zoo babies

We went on our first trip to the zoo today! I bought a zoo membership, and I'm very glad I did. I've been to some very sad depressing zoos, but the San Antonio one is very nice. I mean, I'm sure the animals aren't thrilled to be there, but as zoos go, this one was clean, and they seemed to do a lot to make them comfortable. They're building one of those "African habitats" where the animals will roam around uncaged.

Maia & Sean liked it. I won't say loved it, cause they're a little young yet, and they couldn't see over some of the walls from their stroller. Next time we'll bring the baby carrier slings and they'll be able to see better. Afterwards, they were super duper tired.

On the way out of the zoo, we saw a mom in the parking lot do something pretty bad, though. She had an older toddler and a younger baby, and she was trying to get them in the car. The older toddler was crabby and yelling-- probably, she didn't want to leave the zoo. So the mom walked over and very deliberately poured a large container of ice-filled water or soda or something on the little girl's head. As we walked past, I could see her crying and trying to get the liquid out of her hair, and her mother was still saying "see, you're gonna get more..." type things.

I was shocked! My friend Jenni says now that I'm going places where there are lots of parents, I'll see more examples of bad parenting like that, but geez. I mean, if you're mad that your kid is exhibiting a temper tantrum, I can think of no better way to teach her to be a bratty misbehaving kid than to be one yourself.

Anyway, altogether it's been a good day. They slept like bricks after we left the zoo. Now they're playing, and I haven't had to watch Shrek more than once today. (It's in my near future, I can tell. I'm going to try Chicken Little for variety. Maybe if I can get them hooked on another movie I won't have every single line memorized. Nah, probably that's just a pipe dream.)

Whatever Happens

We went on a road trip to Louisiana this weekend. Andrew was in an air show there; we saw parts of it, but my tolerance for wandering around on a sunny, hot flight line is limited. We had some great BBQ and mint iced tea and that's the high point.

I don't know if I've mentioned in the blog that I'm doing a digital scrapbook of the babies' first year. I'll most likely continue it past that, but it will be the whole family after this first year, not just babies. But this weekend I read a bunch of scrapbooking sample pages magazines and I have some really good ideas for spreads. My mother's day present to myself is that I'm going to play around for a day or two with JUST scrapbooking. Since my laptop has gone on the fritz, I have to work on my desktop tucked away in the office. This is a good & bad thing, both. It means I can't do an "on the fly" page while babies are sleeping at night in front of the TV. But it does mean I can go in there and be all to myself messin' around. So that'll be fun. Maybe I'll post one of my cooler layouts. When I'm totally done with the whole thing (in June, after their first birthday!) I will create a totally digital version of the whole thing. I will most likely make a link to an online version of it somewhere when that happens. It's pretty cool so far. If you're not a scrapbooker but have always wanted to be, and take mostly digital photos, if you buy this Hallmark program, it makes it really easy to do. And since we have (well, we will when it gets here) a color laser printer, I can print up the pages and they basically look like magazine pages. Then I put then in laminate sheets & bind them and it's very cool.

As far as mother's day presents go, I got a rose yesterday from the people at the Whataburger where we stopped to get a lame, cold burger (usually Whataburger is much better. Too bad!) But the rose is pretty; the babies were intrigued by it on the road trip. I thought about buying myself something while out dawdling, waiting for Andrew to be done with his air show, but I decided against the items I was lusting over. (Some garnet jewelry... maybe it'll be a later purchase).

So I still don't have a Mother's Day gift for me. I do need to get something, since I think it's an important thing to have. Something cool, something distinctive. Not just candy & flowers.

I know my blog has pretty much turned into a boring everyday log of my things where it used to be cool, insightful posts & creative things. Maybe one day it will be that again. :) I appreciate those of you who aren't actually related to me who still hang out here, although I can't imagine why you want to. :)

Now to play with my croupy baby and the other one. :)

Ha Ha

Today I'm putting final touches on the copies of my dissertation that will go, tomorrow, via snail mail, to my committee. I have re-inserted the graphics after last week's crash & loss (was it just a week or is it two? I can't remember). It's now, with edits & most of the bibliography added, a total of 213 pages. Cool. It looks very spiffy & big and fancy sitting here on my bar countertop. I plan to take it to the Office Max (or is it a Depot? whatever) to get it spiral bound for my committee's convenience at reading later today. I've got two copies ready, and need two more. My printer is on the verge-- it needs new black ink & a new drum kit. Andrew is planning on getting a new one-- we have a several years old laser color printer which is outdated & falling apart, so buying a new updated one will work better than fixing up the old. But that means I'm hoping that there's enough in it right now to print up the copies I need today so I don't have to put any money in a printer we're getting rid of.

Anyway. That's what we're doing today.

Everyone is back to fairly normal health, although Sean has a lingering head cold that keeps him up at night and has given him a few fevers... but it's minor compared to other things.

I still haven't gotten my mother's day gift. I know it's early, but my hubby prefers to have me weigh in on what I want, and I didn't find anything yesterday. I demand a present this time. I usually don't go in for the "hallmark holidays" but I want something this time. We'll see what it ends up being.

What a difference....

a day makes. It's a cliche, but that means it's often true.

Last night was okay. The babies are still crabby and didn't sleep great. Sean & Maia both still have a touch of fever. Things are not quite "normal." (whatever that is.)

But the night before, with poor little Sean puking up anything put in him, and Maia crabby & feverish, and mommy sleeping on the floor in the living room to make it easier to take care of two babies at once....

well, it just didn't compare. At least I slept most of the night in my bed.

Things are not yet 100%, but it could have been much, much worse.

superfun

so now, sean's expression of the tummy virus is puking. lots of it. i'm covered in it. maia is still pooping, sean is the other end. yay!! did i mention andrew is in ALASKA??!!!!!

fun night ahead for me......

they're sleeping now, but want to be held. so that explains the one finger typing..... message into the void....sos :)

Computer Stroke

My laptop is dying. It has had essentially what is a computer stroke... little bits of its hard drive have bad spots, dead spots, on it. I've been able to have it run in "safe mode" and get the important files I need off of it, but I can't get it to restore to normal mode and run properly. Sad, sad. I have another desk computer which is fine, so not a big rush to get a new laptopn drive. But the laptop isn't that old. I guess these things happen.

In other news, the babies and I are sick this week. They've managed to avoid getting too sick thus far but we've picked up a stomach virus. Maia has the poops, and a fever today, and Sean so far is just crabby & a little feverish. I think I might have the tummy part, and a headache. I assume the babies have headaches, which is probably why they're crabby. So we're all fighting this off. Last night I had to let them sleep with me pretty much all night or they wouldn't rest. Andrew is gone out of town for a few more days, so I'm on my own. Fun, huh? It's not so bad, but I'm not getting much accomplished. I just don't feel great, and the babies need lots of snuggles. (Me too!)

Anyway. That's my news update. Now back to watching Blue's Clues with the babies.