Hurricane Laura now a Tropical Storm

Laura Now a Tropical Storm

Mark Avery, Lead Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

Sep. 30, 2008 11:00 am ET

Subtropical Storm Laura As of 11 a.m. EDT, newly-classified Tropical Storm Laura (60 mph) was located about 435 miles south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The storm was moving toward the north at 13 mph. A gradual turn toward the north-northeast and an increase in forward speed is expected over the next day or two.

Laura is expected to gradually weaken tomorrow as it moves over colder water and begins to take on extratropical characteristics. As an extratropical storm, Laura may take aim on the British Isles this weekend.

Audrey's First Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah began at sundown yesterday. If you look at your calendar, you will see it listed as starting today. Evan, Audrey, and I went to Evan's dad's house in Maryland for Rosh Hashanah dinner yesterday evening. It was Audrey's first Rosh Hashanah but not her first Jewish holiday. Passover was her first Jewish holiday, which we spent at Evan's aunt's house. Audrey was a very happy baby while we were there! She was quite wiggly during the prayers but once she was put down on the floor with her toys, she was as happy as a clam! She even ate her mixed veggies
I forgot to bring my camera to get good pics of her so I have no pictures to post this time. :-(

Happy Birthday, Nanny!

Today is my mom's (Laura's mom) birthday! We wish we could be there to celebrate with her. Mom/Nanny-We hope you have a nice, beautiful birthday today and that it is as beautiful and wonderful as you are!

Update on the GE saga

For those of that you are on the edge of your seats waiting to find out what is happening with our GE saga, Evan called and talked to someone higher up at GE this morning. The bigwig was appalled when Evan told him that we had been told to just throw the boxes and shelves away. So, they are sending out a courier to pick up the boxes today!!! Yay!!!

GE rant!

As you know we bought a new GE fridge a few weeks ago. Well, the shelves in the freezer kept falling because when they got cold, they would retract and fall. We called GE about this and they were going to send a tech out to our house but then the day of, they called and said they had new shelves they could send. Instead they sent us an icemaker! We called them again and they said they would send the new shelves this time. Again, the day of, they called and told us they would send us more new shelves. They sent us the shelves but they had the same issue our old ones had! So, we called again and this time they said they would send someone out to our house definitely. Then they called the day of and said they would send new shelves and that this time they would definitely work. I didn't really believe them but they agreed that if these shelves did not work, they would for sure send someone out to our house. Well, yesterday, an 18-wheeler pulled up outside of our house. The guy told me he had a pallet of several boxes for us. He said he usually delivered to businesses not residences. He said he would break up the pallet for me because we didn't have a garage to hold the pallet. He proceeds to deliver 12 boxes to my front step!!! I freak out! We then discuss possibly sending the stuff back but he doesn't know anything about it and we decide I will keep all 12 boxes. I take all the boxes inside, one by one, while holding Audrey in my other arm because she is fussy. I proceed to look in 4 of the boxes and discover that they all have the same thing!!! They all have two shelves and one basket. I had Evan take a picture to capture the absurdity of the situation-
Evan opened one of the boxes and tried out the two new shelves that we needed and they fit perfectly and don't fall! He called GE today to see if they will take back the 12 boxes plus the other boxes of shelves they had sent previously (you can see them on the right in the picture). They said they don't usually take things back and that they would just trash them if they did!! Evan insisted they come and pick this stuff up but they just said that it would take weeks before they could get someone to come to our house to get it!! This is preposterous!!! The environmental and financial implications for GE apparently haven't crossed their mind! I am seriously contemplating firing off an email to some bigwig at GE about this. This is so totally absurd.

8 Months Old Today!

Audrey is 8 months old today! We went to a playdate today at our friend, Carrie's house. There were 4 other babies there. We took some pics and here are my faves:
The picture above is Audrey with Carrie's dog, Kiedis. Kiedis is a vizsla. She is such a beautiful, sweet dog. By the way, I had to look up the word "vizsla" because I had NO idea how to spell it...I was way off in my spelling!

I took some cute pics of Audrey yesterday in her highchair. I took her white shirt off to feed her some prunes so it wouldn't stain it. I just love her rolls!

Turning 30...

