. this morning at 3 or 4 she woke up SCREAMING her little lungs out.

So many voices! There are new ones all the time and I love it. It keeps it fresh with new perspectives and topics. But how many post here regularly? How many people have other parenting communities they post on? This was just a thought that wafted through my mind today. I think of a "regular" as someone who's either been here for a long time or who's starting to post with some frequency. I've been here a little over a year and I'm a complete HM addict. What about you?

Just went downtown via bus to pick up some food to last us until our car bitch gets back from being with his family for Thanksgiving. We're all out of food stamps, but at least it's the end of the month.

Last year Sophie was a few days old and so I was dead on my feet and everything was so hectic!

Every time I try to reconnect with my dad, he does something that disappoints and hurts me. My baby half brother was born yesterday morning (the day after S's first birthday) and I haven't received a call about it from him. The only reason why I even know is because he ditched a divorce court (Gee, I wonder why it's not working out with them...) date with my mom because the baby had been born an hour before the hearing and SHE of all people told me. I was expecting to get a call about it from him or at least my sister.

I can't believe it. My little girl is a whole year old as of 10:31 this morning. It's mind blowing. Looking at pictures of her, I can't believe it. We spent today spending time together. A few friends came by and we reminisced about how wonderful, exciting and beautiful this year has been. How great it is to have a family. I've prepared a humble montage to share.

I was thinking about it as I shelved a book I had blown $20 bucks on when S was born. "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". I think it's bullshit. S just doesn't respond to his methods like I had hoped. AUGH! I hate that. Then, I waste all my time online trying to figure out new ways to get her to sleep better.

www.freerice.com
For each vocab word you get correct, 10 grains of rice will be donated through the UN to help end world hunger.
It's legit, i've checked up on it.
It's actually kind of fun. Then again, I'm a nerd supreme.

I hope that one day Sophie meets a Hipmama son and falls and love and marries him. Or a Hipmama daughter, whatever her orientation may be. I'll know that her partner had a strong mama and a good upbringing.

S is going to be one in a few days (happy dance) but, BUT, I don't think I can handle the all night boob fest co-sleeping thing anymore. She sleeps on more then half of our queen size bed. She wakes up so easily and the biting on the nipple in her sleep is getting ridiculous now that she has 6 brand new sharp teeth. All I want in the world right now is for her to go sleep in the crib we bought her months and months ago set up next to the bed.

But isn't it just so fun?!

That made me giggle.
Got to have the house clean by tomorrow night, so I am off!!! SUPER MAMA AWAAAAAAAYYY!

Here's the recipe for deviled eggs I've invented over several batches. I call them Smoky Curry Eggs. I'd love it if someone would try it and tell me how they turn out!

-8 large eggs
-about 1/4 cup mayo - give or take to your taste
-1 tbl. mustard - any will do
-5-10 dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce
-1 tbl. Worcestershire's Sauce
-1 1/2 tbl. yellow curry powder
-1 dash cumin
-a pinch of salt
-a pinch of pepper
-1/2 dill pickle spear - finely minced
-1 thin slice of onion finely minced and mixed with pickle

Now that i've had time to take myself out of it and not be so hypersensitive, i appreciate the thoughtful comments left on my last blog. This is a very sticky situation and I hope to handle it with grace, even if the rest of my family doesn't. I want this to be memorable for me, mostly. Sophie won't know what the hell is going on. I want to share the anniversary of her birth with all my loved ones. In coming years, I can change the rules and make it one party if I want because it'll be more about what Sophie will remember.

So Soph's first birthday is coming up (the 19th) and theres a problem. Almost everyone from both of our families hates and/or will not be in the same room someone else. Lets see here, mostly just to get it clear in my own head.

-Me: FIL is dead to me, otherwise everyone is fine
-SO: FIL is dead to him also (he's not invited to any parties), dislikes being in the same room as my mom.
-My mom: Will not be in the same room as my dad, his girlfriend or any of their offspring.

http://www.physorg.com/news113124783.html

So in my last grats I said I'd post some hilarious pics of SO and I drunk. Also, I have plentiful Halloween pictures and some shots we took of the fog rolling in over the wharf. We started trick or treating downtown and made the short walk to the wharf for more trick or treating before making another short walk to our friends' house to warm up, visit and bum a ride home. It was delightful. Sophie didn't smile once the entire time until I caved and gave her a little piece of the snickers I was eating.

1. Victoria Secret underwear. I got 5 for $25 online and they finally came in today. Having nice underwear always makes me feel happy and sexy. Put on a little fashion show for SO, had sex. =)
2. Got Medi-Cal figured out. Set up designated primary care, made appointments etc... It's something I hadn't been looking forward to.

http://www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com

It has a recipe for homemade baby wipes i'm going to try among other cool recipes to make at home for baby and mama.
Also info on essential oils. That's been brought up here a few times lately, i've noticed.
Check it out!