I'm about to turn the big 3-0 in about a week and a half. (Go 78'ers!!!) So, I had to take a couple of pics of Audrey in my tee-ball jersey from when I was a child because it has the number 29 on it and I will be saying goodbye to that number. The reason my jersey has a 29 is because when I was just beginning to play tee-ball, I had to pick a number for my jersey and the man at the jersey shop asked what I wanted my number to be so I asked my mom her age. She told me "29" so I told the token jersey shop man that "29" would be my number! I can still remember standing at the counter of that shop in Shreveport.
I also took a pic of Audrey in my Happy Birthday from Putt-Putt t-shirt. I got that shirt when I had my birthday party there when I turned 8. Audrey started getting fussy when I got to this t-shirt so she has quite the grouchy face in that pic.

First time in a swing/at the park

Last week, my friend, Michelle, and her daughter, Makenna, came over and we walked with them to our neighborhood Tot Lot. They just put in new baby swings and some new playground equipment. I didn't know how Audrey would do in a baby swing but she did great and seemed to enjoy it. Here are some pics from our playdate:

Just looking out the window...

When A gets fussy, I put her in the Bumbo seat in front of our deck window and usually open up the door so she can look outside and listen to the birds and feel the breeze. It usually calms her down and she gets very calm.

2 Weeks Today

Today marks two weeks ago that we took away the pacifier! According to the books, this is the time in which things should be noticeably better! She hasn't had a pacifier in two weeks and we've had our ups and downs. It was really hard last night on our way home when she cried the whole way home and we couldn't give her the paci. Instead we pulled over twice. Once so Evan could get in the back seat and the second time, so I could get in the back seat and Evan could drive! To make things worse, there was an accident on the highway so we had to take a longer way home. Audrey cried till we got 3 minutes from home and then she fell asleep! Thankfully, I was able to get her out of the car and put her right in her crib without waking her. Surely other parents have experienced the "longest drive home ever" because that is what we had last night and we both agree it was the worst one so far.

Audrey sits without support now!

Just in time for her 8 month birthday tomorrow, Audrey sat all on her own today! She has been working up to it. Two weeks ago, she could sit for about 30 seconds. Last week she could sit for about 2 minutes. Yesterday, she sat for about 5 minutes. This morning....she sat for 30 minutes till I went and picked her up!! Then later in the day, she sat on her own again several times. I am so proud of her and excited!
Here are some cute pics:
This is last week when she was still leaning forward and propping herself up till she would eventually slide back to the floor-
Here she is this afternoon sitting on her own, unsupported!
Of course, I had to get a cute back view :-)

2008 Hurricane Names

My name is on the hurricane list for 2008. After Ike is Josephine and after Josephine comes Kyle and after Kyle.....is LAURA! That's so not cool. On a funny note, Scarlett, my old roomie and one of my best friends said that she is sure Hurricane Laura would be a force to be reckoned with.

Weaning from the Pacifier

We've been weaning Audrey from the pacifier since last Wednesday night. We had to go cold turkey with it. It was REALLY tough that first night. Once I decided there would be no more paci, it took her an hour and a half to fall asleep with me doing Pick Up/Put Down with her, talking to her, and keeping my hand on her back to calm her. Thursday naps were fine and that night wasn't bad. But around 5:00 Friday morning, she would not go back to sleep and around 5:30 I put in earplugs as I tried to calm her back to sleep. Around 5:50 I heard a whispery sound and I turned but didn't see anything. Then I thought I heard something again so I turned around again. That's when I saw this sheet floating!!!! I had a sheet in her room because I had slept on her floor the night before. When I saw that sheet floating, I screamed and ran out of the room. (Yes, I left my daughter in her room with a ghost-I am a terrible mom!) As soon as I ran out, I hear Evan saying "Babe, it's me! Babe, it's me!". He had come into her room to be there for moral support and was laying down on the floor when I saw the sheet floating. I was sooo relieved it was him but I just fell apart right then because I was so exhausted and I had been so scared. I just started crying and Evan hugged me till I was calm. By this time, Audrey was screaming of course! So, it took till 6:15 and she finally went back to sleep. The story is hilarious to me now and it makes me laugh out loud thinking about it. Anyway, Friday night Audrey slept great and only woke up twice and even slept for a 5 hour stretch. That was wonderful for her and us!! But yesterday she didn't want to nap at all. Then late in the afternoon she took a 3 hour nap with me. Last night she woke up about 3 times and today she wouldn't nap at all! She screamed and cried and only slept for 45 minutes today except for the 20 minutes she slept in the car when we went to this dinner for our church this evening. I guess she is still wanting that pacifier for her naps but it's weird because the first days of weaning she was okay napping without it.
Thankfully she is sleeping now.
Evan is out of town tonight in Chattanooga for work but he will be back tomorrow. This is our first night at home without Evan. I am kind of scared staying home by myself and last time Evan was away for a night we stayed with some friends. But I guess I have to do it some time!

Audrey in the Bumbo Seat

We borrowed a bumbo seat from a friend and took it with us to Cape May so Audrey would have a seat to sit in when I fed her. While we were there, she didn't enjoy sitting in it while eating but now that we are home, she does like to sit in it while we are in the kitchen making dinner. So, here she is chewing on her hands sitting in the Bumbo seat.

New Onesies

My mom sent some onesies to us for Audrey. I had to take some pics of her in them. They are so cute on her!




The onesie above says "Mommy's Sweetheart" but I always think it says "Mommy's Favorite" which is so weird because why would baby clothing say that?? I mean, how messed up would that be to have an outfit that said that if you had other kids??

Today- A Year Ago

Today is September 11th and it's wild to think that it was 7 years ago that terrorists attacked our country in such a horrid way.
A year ago today was the day we found out we were having a girl. It was a weird day to look forward to because it was 9/11. That morning I went to school and then left to meet Evan at the ultrasound place. While we waited to be called, we watched the news as they replayed events and news from 9-11-01. We were called back before they showed the replay of the planes hitting the buildings.
Once we were back in the room, the ultrasound began. Evan and I thought the tech would tell us we were having a boy. I really wanted a girl first but the way I was carrying plus some of my symptoms seemed to point towards a boy. However, a few days before the ultrasound, I didn't really have a sense of what I was having. We were both surprised when she said it was a girl! But I was so excited!! On my way back to school, I called my mom on her cell to tell her the great news! Now, here we are-a year later-and that baby girl is with us. She is such a blessing and she's so beautiful and fills our days with laughter and smiles.

Sewing Machine and My First Creations

My new sewing machine.
No, I didn't make this diaper-but isn't it cute? I just bought it from a friend and I would like to make one like it soon. It didn't come with laundry tabs so my first project was to sew some on!
I sewed on the rectangular velcro strips so I can fold over the round velcro strips when I wash the diaper. I did this on Tuesday night.
This is a diaper insert. I made it from two pieces of flannel and two pieces of terry cloth between the flannel. I started it yesterday and finished today. I figured out how to make a zigzag stitch to finish the edges. No, it's not the finest piece of work ever made but it's a start!
So, I went to a sewing class on Monday night which was really a class to learn how to use your sewing machine but not so much about sewing itself. The material above was given to me to try a straight stitch. My first attempt was the blue line on the left and my second attempt was the blue line on the right. As you can see, I didn't really think about sewing a straight line the first time I sewed! When the lady said "just sew", I was like "What??" so I just put my foot down on the foot pedal and the sewing machine took off! I couldn't believe I was actually sewing! The funniest thing was when the lady told me to put my foot down and I put my actual foot down and realized she meant the presser foot on the sewing machine not my real flesh and bone foot.
These are the other three things that I did during the class. The top tan piece is a blind hem...I actually did it on both sides because the first one wasn't so blind. The second piece is a seam and hem on denim. The third piece is a button hole and button. I realize this may be very boring for some of you to look at but if you know me then you know that this is HUGE for me. In fact, on Monday night, when the lady told me to remember to pull up my needle and I said "oh" and laughed she replied "I take it you don't sew much at home." With that, I replied that she was seeing history in the making and that I had never sewed before that night. I just learned how to sew a button on about 2 months ago!

Pictures of the High Chair

Audrey enjoying her new high chair.
We love this high chair! You can take off the tray with one hand and the little apple tray in the middle comes off so you can wash it in the dishwasher.

New High Chair and something for us (okay maybe just me)!

Today we bought Audrey a high chair finally! It's about time too...if we had waited any longer, she may have been eating all her meals out of her bouncy seat till she was 18 or at least old enough to protest sitting in it. We got the Combi Hero 3-in-1. It converts to a booster seat and then a toddler chair. I really like the print and the colors on the seat cushion and we did lots of research and read lots of reviews before picking this one out. Yes, we totally had "analysis paralysis". I will post a pic of it as soon as I feed Audrey in it for the first time. We also bought a sewing machine today!!! I am so excited! I want to make baby clothing and I would really love to start making cloth diapers too. We went to Jo Ann's to buy it because it's National Sewing Month and they were having sales on floor models. We were able to get 10% off a brand new Viking Husqvarna that would have been a floor model but it hadn't even been taken out of the box yet! We got the Emerald 118 and I have a class tomorrow night at Jo Ann's to get acquainted with my new sewing machine. That was the main reason we picked Jo Ann's because they provide free classes with the purchase of a sewing machine and you can attend the classes as much as you need. That's pretty good considering I just learned how to sew a button a month ago. When you look up the phrase "sewing novice", you will find a big picture of me right there and a definition that reads: Can barely sew on a button, can't hem pants to save her life, and forget about asking her to fix a zipper, mend a hole, or any other sewing task. That's right...go ahead....look it up...

Labor Day-Cape May

We went back to Cape May for Labor Day. We had a wonderful time with Evan's Aunt Sharon, Uncle Rob, and cousin, Jeff. Here is a photo of Audrey laying on a blanket on the beach enjoying the sights. She is such a people watcher so she mostly watched the people.Audrey watching Daddy.
This was the second day we went to the beach and Evan had miraculously gotten her to fall asleep in his arms. Then she put her down on the blanket and she stayed asleep...for about 45 minutes.
Such a pensive, thoughtful look on her face here...
Audrey backed into a pile of pillows in our room. We got to stay on the third floor in a nice roomy room that even includes a view of the ocean!

The Fab 4

We had wine club with some of our best friends recently. We did an Asian-inspired dinner and had a blast. Audrey came along and wouldn't sleep so she got to enjoy the conversation too. Here is a photo of the 4 of us: from left-Tiffani, Maile, Me, and Carrie
All 4 of us were pregnant at the same time! Maile and Carrie were due Feb. 28th and Feb. 29th and Tiffani was due March 15th. Maile and Carrie delivered on the same day-March 5th! Maile was induced and Carrie went into labor on her own. They were both late and both wondering if they would be pregnant forever! Carrie gave birth to a handsome little boy-Isaac-and Maile had a beautiful little girl-Abra. Tiffani had her baby a week early on March 15th. She had a beautiful little girl too-Jovie. I delivered on Jan. 25th so Tiffani pointed out that all of our children's birthdays included the number 5. For Maile and Tiffani, this was not their first pregnancy, they each already had two children. So, they have their hands full right now but love it! Carrie and I were the first timers in the group so we enjoyed talking about all of our pregnancy questions, fears, thoughts, and milestones together.

Audrey Moves Backwards and other cute pics

Oh to be a Plumber! This is Audrey in her Rumparooz fitted diaper. It snaps and hangs kind of low on her so she has a nice plumber's butt in this pic.On Audrey's 7 month birthday, she got up on her knees and rocked and even pushed up on her toes. She enjoys doing her little pushups and here is a picture of her doing that:

Audrey getting up on her knees in her crib. I love this diaper she has on. It's a Rumparooz One Size diaper. I love the cute pink plaid print!
Audrey has started to lay her head down when she gets tired while she is playing. She is so cute when she does this. This pic is kind of far away but I think you can make out the little 16 pounder in the pic.

Audrey only moves backwards right now. She moves around on her belly and pushes back with her hands. Even though she has learned how to get up on her knees, she still hasn't figured out how to move forward. She managed to back herself into the bathroom one day.


She also managed to back herself under our bed but got upset when her head prevented her from going all the way under.
She got under the coffee table and had her head in a bucket of toys. How cute is that! Oh and check out her baby legs she has on---these are great for protecting her knees now that she is on the move. Yes, she is in the same outfit as the other two pics above because she backed into all three places in the same day!
Here she backed herself into the space between the ottoman and the chair in our living room.

Operation Pacifier Wean 2008

I think Audrey is co-dependent on her pacifier. Ever since last Thursday, she has been waking up just about ever hour during the night. When I go in to her room, she is crying because her paci has fallen out and she is awake. I give it back to her and she goes back to sleep. However, I can't keep going back in her room every hour every night. So, I need suggestions on how to wean her from a pacifier besides just taking it away from her and listening to her scream.